High in the Spanish Pyrenees sits a giant railway station that looks more like a palace than a train stop. Once nicknamed the “Titanic of the Pyrenees” for its grand design and troubled history, Canfranc International Station is finally getting a happy ending. Almost a century after its opening, the abandoned station has been transformed into a five-star hotel – and trains may soon return.

When Canfranc Station first opened in 1928, it was the second-largest train station in Europe. Built with a 200m-long Beaux-Arts façade, it was meant to connect Spain’s Aragon region with the French city of Pau. But from the very beginning, misfortune followed: a fire in 1931, delays from the Great Depression, and later the Spanish Civil War, which halted services entirely.

During World War II, the station played a dramatic role as a secret escape route. Jewish refugees, prisoners of war, and Allied airmen were smuggled across the border right under the watch of German soldiers and Gestapo agents stationed on the French side.

In 1970, disaster struck again when a derailment destroyed a key bridge in France, cutting the line permanently. The station was abandoned, left to decay in the mountain valley, while only a small domestic train service limped on.

Fast forward to 2023: after years of restoration, Canfranc has been reborn as a luxury hotel operated by the Barceló Group. Guests now check in under vaulted ceilings once used as ticket halls, sip champagne in Art Deco bars, and dine in the Michelin-starred Canfranc Express restaurant housed in a restored train carriage. Staff even wear 1920s-style uniforms to bring back the glamour of the station’s golden age.

Despite its dazzling new life, rail access remains limited. Visitors often arrive by bus due to ongoing upgrades, though plans are underway to reconnect Canfranc with France. If successful, the station may once again serve international passengers as it was originally intended.

Today, Canfranc is more than just a hotel. It’s part museum, part landmark, and part gateway to the Pyrenees, attracting rail enthusiasts, hikers, skiers, and pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago.

From near ruin to revival, the “Titanic of the Pyrenees” is finally proving it wasn’t doomed after all.