How many times have you passed through a train station without really stopping to look around? Since the advent of railways in the 19th century, train stations have been an architectural focal point in cities across Europe. From Victorian masterpieces to contemporary steel-and-glass wonders, here's what we think are the continent's most beautiful train stations.
In our opinion, these are the prettiest train stations in Europe. Click through the gallery to see how we've ranked them...
Originally built in 1887, Uelzen station was fairly ordinary in appearance. In 1995 though, Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser got commissioned by the Lower Saxony government to jazz up the look of it. The result of the decision was this fun-filled, quirky design. Multi-coloured tile columns are topped with golden globes, while the station platform walls are painted pink and shaped into undulating Gaudi-style waves.
The Cinque Terre National Park shows off the best of coastal Italy, with its forested cliffs, pastel-coloured villages and lemon groves. Corniglia is one of five tiny towns strung along this picturesque coastline, linked by the Cinque Terre Express train. What Corniglia station lacks in size, it makes up for with its view. Gaze straight out onto the Mediterranean Sea from the platform and listen to the waves washing against the rocks below.
Prague Central Station was first built in 1871. Architects Vojtech Ignac Ullmann and Antonín Barviti designed the station in a Neo-Renaissance with a vaulted dome and decorative pilasters. However, in the early 20th century, architect Josef Fanta renovated parts of the station in a more flamboyant Art Nouveau manner, best seen in the iconic Fantova Hall with its iconic cafe. Tuck into a slice of chocolate Prague cake beneath the ornate lamps and stylised windows.
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Flam railway station looks like any other Norwegian station from the 1940s. The setting, however, is phenomenally beautiful. Views of snow-dusted mountains, lush forests and icy waterfalls abound. It’s easy to see why the incredibly steep two-hour return train journey from Flam to Myrdal is considered one of the most beautiful in the world. Look out for Myrdal mountain, with its summit 2,841 feet (866m) above sea level.
You can’t miss the sunshine yellow exterior of Estacio del Nord in Valencia (not to be confused with Joaquin Sorolla in the south). This Gothic-style station, built in 1917 by Demetrio Ribes, features an explosion of colour in the floral frieze decorations. Inside, expect wood-panelling and vibrant mosaics illustrating various aspects of Valencian life. Look out for key symbols including Valencian oranges, traditional houses and La Albufera lake.
Opened in 2015, this glass cube of a railway station sits in the heart of Delft, reflecting the city and sky in its shiny exterior. As you walk through the main entrance hall, a giant 1877 map of the city emerges on the ceiling. If you look closely, you'll spot the original train station that used to exist very nearby. You’ll also notice modern, blue-and-white speckled tiles throughout. This is a nod to Delft’s famous blue tiles.
Step back in time to 1884 when Volos station was first built as part of the Thessalian Railway to Larissa. It’s remained unchanged ever since, surviving even the catastrophic earthquakes that rocked Volos in the 1950s. The building itself is undeniably beautiful with its double pitched roof, vibrant yellow walls and emerald green roof trim. Today, you’ll find a museum dedicated to the station upstairs. It's filled with old photographs, uniforms and other memorabilia.
Walking through Stockholm’s metro system is like walking through an underground art gallery. At 68 miles (110km) long, it’s been described as the 'world’s longest art exhibition'. Each stop has its own unique design. T-Centralen is one of the most beautiful with its white-painted roof adorned with blue intertwined vines. Stadion station’s rainbow ceiling and the bonkers mosaics in Kungstradgarden are also worth a visit.
You’d be forgiven for thinking Istanbul’s Haydarpasa Station was a palace, rather than a transport hub. Fairytale turrets topped with conical roofs mount each corner of this building, giving it a distinctly western European feel. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was opened by German architects in 1908 as part of a proposed railway route from Berlin to Baghdad via Istanbul. However, it closed after a fire damaged the building in 2010. Renovations are underway to restore the station to its former glory and expected to be concluded in 2024.
You wouldn’t think Naples would have a futuristic station. However, the demand for train travel in Italy has increased by 50% during the last decade and this is why the city needed a new high-speed rail terminus. World-class firm Zaha Hadid Architects designed the building. From above, it looks like a bullet train snaking along the ground. Huge Corian-clad beams were installed to create sweeping waves over the railway lines, which allow 18 high-speed trains to pass through every day.
