Most beautiful train station in Europe
 

I vote for Monaco, near Nice and the Italian border. Built on the cliffs--just beautiful.

Amsterdam Centraal - will be more gorgeous after complete renovation currently.

Antwerp a close second

Berlin's new main station for a modern wonder.

Are we talking about the beauty of the station <b>itself</b>,Wally, or including the surroundings as well?

Interesting question......

I cannot think of a beautiful train station,I liked Edinburgh's 20 years ago!!

In UK i'd take York's classical train shed

Easy, the D'Orsay in Paris! But I guess it's been a long time since trains were in it!

So many! I LOVE the outside of Milan Centrale, the Fascist, art-deco exterior, with its grandiose sculptures, but that huge man's FACE right on the side where the mouth is a water fountain-lit up at night as it is-wild!

The GORGEOUS train station at Antwerp, Antwerpen Centraal, in Belgium and also, Ghent's train station. Antwerp's station is incredible, with its lovely turn of the last century train station bar-love the train stations, and the cities-esp. Ghent, one of the undiscovered jewels of Europe.

Here's a picture of Antwerpen Centraal:

http://www.trabel.com/antwerp/antwer...waystation.htm

I like Valencia train station, the building itself.

Toledo, Spain has a neat Mudejar-style train station - small but quaint

Because Monaco is built on a cliff, the train station is many levels.

Helsinki

Antwerpen Central station, also called the Railway Cathedral.

Flughafen K&ouml;ln/Bonn - it's the perfect complement to the severely postindustrial ICE trains that use it.

Actually Gare de l'Est in Paris, the facade is as gorgeous as any... and as it's now being gutted inside for the launch of TGV Est will shine inside and out.

Europe's ugliest train sheds - take you pick of practically any London station - Kings X, Euston, Paddinton, London Bridge but St. Pancras for its facade can't be beat.

How shallow one would have to be to choose a country or a city based on the appearance of the train station station?

Wonder if those people would pick a doctor because she is young and pretty?

robbie - take you ipod off - it's affecting your brain. yours has gotta be the most stupid post i've seen on Fodor's in years -

&lt;How shallow one would have to be to choose a country or a city based on the appearance of the train station station?&gt;
how the heck did you get this from any post here? no one said that or would believe it i believe. Robbie - lapse back into reality and read the posts first next time before jumping to ludicrous conclusions!

Porto,Portugal

Europe's ugliest has got to be Connolly Station in Dublin. I have been in Waterloo, Euston, Victoria, and several other London stations, but for a station that is ugly to the bone the prize has got to be awarded to Connolly.

Gare St. Lazare is not too far behind.

And if we get down to dirty trains, that line from Connolly to Sligo wins some kind of award.

&lt;&lt;Author: ipod_robbie
Date: 05/11/2007, 12:52 pm
How shallow one would have to be to choose a country or a city based on the appearance of the train station station?

Wonder if those people would pick a doctor because she is young and pretty?&gt;&gt;

Its only May, but I nominate this for stupidest post of the year -- ipod_robbie, you are spending too much time listing to pop music and not enough time reading to enhance your comprehension

Cologne, Germany

I had to jump off the train to take a picture and then jump back on. It looked like an old WWII movie. (there's probably a reason for that)

Yes, they don't build train stations like these in the United States.

I will be in Dublin at the end of June and I will check that one out.

Though i haven't been there since the rehab was just finished i'd probably say Dresden hauptbahnhof - featuring a smashing new glass roof desinged by some world-famous architecture - believe the same one that did the Reichstag's new top in Berlin.

As for ugliest you can't get much more dismal that Brussels-Midi (Zuid) at least the platforms themselves - peeling paint and ugly

I don't understand the first post -- the Monaco train station is underground.

In a modern style, I think that Avignon TGV is remarkable.

In Paris, my vote goes to Gare du Nord, now that they have completely redone and pedestrianized the plaza in front of the station. You can really admire all of the statues on the facade representing the great cities of the North.

Antwerp indeed wins handily. Paris Nord, as noted by kerouac, is close in beauty, as well as St Pancras.

Limoges (though it must be quite unknown here) is wonderfully Art D&eacute;co, and Brussels Central too.

True -- Limoges is remarkable. And also with excellent clock towers are Metz and Luxembourg.

Tours, France intown station, not the blah thing at St-Pierre-des-Corps in the suburbs the real main station for Tours, but in-town Tours station is a gem.

Classical iron train shed outside but real beauty is inside with giant murals depicting many Cheateaux of the Loire.

I guess that means Wally wasn't considering the &quot;surroundings&quot; after all...thanks for pointing that out, Kerouac.

So many stations and so hard to choose.

&gt;Yes, they don't build train stations like these in the United States. &lt;

They used to.

((I))

I agree with Ira and fortunately some of them have been preserved.

PalenQ: glad you mentioned Dresden Hbf. It's not yet totally finished, but it's close and you can see the beauty. Yes, it's the same architect like the the one who did the Reichstag's new top - Sir Norman Foster. The amazing thing is that the glass/steel dome in Dresden is from 1892-95.

I am surprised the Hauptbahnhof in Leipzig didn't get a nomination.

Troon, Scotland.

Ingo - i was in Leipzig train station in January and yes it is a classical grand dame train shed and used to be the largest in Europe i believe until supplanted by the new Berlin Hauptbahnhof i believe.

Actually there was a big snowstorm when i was in Leipzig station and wanting to return to Berlin and was more worried by which trains were running - many were several hours late to get back to my base so couldn't dwell on this amazing train shed.

&quot;they don't build train stations like these in the United States.&quot;

Nor, with the exception of Berlin, in Europe.

For pure Age of Steam opulence, I think Gare de Lyon edges out Gare d'Orsay by a nose (Orsay was the world's first electrified urban station, so it didn't stink).

Funny, when I saw the question at first I thought I would have a tough time choosing one. But the more I think about it, out of the dozens I've been through the only station that really stands out in my mind is Koln. I remember this station so vividly, even though we only made a quick change here, while I can't remember a single detail of others I've been through several times. Weird.

In the US, I'd have to go with Grand Central Terminal.

&lt;&quot;they don't build train stations like these in the United States.&quot;

Nor, with the exception of Berlin, in Europe.&gt;

Berlin is not an exception: it mirrors most totally new stations built in europe recently - though it's the only central station to have been erected i guess in Europe in over a century it reflects stations like:

Satolas Airport, Lyon,
Lucerne, Switzerland
all new TGV stations on the TGV-Est line due to open

Schiphol airport train station
Frankfurt airport train stations
CDG airport train station

Madrid Chamartin

Startford UK 'International'
Milton Keynes UK
Wembley Central tube station UK
St Pancras (behind the sham front facade)
Ebbsfleet International UK

all these are rather similar to Berlin's new station so it's hardly unique in Europe but follows a prototype that it's taken to the hilt

Super-Brussels Midi? Am I missing something here, after some 18 years of using this train station-I think beautiful is not a word I'd use to describe this station in any way!

&gt;&gt; Brussels Midi? Am I missing something here, after some 18 years of using this train station-I think beautiful is not a word I'd use to describe this station in any way! &lt;&lt;


Didn't I write &quot;Brussels Central&quot; ? :-)

Okay, let me repeat, using Brussels Central-am I missing something here?