These are the most beautiful railway stations in the world
Entries from France, Belgium, Australia and China were among those praised
The world’s most beautiful railway stations in 2025 have been revealed, with Europe dominating the list.
The list has been put together by Prix Versailles, an organisation that hosts a series of architectural competitions, which are announced each year at the Unesco headquarters.
All seven stations that made the list were chosen due to their remarkable architectural ambition.
France and Saudi Arabia were the most awarded, with two stations each, while entries in Australia, Belgium and China were also praised.
Saint-Denis Pleyel Station in France made it on the list due to its wooden atrium, decorated with Palaeolithic-inspired sculptures.
France’s other winner, Gustave Roussy Station in Villejuif, was recognised for its open pedestrian pavilion topped with a large glass roof. Prix Versailles said it “blurs the line between the interior and exterior”. The uses of smooth, mesh, perforated and polished metal was also noted as an impressive feature.
Kafd Station in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was chosen for its facade that emulates patterns created by desert winds in sand.
Another station in the city, Qasr Al Hokm, was celebrated for its inverted conical canopy topped with a glass roof. Inside, the station also holds a subterranean garden.
Over in Sydney, Gadigal Station was praised by the awards for its interior artworks, each inspired by early railway tunnels and made of intensely-hued ceramic tiles.
On the other side of the world, Mons Station in Belgium, the third European location on the list, was honoured for its white, steel, cathedral-like walkway, which stretches to 165m in length.
The final entry to the list was Baiyun Station in Guangzhou, China. It was chosen for its “ethereal” curved structure, which allows natural light to cascade into the atrium.
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In a statement, Jérôme Gouadain, secretary general of the Prix Versailles, explained why recognising the architecture of stations is important.
“Excellence lends itself to recognition and humility, and is a necessary quality in this day and age, when there is such a need to extend the harmony manifested in these new passenger stations across entire continents,” he said.
“Already a part of this century’s heritage, this infrastructure is revitalising the role that we as a society attribute to mobility. At each site, beauty is given concrete form, like a lung breathing new life into the city, a shared symbolic territory in the service of its inhabitants.”
Each year, the members of the Prix Versailles world jury assess the architecture of railway stations, airports, hotels and museums.
Prix Versailles World’s Most Beautiful Stations List 2025
- Gadigal Station in Sydney, Australia
- Mons Station in Mons, Belgium
- Baiyun Station in Guangzhou, China
- Saint-Denis – Pleyel Station in Saint-Denis, France
- Villejuif – Gustave Roussy Station in Villejuif, France
- KAFD Station in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Qasr Al Hokm Station in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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