Nicknamed “the Titanic of the Pyrenees”, this monumental station has become an incredible 5-star palace

With its ocean liner look, this immense train station has been transformed into a sublime luxury hotel.

They have been burned, bombed, destroyed or simply abandoned… There are monuments that rise from their ashes and their second life makes them even more dazzling. 8 kilometers from the French border, nestled in a valley at At an altitude of 1,200 metres in the Spanish Pyrenees, there lay an old ghost train station over a century old, with an exceptional length of 241 metres. In January 2023, the ghost building underwent a spectacular transformation. A completely surreal second skin that attracts curious onlookers and tourists.

The monumental Canfranc station, a crossroads between the Parisian stations of Saint-Lazare and Orsay, was inaugurated in 1928 on the railway line that linked Pau to Zaragoza, then abandoned by the SNCF in the 1970s. After 3 long years of work, the Spanish hotel group Barceló transformed it in a luxurious five-star palace nicknamed "the Titanic of the Pyrenees", piercedé almost 400 windows. 3e948b8cefc1ca07b9/ccmcms-linternaute/64790708.jpg” />

The Canfranc Estación Hotel, now operated by Royal Hideaway Hotels & Resorts, opened its doors on January 27, 2023, reviving a heritage that is more than a century old. The hotel, with 104 rooms and suites, with nightly rates starting at 180 euros per person, promises its guests “a journey through time in a contemporary luxury retreat”. The DNA of the building, “its railway spirit”, has been preserved, while offering the ultimate luxury of a palace. From the outset, the visitor finds himself transported back to the 1920s when he sets foot in the former station hall transformed into a reception area. The charm of this former station is also reborn through Art Deco furniture, materials such as wood, brass, velvet, and rooms in converted old passenger cars.

Advanced treatments, therapeutic massages, large indoor heated pool inspired by the Also Art déco, the hotel's vast spa and wellness centre is full of praise. As for its restaurant, the Canfranc Express, it has been awarded a Michelin star under the leadership of chef Eduardo Salanova. There is no doubt that this completely atypical luxury mountain hotel will make your stay out of the ordinary. You can get there without any problem at the winter season, as the hotel is located close to the ski resorts of Candanchú and Astún and the port of Somport, a mountainous area that becomes particularly beautiful during the winter months.