Sirkeci Railway Station

Sirkeci opened in 1890 as the European terminus of the Ottoman railways, designed by the Prussian architect August Jasmund in a deliberately orientalist style - rose windows, banded stonework, horseshoe arches and clock towers, meant to look eastern to arriving Europeans and modern to everyone else. It was the station where the Orient Express set down its passengers, which is most of its fame, and the connection is real if less glamorous than the branding suggests: the through service ran here from 1883 until 1977. Mainline trains no longer use the old platforms - the Marmaray tunnel now runs beneath, and the surface station handles suburban services - so the great train shed is quiet. A small railway museum in one wing holds timetables, uniforms, station equipment and rolling-stock fittings, and there is a restaurant in the old first-class waiting area.

What you actually see

• The orientalist facade - rose windows and banded stone.
• The old train shed - the quiet platforms under the roof.
• The railway museum - timetables, uniforms and fittings.
• The Orient Express connection - the terminus of the through service.

When to go

Year-round; the building is open and free. The museum keeps short weekday hours, so go in the morning if you want it.

Honest expectations

The museum is small and its hours are unreliable. The main-line romance is over - what you see is a suburban and Marmaray station in a historic shell. Half an hour is enough.

Nearby

The Spice Bazaar and Eminönü ferries are a few minutes away; Gülhane Park and Topkapı are up the hill.