The slow-train adventure that reveals a rarely seen side of Turkey

Our writer jumps aboard the Van Golu Express as the country has a railway ‘moment’

For generations, the trains running to east Turkey from capital city Ankara were almost exclusively used by locals. But over the last decade, things have changed. Slowly, tourists have become wise to the super-cheap tickets and spectacular Euphrates river views offered by the Dogu Express, Turkey’s longest rail journey, which runs between Ankara and Kars – turning the train into an attraction in its own right.
Keen to capitalise on this – and to lure tourists beyond the likes of Istanbul – Turkish authorities launched a second version in 2019, the Touristic Dogu Express, tweaking the timetables to offer longer stops at historic cities and upping the on-board comfort factor. It was a roaring success; so much so, that two more tourist versions of existing train routes were launched earlier this year: one of the Güney Kurtalan Express – christened the Mesopotamia Express – which runs to Diyarbakir; the other of the Van Golu Express to Tatvan, a city by Lake Van, Turkey’s largest lake. Both routes go deep into southeast Turkey, forging well beyond the usual tourist trail while remaining a safe distance from the Syrian border zone (which the Foreign Office warns against visiting). 
The rub, of course, is the price. A couchette on either of the two existing services costs around £18. A cabin on their touristic incarnations? A cool £200 per person. Could a journey on the original, authentic Van Golu Express possibly be unpleasant or impractical enough to justify paying ten times the price for its show-pony sister? There was only one way to find out. I headed to Ankara, and hopped aboard.
My first ticket cost £4.50 for the eight-hour stretch to Kayseri, in Cappadocia region, and though my reclining seat was, admittedly, on the grimy side, it certainly offered decent leg room. I headed to the dining carriage, passing an elderly couple arranging buckets of cherries by the sliding door, and sat down opposite a student named Eren. He told me I looked like James May, and that he loved The Grand Tour. Bonded by this compliment, we shared Ulker chocolate and took photos of mosques and crops through the fairy light-framed window.
I got off in Kayseri, a city of around one million people, and under Eren’s direction headed to Sultan Sofrasi restaurant for manti: small dumplings in watery, tomato-y soup. I preferred the rich lamb and rice at Tarihi Altin Tabak Corbaci, next to the bazaar, where a rug-seller tried to lure my custom with boasts of supplying John Lewis.
Next, I rented a car and drove southwest to Soganli valley, where ancient cave houses and churches were cut into arid hills. My saloon was the only vehicle in the dusty, sun-scorched parking space next to the walking trail weaved among long-abandoned dwellings. I ducked into cave houses for respite from skin-crisping sun, catching breath by makeshift cupboards cut into smooth rock, and stone pews in dome-ceilinged cave churches. 
For my next Van Golu Express stretch, overnight to Elazig, I booked a two-berth cabin which – complete with fridge, sink and plug socket – set me back £33. Leaving Kayseri, I watched the orange pastel sunset from the dining carriage as a bespectacled backpacker sketched the bearded men crouched on prayer mats behind me. 
As the original Van Golu Express runs only twice a week in each direction (and without the longer stops afforded by its touristic counterpart), alighting in Elazig meant I’d need to stay there five nights, until the next Van Golu Express arrived. But with plenty to explore, this was no hardship. I headed uphill to the ancient town of Harput and its castle, and lived off koftesi beef meatballs with tomato paste. That said, unless you really like derelict castles – and meatballs – you’d be better off skipping this interlude and continuing directly to Tatvan. This I eventually did, finally reaching Lake Van, and the final stop on the Van Golu Express.
I had loved the bustling bazaars, the hearty local food and the ancient caves – but really, this trip had been all about the ride. Grudgingly, but running short on time, I booked a berth to Ankara: 27 hours in one go. A suitably grand end to a truly grand tour.
Airlines including Pegasus (flypgs.com), Turkish Airlines (turkishairlines.com) and Wizz Air (wizzair.com) fly from London airports to Ankara from £116 return. 
Van Golu Express couchette tickets between Ankara and Tatvan cost from £18 one-way (tcddtasimacilik.gov.tr, the TCDD app, or English-speaking agencies such as Amber Travel: ambertravel.com). 
Kayseri’s Buyuk Hotel (kayseribuyukotel.com) has double rooms from £44 per night. Elazig’s Vizyon Butik Hotel (vizyonbutikotel.com) has double rooms from £43 per night. Van’s Indiana Hotel (indianahotel.com.tr) has double rooms from £24 per night. In Ankara, Jamie Fullerton was a guest of Crowne Plaza Ankara (crowneplazaankara.com.tr), which has double rooms from £125, including breakfast.

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