We need to start traveling sustainably and to fly less. However most of the places we want to go to are a long boring journey away if we chose anything other than a cheap flight. This great book will inspire anyone who reads it to take a slow train to Istanbul and enjoy the journey. The Journey is the destination should be more peoples mantras. Tom is a well known travel writer who specialises in trains, so he knows his stuff. He is entertaining and engaging so the book is fun to read. It has exactly the right ratio of geeky train stuff, historical information, and amusing tales from the route. It is framed as a lads trip, though there is a lot more depth to the book than cheery bantz. It is a light and entertaining book which will encourage anyone who reads it to think about traveling overland in at least one direction if at all possible.

I have been reading this over the last couple of weeks and I was sorry to reach its conclusion. What a wonderful read. I went inter=railing across Europe 28 years ago and it was the most memorable holiday of my life, I have always wanted to do it again, after reading this book, I know I will.
I loved reading the authors travels to Istanbul and back, the detail on the countries, culture and politics, the sense of magic and adventure, no book has inspired me like this one has , I have started saving and planning. Thank you to the author.

What a journey, starting in St Pancras all the way to Istanbul ( with a friend ) and then back via a different route and by himself

A seasoned and well versed travel journalist and lover of train journeys the author writes with abandon and includes everything that would interest a reader including the train he is on, what he can see and hear and smell and observe, the food/drink, locals, culture, housing and a potted history if and when he think’s of interest

It’s a smorgasbord of info and observations and changing scenery and Countries and lives and background antidotes that inform, thrill and conjure up a whole world of possibilities

Me and Matt have done the journey part way to Vienna ( now hard to believe ha ) and went on the ‘real’ Orient Express ( not the posh one ) so it was wonderful to be back there on that leg of the journey

Thoroughly enjoyable with plenty of twists and turns ( train ones ) and I want to read all his previous books now 😀

Slow Trains to Istanbul is an engaging, relatable, curious, informative, modern, timely, and witty travelogue about train travels from London to the rest of Europe and back.

The title and the cover focus on Istanbul, and are tributes to the Orient Express, however, the trips covered include the whole round trip.

I have long wanted to read Chesshyre’s books. I am glad I started with this one. Chesshyre’s observations give insights into the cultures, food, the politics, economics and zeitgeist of the places he visits.

This is such a rich and inspiring memoir. I highly recommend it and hope you get bitten by the travel bug.