Sirkeci and the route
Sirkeci meeting point and route
Where the dervish dinner evening starts in Istanbul: Sirkeci, the Central Post Office, how the route runs, and where the car takes you at the end.
Reserve the dervish evening ↗Quick answer
The evening starts in front of the Sirkeci Central Post Office, in the Sirkeci district at the tip of Istanbul's historic peninsula. The group walks to the venue, travels to a restaurant for dinner, and ends in a private car near your hotel in the areas the ticket names. Plan your own way to Sirkeci and arrive early.
Sirkeci
Sirkeci is a district at the tip of Istanbul's historic peninsula, beside the Golden Horn and just north-west of Gülhane Park and the Topkapı Palace. Its best-known building is the railway terminal, finished in 1890 by the Oriental Railway as the eastern terminus of the Orient Express, which ran between Paris and Istanbul. The terminal is still a symbol of the city and houses a railway museum. For an evening that centres on the Ottoman world, the district is a fitting place to begin. Keep the meeting time in mind if you plan a walk in the district before the evening. Wikipedia adds that the terminal's architect was the Prussian August Jasmund, that the building is a well-known example of European Orientalism, and that it houses the Istanbul Railway Museum, opened in 2005.
The Central Post Office
The meeting point is in front of the Sirkeci Central Post Office, a large stone building with arched windows and doors. The ticket gives a map link, and your confirmation repeats the instructions, so use them rather than a search for a different post office. Look for the host, who meets the group at the entrance. If you cannot find the group, contact the organiser through the details in your confirmation rather than wandering the district. Guests on a ceremony-only ticket elsewhere on this site report struggling to find their meeting point, so allow extra time. If you arrive early, wait near the entrance rather than inside, and keep your booking confirmation open on your phone so you can show it to the host.
Getting to Sirkeci
Sirkeci has a railway terminal with rail and tram service. Check your preferred route and travel time from your hotel on the day. This guide does not give line numbers or distances, because services change. Leave time for the unexpected, and arrive before the group gathers. Rail service has changed in recent years: an underground station opened on 29 October 2013, and the surface terminal reopened on 26 February 2024. Check what is running on the day.
How the evening moves
After the meeting, the group walks to the venue for the introduction to Sufism and the dervishes. The ticket describes the performance as lasting 60 minutes. Then a transfer takes the group to a family-owned restaurant for dinner. The evening ends with a private car to a point near your hotel. Because the host leads each step, you do not need a map after the post office. The ticket covers the whole sequence in three and a half hours, so tell any friends meeting you later to expect a late finish. The first stop is quiet and the second is social, so treat the walk and the transfer as a chance to ask the host what you want to know.
Where the car drops you
The ticket names Sultanahmet, Sirkeci, Eminönü, Taksim, Galata, Beyoğlu and Fatih as the areas for the final transfer, and the car stops at a point near your hotel in one of them. The car stops near your hotel, not necessarily at its door, so ask the driver where it will stop. If your hotel lies outside the named areas, ask the organiser after you book. Do not leave this to the end of the evening. Keep your hotel's name and area to hand so the driver can find the right stop. The ride back is counted in the ticket's length.
Frequently asked questions
Where do we meet?
In front of the Sirkeci Central Post Office in Istanbul. The host meets the group there; your confirmation repeats the details.
Is there hotel collection at the start?
No. You travel to the meeting point yourself. The private car at the end drops you near your hotel.
Which areas does the final transfer cover?
Sultanahmet, Sirkeci, Eminönü, Taksim, Galata, Beyoğlu and Fatih, according to the ticket.
What is Sirkeci known for?
Its railway terminal, opened in 1890 as the eastern terminus of the Orient Express.
How early should I arrive?
Allow extra time, since meeting points can be hard to find. Follow the arrival time in your confirmation.
Sources