The Orient Express was one of the most luxurious and exclusive passenger trains in the world. Travel began in 1883 from Paris to Istanbul taking just shy of 3 days. Service was halted during the world wars; after WWII, the line had trouble maintaining its prestige with the advent of air travel and the political division of Europe. The service never recovered; service through to Istanbul ended in 1977, then ending at Bucharest. The route shortened many times until the final train left Paris in 2007. Service ended in 2009.

The orient Express reached its height of popularity in the 1930s as a line of luxury and comfort with three trains running with sleeper and dining cars. After service was halted in 1939 and resumed in 1945, closures of borders kept the train from running to Athens and Istanbul. The borders were re-opened by 1952 but the Communist countries required the use of their own equipment. By 1962, two of the trains were ended; the mystique of the Orient Express ended with the onset of WWII although the name is still in use for various routes.

I was there in 2012; the station was closed in 2013 although it appears to have been reopened in 2024.