Despite being firmly in France, Metz was actually part of Germany from 1870 to 1918. Hence why this station, built between 1904 and 1908, is a key feature of the German New Town in Metz. The building is reminiscent of a medieval church. Built in the Neo-Romanesque style with thick walls, it has arched windows and barrel-vaulted ceilings. Despite the ancient appearance, it was kitted out with contemporary amenities like electricity and central heating.
With its red-brick facade, arched windows and turreted clock towers, there’s a distinctly Gothic feel to Amsterdam Centraal station. It was originally built between 1881 and 1889 under the watchful eye of architect Petrus Cuypers. The station actually sits on its own island in the IJ bay. While the exterior retains its 130-year-old history, the inside has gradually been transformed into a slick contemporary space – with multiple entrances, a metro station and some tasty food and drink spots.
Glass and steel dominate this hyper-modern railway station in Germany’s capital city. Constructed between 1996 and 2006, Berlin Hauptbahnhof was named the largest and most modern connecting station in Europe. The clever design, made up of five layers, allows both intercity trains and suburban metro lines to flow seamlessly in and out of the station. Natural light reaches even the lowest subterranean level.
Bilbao and design go together like cheese and chorizo. Not only is the Spanish city home to the spectacular structure that is the Guggenheim Museum, but its metro gateways were also designed by the famous architect Norman Foster. Bilbao-Abando – originally called North Station – is beautiful in its own right. It’s dominated by a 33 foot (10m) high stained-glass window, illustrating the history of the city. Among the fisherman and steel works, you might spot the Basilica of Begona and San Anton Bridge.
Four statues stand sentinel at the entrance to Helsinki Central Station, known as the Lyhdynkantajat or 'Lantern Bearers'. They were designed by Emil Wikstrom and formed a key part of the Art Nouveau vision by architect Eliel Saarinen. Designs were started in 1902, but construction was delayed because of the First World War. During this time, the unfinished station was used as a military hospital. When the station finally opened, visitors could buy tickets to climb the clock tower to admire the view.
You can’t miss Rotterdam Centraal station with its striking arrowhead-like entranceway that shoots skywards. It was completely reconstructed by Dutch architects MVSA after the old design no longer worked for the volume of passengers. The station was reopened to the public in 2014. MVSA deliberately designed this facade to echo the high-rise contemporary buildings around it, while the north entrance is more understated in line with the Provenierswijk neighbourhood.
Budapest-Keleti station, designed by Gyula Rochlitz, is undeniably impressive. Towering 141 feet (43m) above Thokoly Avenue, it features a Neoclassical facade, adorned with Corinthian columns and Romanesque statues. These statues depict James Watt, the Scottish steam engine inventor, and George Stephenson, Britain’s legendary railway engineer. However, when it first opened in 1884, visitors were most impressed by the electric lighting strung through the vaulted entrance hall.
The great vaulted dome and 220 feet (67m) high clock tower of Limoges-Benedictins stands out from miles away. Since 1929, it’s been a focal point of the Limoges skyline, courtesy of architect Roger Gonthier. Hints of Neoclassical, Art Nouveau and Art Deco style can be seen in the stained glass windows, decorative nameplate and statue-topped columns. It also famously starred in a TV advert for Chanel No. 5 with Audrey Tautou.
Two rippling ice blocks glint in the sunlight at Hungerburgbahn in Innsbruck. This striking entranceway is one of four Nordpark Cable Railway stations across the city, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. It was inspired by glaciers among Innsbruck's northerly mountains. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) awarded Hungerburgbahn with its prestigious RIBA European Award in 2008 for outstanding architecture.
Few stations are more remote than Corrour in Scotland. This tiny transport hub is located on the edge of Rannoch Moor in the Scottish Highlands. It’s not accessible by any public roads. At 1,339 feet (408m) above sea level, it’s also been named the highest railway station in the UK. If you’ve seen the 1996 film Trainspotting, you might recognise Corrour station from the scene where characters Renton, Tommy, Spud and Sick Boy go for a walk in the countryside.
