site.btaOrient Express Arrives in Bulgaria with Passengers from Four Continents on Board

The iconic Orient Express arrived in Ruse on Tuesday en route from Paris to Istanbul, carrying 67 tourists from four continents.

The welcomers at the Central Station included Ruse Regional Governor Dragomir Draganov, who hopes that the travelers will get good impressions of the city and will promote Bulgaria back home, so that the country could attract more visitors to its seaside and mountains.

Passengers from Europe, North America, Asia and Australia are accommodated in the train's 16 carriages, said the Orient Express Head Cabin Steward Marius Comsa, who has been part of the crew for more than seven years. He added that it was decided to make two Paris-Istanbul journeys annually after the trips were cancelled for two years during the COVID-2 pandemic. "Quite a few guests, who had already bought tickets, insisted on travelling whenever possible instead of getting their money back. That's why the company decided to offer them this opportunity," the steward explained. He point out that each journey and each day is different and that the guests often include celebrities such as David Beckham and Angelina Jolie. "Some of them themselves tout their travel, while others prefer to stay incognito," he added.

Comsa said that for yet another year a Bulgarian is expected to join the crew in Istanbul. Even is a local dish does not always figure on the menu offered in three dining cars, this does not apply to the products.

In Ruse, the train took water supplies, underwent a technical check and passport control, and left for Varna (on the Black Sea), pulled by a Bulgarian locomotive. On Wednesday it is expected to arrive in Istanbul, and on June 6 it will start back for Paris.

Aura of Glamour and Mystique

The Orient Express is a luxury train that used to connect Paris with Vienna and Istanbul as from 1883. It was called the "train of kings" or "king of trains" because of its interior splendour and the many royals who rode on it.

The Orient Express was founded by Belgian civil engineer and businessman Georges Nagelmackers and was operated by his Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits et des Grands Express Europeens (CIWL). The train had its first trial run on June 5, 1883. The passengers were all men (journalists, artists and politicians) and carried pistols on the recommendation of the authorities.

The regular service began on October 4, 1883 with 24 passengers, including only two women. The express travelled twice a week between Paris and Istanbul, passing through Strasbourg, Munich, Vienna, Budapest and Bucharest. Initially, the train only reached Giurgiu, from where the passengers were ferried across the Danube to Ruse and then boarded another train to Varna, where an Austrian Lloyd steamer took them to Istanbul. The first journey without change of trains started on June 1, 1889, running via Belgrade, Nis and Sofia. By 1902, the entire route was finally covered by rail.

Bulgarian King Ferdinand was a frequent traveler, and on two occasions even drove the train for just half an hour. The company owners took exception to this royal whim and subsequently banned any amateurs from the driver's compartment.  

The three-times-a-week service was suspended in 1914 and resumed in 1919 between Paris and Istanbul via Strasbourg, Munich, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Nis, Sofia, Plovdiv and Edirne.

The daily Simplon Orient Express, Paris - Milan - Venice - Trieste - Zagreb - Belgrade - Nis - Sofia - Plovdiv - Edirne - Istanbul/Athens, was also introduced in 1919.

After World War II, the Orient Express divided at Stuttgart, with one portion running to Prague and Warsaw. The Simplon Orient was revived in 1945, three times per week, from Calais to Istanbul via Paris, Milan, Venice, Belgrade and Sofia. The portion to Athens was added from 1951. In 1952, the luxury train was rerouted from Belgrade via Thessaloniki. The service was discontinued east of Vienna and beyond Prague in 1961 and finally withdrawn on May 27, 1962.

The Direct Orient Express, Calais - Paris - Milan - Venice - Trieste - Belgrade, originally introduced in 1921 and reintroduced in 1950, was extended to Sofia and Istanbul twice a week between 1962 and 1967 but ceased to run beyond Venice in 1977, and with it all direct service from Paris to Istanbul.

On December 14, 2009, the scheduled Orient Express definitively ceased operations and disappeared from European rail timetables, being unable to compete with high-speed trains and aircraft.

In 1982, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express was established by businessman James Sherwood as a private venture. It operates restored 1920s and 1930s carriages on routes around Europe, most notably Paris-Istanbul via Vienna and Budapest, from March to December. The experience is aimed at leisure travellers as tickets start from USD 3,262 per person.

The celebrities who travelled by the Orient Express in the 19th and 20th century include Honore de Balzac, Charles de Gaulle, Gustave Flaubert, Ernest Hemingway, Coco Chanel, Jean Cocteau, Josephine Baker, Agatha Christie, Kemal Ataturk, Queen Elizabeth II, Mata Hari, Marlene Dietrich, Simone Signoret, Grace Kelly and Yves Montand. Legend has it that it was on board that train that the famous spy Mata Hari met her lover Victor Maslov and received from him valuable information about operations planned by Russian intelligence.

In 1929 the train was stranded for five days in Cerkezkoy, 110 km from Istanbul. The temperature in the carriages fell to minus 10 C, which forced a maharaja to spend a fortune on coats from fellow passengers to keep his seven wives warm. The passengers were starved and ventured to a nearby village, where they traded jewels for eggs.

This incident inspired Agatha Christie, who immortalized it in her novel Murder on the Orient Express, published in 1934, adding fictional elements to the plot.