Stunning Hotels That Used To Be Train Stations

Travelers often speak of the romance of trains, and there's undoubtedly an element of truth to that declaration. Train travel allows us to really feel the fabric of a journey, to experience the weight of a trip and its distance, and to immerse ourselves in the actual process of going from one place to another. This is unlike taking a flight, which feels like time travel to another dimension, with the points of origination and arrival seeming disparate and unconnected. 

Railway stations are a key part of the experience, hubs that are often beautifully designed, spacious, and simple, stripped of draconian security, and comfortable in the role of pretty gateways to getaways. Some stations have become landmarks in their own right, places that visitors will come to admire even if they have no intention of taking a rail trip — Grand Central Terminal in New York City is an obvious example. Others have long stopped serving a practical purpose and have been transformed into commercial spaces, perhaps into a bar or even a hotel, allowing travelers a place to stay where they can appreciate the property's rich back story.

Looking at this property, the word "grand" immediately comes to mind. A long, gorgeously designed building sitting in the Pyrenees mountain, it was originally known as the Canfranc station and opened as a railway port in the late 1920s. Close to the border with France, the Spanish property is extremely luxurious. Much of the interior design of rooms and public spaces is modeled on the prevalent materials when the station opened, the heyday of Art Deco, with brass, wood, and velvet strongly represented. 

The exterior form was, however, more reminiscent of the style of stations from the 1800s, with touches like a roof featuring slate tiles and a massive dome as the centerpiece. Walking around the hotel, it's easy to imagine the building's original purpose, evident from the arched doorways and windows, the high-ceilinged lobby area, and the pretty floor tiles. Additions include a plush heated pool and a fully equipped gym.

Formerly known as Chattanooga Choo Choo, this destination sits in the heart of the Tennessee city. Visitors will fall in love with rooms built inside former train carriages, with the Sleeper Deluxe category fitted with a trundle bed and opening to a wall of windows. For the complete experience, consider booking a MacArthur Suite, which stretches across the length of an entire train car, can sleep four guests, and features its own dining area, powder room, and even a private outdoor terrace (a perfect spot for lingering over a fruity tipple at the end of a day). 

The property dates to the 1970s, when it opened as the train station called Chattanooga Choo Choo, and it was joined in 2015 by the massive residential condo development called Passenger Flats. For large-scale events, the Hotel Chalet has the Beverly Ballroom, a generous space with 18-foot ceilings, swish pendant lights, and an undeniable sense of refined class.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport sits only about 15 minutes by car from the Hotel Station Amstelveen, a property whose name refers to the suburb of Amsterdam where it resides. The building, a delightfully intimate affair with only five rooms, has a sturdy brick exterior, while interiors are bright, with contrasting white linens and furnishings that create a pleasant atmosphere of old and new. 

The rooms have names celebrating the hotel's past (it first opened in 1915 as a railway station, becoming a hotel much more recently), with choices like Porter, Conductor Suite, Master, and Inspector. All feature king- or queen-size beds, televisions loaded with many viewing options, and are incredibly inviting spaces. Run as a bed and breakfast, it feels more like someone's home than a commercial enterprise, making it a comforting place to stay when visiting Amsterdam, one packed with travel-focused history and the quaint glamour that is everywhere in the Dutch capital.

A train stuck on a bridge might make passengers feel a touch uncomfortable, but for guests of Kruger Shalati, there is nothing to worry about. The train, moored over the Sabie River, has train cars refitted to become suites, though the resort also has rooms in a house nearby. The luxury of the accommodations is apparent as soon as you step in, from plush fabrics and linens to rich marble and wood. Entry to the property is on solid land, with the reception, restaurants, and rooms set next to the Selati Bridge. 

The real draw is to book a room atop the bridge, cleverly designed so that the bed looks through large windows over the river, Kruger National Park, and the wildlife that comes to the water year-round. The overall atmosphere takes guests back to a rail safari in the 1920s, an era when glamour was an integral component in exploration. For a photo-op to incite jealousy in your friends and family, check out the pool suspended on a deck over the river.

A town of heartwarming tranquility and part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Japanese temple settlement Koyasan is an incredible place to visit, with more than 50 temples where visitors can stay and double that number dotted around its mountainside. For anyone searching for peace, quiet, and simple Buddhist temple food, Koyasan is one to add to the bucket list. This hotel sits by a station that is historically a starting point for worshippers as they head up to the mountain temples and monasteries on foot. 

The building next to the train tracks was built in 1926 and was used by station employees, but following an overhaul, it was revamped to create two guest bedrooms. The railway connection is evident not just from the view of trains but also from the touches within the rooms — handrails, luggage racks, dials and gauges, foldable seats, passenger straps, old train staff uniforms, and more.

In gorgeous Yorkshire, England, this lodging sits by a station close to Castle Howard, a grand stately home built between 1701 and 1811. Fans of historical drama might recognize the immense country house, for it was a site used in the filming of "Brideshead Revisited," a British TV show based on the novel of the same name that first aired in 1981. Platform 1 calls the train station its home, and it's a Grade II listed building, referring to a United Kingdom designation for structures of special historic interest. 

Today, the accommodation is set up as an apartment, accessed through a door that Queen Victoria walked through when visiting a noble at the mansion more than 150 years ago. The unit is notable for its natural light and breaks off into various rooms, all with underfloor heating and a stove that uses wood logs to generate extra warmth. Trains still run intermittently at the station, and guests can watch them whizz by, especially on weekends.

The Missouri property was a once powerhouse of train travel, opened in 1894, close to the center of St. Louis. The hotel presents a sweep of exquisite design, not least in the Grand Hall. The lobby area shimmers with a vast curving roof, intricate mosaic detailing, artful arches around the edges, gleaming marble floors, and tons of places to sit, from comfortable couches with high backs to stylish single-seater armchairs. When used as a canvas for a 3D light show, the Grand Hall becomes a living art space, and projections of images like stained-glass windows enhance its creative appeal. 

The building is no less impressive, looking almost like a refined European chateau, with steep rooflines and a soaring clock tower. Rooms take the opulence down a few notches, distinguished by their practical form that is a contrast to public areas. The swimming pool, set inside what feels like a train shed, is a joy.

Open seasonally during the warmer months, this property in Nova Scotia, Canada, has cabooses revamped as hotel rooms, set by the former Tatamagouche Train Station that was built in the 1880s. All made in Canada, the exterior of the train vessels look very much like they did when in service, with bright coloring and slender ladders for accessing each carriage's roof. The indoors are another story, upgraded with knotty pine walls and ceilings and quilted bedspreads, lending the rooms the air of a frontier outpost. 

They sleep between two to four guests, depending on configuration, with some featuring bunk beds or period details such as a conductor's old seat. The Caboose Carole is particularly excellent, sleeping five (assuming one of them is a child) and located near the station building, with a tucked-away bed hidden under the railway berth. Meals can be taken in a former rail car, drinks are plentiful at the Baggage Room Bar, and the old platform hosts occasional live concerts.