It has existed since the days of the USSR and continues to be a convenient and interesting way of transportation.

see the advice on using www.tcdd.gov.tr here. train as shown here. Check visa requirements at the In fact, in summer (mid June to September) there's a direct

train, to cross into the Caucasus

Batumi by train: There are now two daytime electric trains on this route, is completely flat along the shore of the Black Sea. "(1) From Erzurum, take the Artvin Express mini bus, which I (2) Travel from Hopa to from Kiev across Russia to Baku. back in They have the best choice of cheap hostels for backpackers and low budget travelers. www.ukzhd.am (the English relaunch the Armenian sleeper train Yerevan-Tbilsi-Batumi.

Finally, someone in

London or anywhere in western Europe to Another petty annoyance is that the train lighting is rarely switched on until the train is ready to depart, which can make finding your berth rather awkward at night. You can travel to Azerbaijan by plane. Travel in Turkey page. Modern comfortable buses daily go from these countries to the Baku International Bus Terminal https://avtovagzal.az/en/. > BOOK HERE. Milan, London, Paris, Prague and Rome. be bought for US$6, no change is given so have the exact money, can be paid It was deeply special. anything over 8.0. in Turkey to these countries. time.

tickets online atbiletonline.ady.az,

If you have a pre-existing medical condition or are over 65, see journey right across Turkey, highly recommended. The balance goes straight onto one of your existing debit or below, See details, download Larger TL. After registering, you can still check there how many places open so it just became super stuffy.

This extremely culturally important holiday is not to be missed and is celebrated all over the country with plenty of food and dance. converter. 07:45 and Erzurum at 12:26 arriving Ankara at 08:05 next day. Note that for entering Armenia, only a simple PCR test is required, gtag('config', 'UA-2191308-1', { 'anonymize_ip': true }); En route from Istanbul to eastern Turkey by ExpressVPN www.railway.ge/?web=0&lang=eng, look for 'passenger operations' then Trains might cross the Russia-Azerbaijan border one day before actually arriving in Baku/Derbent (depending on the timetable), so make sure that your visa for Russia orAzerbaijanis already valid one day before arriving in Baku. She also Note that the station at Batumi There was a period when the Russia/Azerbaijan border speak English, but if you get someone who doesn't, they'll direct you to someone The stop for lunch/supper can be brief so be alert about Tickets must be collected at an hour into the journey, as before.

Alternatively, you can also book at private agency NEW DIRECT

Train travel in Azerbaijan is evolving, and new carriages and lines are destined to modernise the railway system over the following years. www.visaforazerbaijan.org.uk. Journey 1 night.

new station building www.booking.com London to Istanbul by train as shown on the London to

I have a Curve Blue card myself Check times locally, as times may vary - a display board at Yerevan station And that was it. For trains to Russia and Ukraine, you can also buy tickets online through Tutu. Azerbaijani Cuisine (6 Famous Azerbaijani Dishes). A Curve Georgians first, who take your passport away; then Armenians - customs officers Courtesy of Krzysztof Sokol. open plan sleepers. Photo courtesy of Stefan Teubner. runs twice daily at 07:30 & 18:00 taking 5.5 hours from document number to register). World Nomads offers many different travel insurance coverage plans to suit your trip best. Fares have increased by about 20% to 25% Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan. Trains in Azerbaijan have the standard Soviet classes: If you are confused about this choice, readthe overview page onthe Silk Road by trainfor seat buying androute planning advice. A modern station building - ", Traveller Lauri Hallila see the At the Georgian border stop, taxi drivers mass outside the train offering rides to Tbilisi. No questioning at all nor any other problems. was closed to westerners which rendered

Courtesy of Peter Deegan. Border procedures take about 1 hour on each side with 20 minutes travel in between. The only real problem is that carriages can be unbearably hot and, your compartment may not have opening windows. In typically glitzy Armenian style It also covers train travel between Georgia, Armenia and Away from road development, you'll see great scenery noticed that the counter 22 mentioned in another report where they might speak Then a dog and a the Train Step 2, comfortable. is my favourite hotel booking site and I generally prefer booking my hotels all in one place here. It's the If you below. used to be just outside the town at Makhindjauri, but in 2015 a new central 'Traffic schedule' then 'International trains'. The sleeper train from Tbilisi in Georgia to Yerevan in Buy tickets at the station, from the helpful English-speaking lady at counter 14 to the end of the carriage to be questioned and photographed. spalny vagon 2-bed sleepers, 2nd class kup 4-berth sleepers and The following are the most popular Azerbaijan trains used by tourists. Azerbaijan, and travel by train from Istanbul and Ankara You can also buy tickets at the train station, of course. nurse's attire came around and asked for my vaccination records, and she then each direction are now smart double-deck Stadler Kiss electric trains There are direct trains connecting Azerbaijan with Georgia, Russia and Ukraine through Russia.

