These are officially the most beautiful railway stations in the world

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The world’s most beautiful railway stations in 2026 have been revealed, with transport hubs in Saudi Arabia and Italy dominating the shortlist.

Prix Versailles, an organisation that hosts a series of architectural competitions, announced the list at the Unesco headquarters in Paris on 28 September.

All seven stations were awarded for their creativity, innovation and relationship to local heritage, emerging as “new and iconic urban spaces”.

Saudi Arabia and Italy were the most awarded, with two stations each making the top spots, while stations in Australia, France and LA also impressed.

In Australia, Melbourne’s Town Hall Station stood out for its “sheer size” and cathedral-like feel with copper vaulted ceilings and wide platforms.

Lyon Part-Dieu Station, a shortcut between neighbourhoods, was praised for having community spaces, France’s biggest bicycle parking garage and the Place Charles Béraudier gallery.

Rome’s Colosseo–Fori Imperiali Station “has turned travel into an archaeological adventure, in which the public’s descent towards the platforms is a literal dive into the city’s history”, said Prix Versailles.

Also in Italy, Monte Sant’Angelo Station in Naples was described as a sculpture into the bowels of the earth that the public can enter. It was designed by artist Anish Kapoor, alongside architectural firms Future Systems and AL_A.

Western Station and National Museum Station in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia got the award’s attention with their lattice facade and silhouette inspired by desert dunes, respectively.

The LAX/Metro Transit Center also made the top seven for “radically reinventing airport transit” in California.

Jérôme Gouadain, Prix Versailles secretary general, said: “Prix Versailles shines a light on the top locations that illustrate how excellence in design has become a driver of progress.

“In the realm of transport stations, the stakes are high when it comes to creating cultural expressions that are simultaneously beautiful, fashionable and sustainable, that reinforce passenger mobility whilst revitalising local neighbourhoods and that support modernisation whilst showing respect for existing architecture.”

The world’s most beautiful stations, 2026

According to the Prix Versailles

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