Right in the heart of Paris, you’ll find the Gare du Nord – the busiest station in Europe. French architect Jacques Ignace Hittorff envisaged the iron-and-glass design in 1860. It may have opened in 1864 but construction wasn't completed until 1865. The station’s iconic Neoclassical facade is adorned with 23 statues, each one representing a town served by the railway including London, Berlin and Warsaw. Inside, the interior was renovated ahead of the Paris Olympics 2024.
White metal sheets ripple across the northern skyline of Reggio Emilia. Architect Santiago Calatrava is the brain behind this futuristic design, which won the ECCS European Steel Design Award in 2009. It was built over the top of an existing viaduct and high-speed railway line with great success. Inside, the slatted roof creates a light and dark pattern across the floor. Take the high-speed train between Milan and Bologna to visit this spectacular piece of architecture.
Spain’s largest railway station, Madrid Atocha, has a surprise nestled at its heart: a 43,055 square foot (4,000sqm) botanical garden. Built in 1851, the station was remodelled in the 1980s to make way for high-speed trains. The old railway terminal was replaced with a sleek shopping area, centred around an indoor jungle. Over 100 species of plants from the Americas, Asia and Australia make up this lush interior; some of the palms nearly touch the 88 feet (27m) high ceiling.
With its pointed clock tower, rose windows and red brick facade, St Pancras is a wonderful example of Gothic architecture from the Victorian era. First opened in 1868, it was designed by William Henry Barlow and George Gilbert Scott. The train shed was the largest ironwork structure at the time, while the facade housed a luxury hotel – and still does to this day. Searcys, inside the contemporary station building, boasts Europe’s longest Champagne bar.
At 11,332 feet (3,454m) above sea level sits the Jungfraujoch, a saddle that connects two of Switzerland’s major mountains (Jungfrau and the Monch). Remarkably, there is a train station at the top sitting just underneath the Sphinx Observatory. The Jungfrau Railway has been carrying passengers 5.5 miles (9km) uphill to the summit since 1912. The view from this station is unparalleled, overlooking the Swiss Plateau on one side and the Aletsch Glacier on the other.
Italy’s second largest railway station is a mish-mash of architectural styles, including Liberty and Art Deco. Completed in 1923, the grand design was influenced by Benito Mussolini who was prime minister at the time. Downstairs, there is a hidden waiting room known as the Royal Pavilion. It was constructed for Italy’s royal family in 1931. Peek inside and you might notice that one of the mirrors hides a concealed passageway, designed as an emergency escape route for the royals.
The futuristic fan-like roof of Liege-Guillemins is a sight to behold. It was designed by Catalan architect Santiago Calatrava, who was also the mastermind behind Reggio Emilia Station and Lisbon Orient Station. Five platforms sit under the single 656 feet (200m) wide roof. The steel supports are filled with glass to create a transparent appearance, creating a visual link between the city and station building. It cost £375 million ($448m) to complete.
Step inside Sao Bento station in Porto and the first thing you’ll notice is the beautiful blue-and-white tiles (or azulejos). There are 22,000 in total, depicting scenes from Portugal’s colourful history. They were painted by artist Jorge Colaco in the early 1900s. The station itself – which is on the site of a former convent – was designed by Jose Marques Da Silva, who was heavily influenced by French architecture.
Another creation from architect Sanitago Calatrava, Lisbon’s Oriente Station sits just north of the city, near Lisbon International Airport. This contemporary design is inspired by Gothic architecture. Dozens of white steel ‘trees’ connect to create a canopy over the platforms. The main entrance has Calatrava’s signature fan design. Look out for the brightly-coloured tile murals on the station platforms by international artists like Yayoi Kusama and Antonio Segui.
‘Baroque-medieval eclecticism’ is how Antwerpen-Centraal’s station designer, Louis Delacenserie, described his masterpiece. Built between 1899 and 1905, it’s been dubbed the ‘Railway Cathedral’ for its grand ecclesiastical appearance. The vast steel-and-glass platform canopy soars 141 feet (43m) high and has been crafted to accommodate steam train smoke. Elsewhere, the vaulted ceiling, which is topped with a dome that reaches a high point of 246 feet (75m), was modelled on the Pantheon in Rome.