Europe’s biggest train station is also one of the ‘world’s most beautiful’ – with massive shopping centre inside
A TRAIN station in Europe is routinely called one of the most beautiful in the world by visitors.
While most passengers simply want to get on the move, there are some airports, train stations and even service stations that have become tourist attractions in their own right.
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One of those places is Leipzig Central Train Station in Germany, which is routinely described as "beautiful" by visitors.
For years, holidaymakers have hailed Leipzig Central Train Station as one of the most beautiful in the world on TripAdvisor.
One person wrote: "Leipzig Central Train Station is one of the most beautiful train stations in Germany. It is clean and well maintained with a large array of restaurants and shops.
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Another visitor added: "One of the more beautiful railway stations I have ever seen, it's a very nice building."
Someone else said: "A beautiful railway station."
Leipzig Central Train Station first opened to the public in 1915, becoming one of the largest railway stations in the world.
Designed by William Lossow and Max Hans Kühne, the train station features two large domes.
Acting as the station's entrance halls, the large domes fill Leipzig Central Train Station with plenty of natural light.
To this day, the German train station is still Europe's largest railway when measured by floor area.
There are said to be 19 overground platforms at the German train station as well as a city tunnel service that opened to the public in 2013.
Leipzig Central Train Station also has a multi-level concourse, which is home to a huge shopping centre.
Called Promenaden Hauptbahnhof Leipzig, the large shopping centre has over 140 stores, including fashion boutiques, beauty stores, souvenir shops and supermarkets as well as a range of cafes and restaurants.
The shops inside the train station are open from 9.30am until 10pm from Monday to Saturday, with around 80 businesses also opening every Sunday in the afternoon.
Just like the transportation hub, the shopping centre has been praised by holidaymakers, with one person writing: "Excellent service, lots of shops, cafés, restaurants.
A beautiful railway station
"The central station is very clean and perfectly organized. In brief: a terminal that doubles as a shopping mall."
Another person described it as a "great place to do some shopping" by one reviewer on TripAdvisor, with many others echoing the same sentiment.
Trains operate from Leipzig to several destinations in Germany, including Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt and Humburg.
Holidaymakers can also board trains heading to other destinations in Europe like Prague, Amsterdam and Vienna.
Europe is filled with plenty of beautiful train stations, including Antwerp Train Station in Belgium.
WORLD'S MOST BEAUTIFUL TRAIN STATION
Antwerp Central Railway Station in Belgium, which was crowned the most beautiful train station in the world in 2014 by writer Dennis Green.
He wrote: "Its beauty is so unique, experts have difficulty assigning it an architectural style."
Since then, the Belgian train station has topped the list on other rankings too, including round-up of the 36 most beautiful train stations in the world.
More recently, Antwerp Central Railway Station was also mentioned in a round-up of Europe's most beautiful train stations by .
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Three scenic train journeys you can take in the UK
Cornish Coast - One trip that rail enthusiasts seem to love is along a stretch of the Cornish coast and takes just 10 minutes to complete.
The route from St Erth to St Ives only stops at Carbis Bay en route to its final destination, but the views out the window for the whole journey are pretty spectacular.
Another highlight of the journey is that St Ives station is situated right next to Porthminster beach, meaning the sand and sea can be accessed almost immediately.
Meanwhile, the station is less than a ten minute walk into town, where the harbour, shops, galleries and pubs can be explored.
Durham to Edinburgh - Another train route that people in the UK love is the East Coast train line between Durham and Edinburgh, with coastal views and city landscapes among the sights that can be seen out the window.
Newcastle, Berwick, Lindisfarne and Durham Cathedral are all among the highlights on that route.
Scotland's West Highland Line - While Scotland is home to plenty of famous landmarks and top attractions, it also has one of the most breathtaking train routes in the world.
Scotland's West Highland Line has previously been dubbed the best rail journey in the world by - and it's easy to see why.
The journey from Glasgow to Fort William is one of my favourite train routes - and I've interrailed through mainland Europe.
With mountain landscapes, serene lochs, wistful moors, and wildlife all visible through the train window, it's certainly a route all holidaymakers should consider doing at least once.
Meanwhile, you can ride a London Tube train with sea views on this British island.
And these are some of the most beautiful railway journeys in the UK.