In 1972, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and The New York Times’ very first architecture critic, Ada Louise Huxtable observed that “nothing was more up-to-date when it was built, or is more obsolete today, than the railroad station.” A comment on the emerging age of the jetliner and a swanky commercial air travel industry that made the behemoth train stations of the time appear as cumbersome relics of an outdated industrial era, we don’t think the judgment holds up today — at all. Like so many things that we wrote off in favor of what was seemingly more modern and efficient (ahem, vinyl records and Polaroid film), the train station is back and better than ever. So, we’re taking the time to look back at some of the greatest stations still standing.
From New York’s grande dame of a terminal to a station complete with its own indoor rainforest to the home of the world’s most luxurious train, the Orient Express, here’s our roundup of the most beautiful train stations in the world. Let us know in the comments what we’ve missed!
Atocha Train Station — Madrid, Spain
Image credit: The Car Hobby; I want to be here
Rossio Station — Lisbon, Portugal
Image credit: Jaime Silva; dezeen
Sirkeci Station — Istanbul, Turkey
Image credit: Susan Hardman; Train Chartering & Private Rail Cars
King’s Cross Station — London, England
Image credit: dezeen
Union Station — Los Angeles, California
Image credit: Greg Gross; Yanko; bbartokk
Grand Central Terminal — New York City, New York
Image credit: Fcb981; Merri-Makers
Gare du Nord — Paris, France
Image credit: Tyler Bornstein; It’s Delovely
São Bento Station — Porto, Portugal
Image credit: SonicPossible00; Jeremy Bradley
Central Railway Station — Helsinki, Finland
Image credit: Toinen Linja; Lachlan Doig
Dunedin Train Station — Dunedin, New Zealand
Image credit: James New Zealand; Danielle Satori