Canfranc Estación: staying in the ‘Titanic of the mountains’

Canfranc International railway station in the Spanish Pyrenees inspires “almost instant comparisons” with the fictional Grand Budapest Hotel in Wes Anderson’s film of that name, said Victoria Brzezinski in The Times. “Ten times bigger than London’s St Pancras”, this “splendid beaux-arts construction surrounded by snow-capped peaks”, was the second-largest railway station in Europe when it opened in 1928. But technical issues, diplomatic difficulties, a fire and the Spanish Civil War bedevilled its early life; and after a derailment destroyed a bridge in 1970, the railway line closed and its most famous stop – now nicknamed the “Titanic of the Mountains” – shut for good.

This year the station has finally reopened its doors as a “show-stopping 104-room hotel”. The old booking hall has become an “almost ecclesiastical triple-height lobby manned by a bellboy in a 1930s-inspired uniform and kepi (pleasingly, he even has a moustache)”; restored stucco and original brass lamps frame a marble staircase that leads guests under the tracks to the forecourt; and shields line the lobby walls, including one for the République Française (France is just over the border), and another emblazoned with Alfonso XIII’s coat of arms.

The interiors have an “old-world feel”; and the food served in the “beautiful” Restaurante la Estación is a “triumph”; or you can opt for the seven-course tasting menu served in two vintage rail cars a few steps from the main hotel.

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Between meals, there’s plenty to do. In winter when the station is “iced like a wedding cake”, people come to ski or snow-shoe; in other seasons, visitors can trek, ride or climb. The scenery is “filmic”, and the staff are happy to help book other activities, from hot-air balloon rides to ziplining and caving. It’s also well worth taking a historical tour of Canfranc. “After nearly 100 years of bad luck”, it seems the station’s fortunes “have finally turned”.

Doubles from £133; barcelo.com

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