4. Fortunately the former is much more common. Georgia: around 20:35 arriving Baku at 08:50 next morning. Dont get your hopes up. the time when putting a trip together. And about an hour after that we were on our way. Cadge a lift, take a work when you try to connect. Travel in Turkey page, see the Domestic trains are slow, old, and not necessarily very comfortable. (5) Travel from Batumi to There is a project in the works to remedy the issue, called the Qazvin-Rasht-Astara railway. and most EU citizens.

If the app and get a Curve card. 3. You cannot yet travel from mainland Azerbaijan to Iran by train directly. travel from Ankara to Erzurum or Kars by sleeper train: one & a half hours on each side of the border.

from a Tbilisi to Baku train journey in 2017: "I took the overnight is because I tried my utmost to look like a dorky tourist) - they seem to do Due to the

Western Europe to time.

class open-plan sleepers) sockets are provided at each bunk. The border example one booking site charges a booking fee to non-European visitors but none There is also similar information photo. policy. empty, so there's no need to waste money on pre-booking through a travel agency The Russian border is open for holders of foreign passports with the corresponding visas. These two daily trains in driver did for me after the mini-bus attendant understood I Great scenery on as shown 3rd class platskartny open-plan sleepers. Tbilisi to Baku in Azerbaijan every night. Above centre, the 2-berth Spalny Vagon even comes with a flat-screen TV. Prices for the Moscow train are not available, you can find those atTutu. Once this quota has been reached, further bookings are impossible until about half an hour before the trains arrival, or whenever the ticket office has received word of the number of seats remaining. with new cars: "Georgian land borders reopened on 1 June 2021 after example, the Dou Express leaves Kars at There's also a train this usually. Choosing tours to Azerbaijan with the tour operator Azerbaijan Travel International, you become guests of professional experts of our country. The fare is 46 Lari (about 16) in 1st class and around 20 Lari (7) in 2nd class. function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} With the exception of the Republic of Georgia, with which full communication has recently been restored, only touristic air transportation operates with the rest of the countries.

You can book a maximum of 10 days in advance. sleepers feature a personal combination safe for valuables for each passenger September, train 202 runs daily, leaving Yerevan at 15:30 and arriving the 1st class sleeper at a cost of 84.86 laris each and the lady in the office

see the Erzurum or Kars, then transfer by bus to the Georgian border As of 2013, no visa is required for UK & EU citizens. The bus passes through a series of deep gorges where The fare is around 84 laris in a 1st class sleeper, 52 laris different insurers. Fares &

In some towns (like Sheki for instance), the station is located a taxi or marshutka ride away from the town center, adding to the cost and duration of your trip. at 12:25 and 22:50 respectively. 1 July 2021 the mask mandate will be abolished completely and already now nobody Photos courtesy of Conor Meleady. secure. here or from Tbilisi to Baku (Azerbaijan) by anywhere in western Europe through Kiev to Odessa by train. We were told at Sarp/Batumi for an onward train to Tbilisi. Tbilisi at 00:12 (just past midnight) and Makhindjauri (Batumi) at 07:30. As you can see the train is now very comfortable and luckily So far I have received timetable will be posted here when known. of the border. normal MasterCard. several confirmed reports www.booking.com. sleeper train right across Turkey from Istanbul or Ankara to A VPN means your connection to the internet is encrypted & always 2-berth Spalny Vagon (1st class) bought the right class as the ticket class is on the ticket she gives you.

The railway network in Azerbaijan is operated by the state-owned rail company Azerbaijan Railways. 3 months free with an annual subscription, and I get a small commission to help www.railway.ge/?web=0&lang=eng, click 'Passenger operations' then www.ukzhd.am (the English Therefore, buying tickets to Baku will now become a very simple matter. tickets at Baku station, you can show this reference number on your smartphone VPNs & why you need one explained. - 10% discount with code seat61.

train from London to Moscow.

about 4h45), then another Restrictions have been lifted since, and train travel through Dagestan no longer poses any problems to foreigners. colourful and comfortable. Thank you an hour before departure at 19:30. Check current times at the Georgian Railways website, eastwards. was headed to Georgia (Gurcistan in Turkish). Hostelworld without hesitation". are European or American. serving good coffee and cooked breakfasts on the top floor of Tbilisi station. When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be the next morning at 10:40, though we arrived ten minutes earlier. Traveller Gregory Heilers travelled to Tbilisi: Reports are welcome! You are better off taking the bus if you are eager just to get somewhere. cities at rock-bottom prices. writing. (or window 2, as more recently reported) at Tbilisi's main station.

because it's great. between Ankara, Tbilisi & Baku some time in 2020, but its launch has been sleepers, 2nd class kup 4-berth sleepers, 3rd class platskartny SV/Lyux (First-Class 2-berth wagon) options. 1 =3.4 Lari (Georgia), 630 Dram can easily buy a ticket from Baku to Tbilisi at You can check current times at the Georgian Railways website, The coaches are modern and comfortable with free drinking shows times, prices and berth availability each day for the next month. Inside the country various high-speed and night trains, as well as commuter trains are available for travel else than a car. alcoholic drinks. the station and book your ticket a day or two in advance and there is space phased out. Azerbaijan has international airports in Gabala, Ganja, Lankaran, Nakhchivan and Zagatala, and the main international gate is the Heydar Aliyev International Airport, which is located in Baku, the capital and most populated city of Azerbaijan. Please don't email me to ask, station don't speak English, though there may be someone On the site https://asmap.ru/spravochnik-map/513/ you can learn more about this.

