Turkey’s rail network remains one of the country’s best-kept tourism secrets and is still rarely used by foreign travellers. A fast YHT (high-speed) network links Istanbul to Eskişehir, Konya, Ankara and Sivas, but it’s the network’s older routes, running through rural Turkey, where it really shines for scenic, slow-paced travel. Most routes can be booked 30 or 15 days in advance.

1. Roses Express: İzmir to Isparta

This daily train is the main route for classical history lovers. In total, it is a 10-hour journey across the Aegean coastal plains and into the hills of western Anatolia – but the pleasure lies in occasionally getting off to explore the region’s ancient ruins. The train stops at Selçuk Station, three miles east of the The UNESCO-protected ruins of Ephesus and Denizli train station, starting point for the travertine terraces of Pamukkale and the ruins of Hierapolis. The final destination, Isparta, is the gateway to Sagalassos Hill Ruins. Entrance fee 320 TRY (£7.60).

2. Eastern Express: Ankara to Kars

The daily Eastern Express travels 814 miles over high plateaus and the mountainous countryside of northeastern Anatolia. In winter, when the peaks and plains are covered in snow, this is one of Turkey’s most scenic journeys. Most travelers board with their own picnic rather than using the basic dining car, and settle into either Pullman seats or four-berth sleeper compartments and shared couchettes for the 26-hour journey. From December to March there are also three more expensive Touristic Eastern Express departures per week, which have only private two-berth sleeper compartments and include stops for excursions to historic towns. Eastern Express tickets 400 TRY (£9.50), Touristic Eastern Express tickets from 6,000 TRY (£143).

3. Taurus Express: Konya to Adana

This passenger train uses the historic railway line blasted through the Taurus Mountains between 1904 and 1918, winding over the Cilician Gate mountain pass once crossed by Alexander the Great. Originally built as the northern section of the Baghdad Railway, the line is lined with steep, wooded slopes and deep gorges, passes through several tunnels and crosses the 320ft-high stone Varda Viaduct, featured in the 2012 Bond film Skyfall. The seven-hour, daily Taurus Express links Konya with Adana, a good base for the castles and ruins of Turkey’s eastern Mediterranean. Tickets cost 200 TRY (£4.80).

3. Pamukkale Express: Eskişehir to Denizli

The nine-hour Pamukkale Express links the vibrant arts capital of Eskişehir with Denizli, travelling to Pamukkale and Hierapolis. It is a front-row seat to the rural heartland of northwestern Anatolia. The northern section passes through valleys once ruled by the Phrygian kings of the Iron Age, while further south the landscape spreads out into vast farmland with pine-forested hills as a backdrop. There are daily morning departures in both directions. Tickets cost 280 TRY (£6.70).

5. Lake Van Express: Ankara to Tatvan

There are two long-distance routes that make the most of the views of southeastern Anatolia, with its rugged, rocky plateaus, rolling hills, vast lakes and sprawling orchards and farmland. Both cross the Karakaya Dam section of the Euphrates via the 2,030-meter-long Euphrates Railway Bridge, and offer the best views in spring and autumn. As on the Eastern Express, the dining car is basic, so most passengers bring their own food supplies for picnics on board.

The twice-weekly Lake Van Express covers 775 miles on its 26-hour journey between Ankara and Tatvan, on the western edge of Lake Van. The lake (Turkey’s largest) covers 1,435 square miles. Head to the city of Van, the springboard for exploring the southeastern corner of the country, and visit Lake Van’s star attraction, the Armenian art masterpiece Akdamar Church. Travelers can choose between Pullman seats, shared couchette compartments with four beds and private sleeper compartments with two beds. Tickets from 420-1,590 TRY (£10-£38).

6. Southern Express: Ankara to Diyarbakır

Meanwhile, the South Express winds 653 miles between Ankara and the walled city of Diyarbakır, which, with its ancient monuments, Kurdish culture and historic bridges over the Tigris, offers an excellent introduction to the southeast’s rich heritage. The regular 22-hour version, which runs five times a week, costs a fraction of the price of the Touristic Diyarbakır Express — a 24-hour train that runs the same route, departing once a month and making stops for excursions — in the city of Malatya heading east, and in Yolçatı (to see Harput Castle) and the city of Kayseri heading west. Seat tickets on the South Express cost 355 TRY (£8.45) or 1,525 TRY (£36) for a private sleeper compartment with two beds; Tourist Diyarbakır Express tickets start from 8,000 TRY (£191) for a private two-berth sleeper compartment.

7. Sivas-Samsun Railway

This eight-hour journey links the town of Sivas – peppered with some of Turkey’s most magnificent examples of 13th-century Seljuk architecture – to the Black Sea port of Samsun, where the Pontic tombs filled with golden artefacts known as the Treasures of Amisos are now finally on display in the new Samsun Museum. The train runs three times a week in both directions, leisurely crossing hills dotted with farms before winding its way along the Canık Mountains. Slow down and complete the journey in two legs, stopping in Amasya, where a rocky wall containing the tombs of Pontic kings watches over the Ottoman houses that line the Yeşilırmak River. Tickets 275 TRY (£6.50).