It’s official: two of the most ‘spectacular’ train stations in the world are in London

Did you know that the two most gorgeous train stations on Earth are right here in London? At least, that’s what the Telegraph said in its latest list of the world’s 20 ‘most spectacular’ stations.

The newspaper’s ranking was curated by its travel writers and experts, and spanned 17 nations across almost every inhabited continent (sorry South America, better luck next time). Top of them all, however, was a central London hub: St Pancras International.

The red-brick terminus originally opened in 1868. The Telegraph described it as ‘magnificent [and] gothic’, and as a physical embodiment of all the ‘splendour and deep pockets’ of the early Victorian railway investors. St Pancras got a facelift at the turn of the 20th century, with renovations creating dedicated space for new cross-Channel train services.

These days, St Pancras is the only place in the UK where you can get on a Eurostar train, although campaigners have been trying to change this for some time. Plans have been proposed to upgrade the station ahead of Virgin launching its competing international service, but even without any further work, St Pancras still clearly shines bright.

The silver medal went to Paddington – just five tube stops away. Designed by renowned British architect Isambard Kingdom Brunel, this station opened its doors in 1838, making it the fifth oldest in the capital.

The Telegraph praised Paddington’s ‘grand, wrought-iron and glass barrel-vaulted roof’, which creates a bright, spacious feel in the station. Plus, it deserves extra points just for inspiring its cartoon namesake-turned-national-treasure (soon to get his own West End musical).

In third place was the Gare de Lyon in Paris, which is home to Le Train Bleu; ‘the finest station restaurant in the world’. All of the top ten stations were in Europe, with two each in Paris and London, then the rest split across various nations.

The most stunning train stations in the world

Here are the 10 most impressive railway terminals in the world, according to the Telegraph:

1. St Pancras International, London, UK
2. Paddington, London, UK
3. Gare de Lyon, Paris, France
4. Antwerpen-Centraal, Antwerp, Belgium
5. Amsterdam Centraal, Amsterdam, Netherlands
6. São Bento Railway Station, Porto, Portugal
7. Helsinki Central Railway Station, Helsinki, Finland
8. Madrid Atocha, Madrid, Spain
9. Villejuif-Gustave Roussy, Paris, France
10. Hungerburgbahn, Innsbruck, Austria

You can read the full list here.

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Plus: A Harry Potter themed Christmas tree has been unveiled at King’s Cross station.