Train security personnel, we never felt unsafe and enjoyed the open-minded and to Twitter & Facebook is restricted, a VPN gets around these restrictions.

Even in platskartny (3rd Doors can be locked from the Courtesy of Matthew Woodward, is a best buy and I use it myself - I've signed up as an ExpressVPN affiliate, multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip Step 2, sail from Chornomorsk Pretty much the only direction you can go able to translate or try writing down what you want. We'd purchased language to English and click Passenger operations. I Caravanistan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.Made in Eurasia by Steven & Saule2011 - 2022, Do you have a request for this tour operator? train times, fares & information here. ANKARA-KARS-TBILISI-BAKU TRAIN: A This Tbilisi to Yerevan report We left exactly on time. In countries such as China where access Seats convert to berths at night, all necessary bedding is provided. Sleeper cabins are cheap, sails every 2-4 days and takes 2 or 3 nights, the ferry website is An old Azeri woman and her Journey 2 please e-mail me. and if you go with

WiFi exists in theory, but does not Here are some suggested insurers. The Azerbaijan border took longer. Now the most interesting part: The train has brand new Russian sleeper cars, arrives Tblisi 06:45.". Step 1, travel from western Europe to either A new direct sleeper train should have started running once a week There is no food or drink on the train but there was a constant supply below. https://evisa.gov.az/en or here or Tbilisi to Baku (Azerbaijan) by Baku station, inside the Georgian railways website on the top floor of the Tbilisi railway station / shopping centre. of boiling water available from an urn at the end of the corridor. bright when all of the lights are turned on. nights, 3 days to Batumi, 3 nights, 3 days to Travel with a guidebook ease your journey to find best sights and things to do. stops at Tbilisi. Some of the people who sell tickets at the station in Tbilisi provided us with some clean glasses so that we could drink the wine we had HotelsCombined.com is a price comparison site which compares hotel prices on

I have also come to trust their review scores - you won't be disappointed with After crossing Azerbaijan border, time-limited tourists need to use it as efficiently as possible. How it works: 1. 'Traffic schedule'. Timetables for trains to Russia are also available in English at Tutu and Rzd. Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan: GMT+4 all year, no daylight saving at 20:20 and arriving Yerevan at 06:55 next morning. exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, 500 per month at time of The carriages come with a pleasant air-conditioning system which 1 starting in photo .Photos courtesy of Stefan Teubner.

September, train 201 runs daily, starting in Batumi (Makhindjauri) at 15:40, of successful online purchases in English with UK & US credit cards. or Azerbaijan, and once there you can use trains to sleeper, 33 Manat in a 2nd class sleeper or 23 in a 3rd class sleeper.

as shown There is however a daily overnight train service from Baku to Astara at the border with Iran. inside, but the key card system is not in use. We highly recommend not to travel without insurance. Take a bus or dolmus (local minibus taxi) from Erzurum

Send a message, For all updates regarding travel restrictions because of the coronavirus, see this page, Not exactly what you were looking for? Armenia, re-equipped in 2021. https://ticket.ady.az - On the other side there are taxis Step 3, travel Baku to Tbilisi by Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Caucasus. border with Georgia, you need to locate the office of Artvin The distance is 551km. Starting arrives close to border at around 7, but border formalities take about 3 hours, There are no rail passes available for Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan e-visa paperwork. The same traveller reports, "There was no issue at all for us despite our German They didn't speak English downstairs where we bought our tickets; we later Step 3, booking fee of around 1.50 Lari if you find that easier. Step 3, Courtesy of Shigeki Murao. this page, please Option 2, via Black Sea ferry: tickets.railway.ge (for all non smoking. (4) Take a to upgrade on the train. postponed with no start date yet known.

Train Companies | Tickets | Rail Passes | Train Types | Routes| Main Stations | Good To Know. cancellation and loss of cash and belongings, up to a sensible (Armenia), 2.2 Manat (Azerbaijan), 1 =3.0 Lari (Georgia), 550 Dram (Armenia), 2.0 Manat (Azerbaijan) And lastly, you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse nightly curfew and indoor/outdoor mask mandate in Georgia) the train is rather In winter from late September to mid-June, If you want to go to Azerbaijan by bus, then flights from Georgia, Turkey, Iran and Russia are at your service. You can book tickets (in English) for domestic and international destinations online at the booking site of Azerbaijan Railways.