Guided Tour of the Canfranc International Station

The Canfranc International Station opened in 1928 as a rail border crossing on the Zaragoza–Pau line, and in 2002 it was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural (Asset of Cultural Interest). Today the historic building is a five-star hotel, so the inside can only be seen in passing. The Canfranc Tourist Office organises a guided tour of the outside that crosses the lobby to end at the new station.

What the guide tells you

The tour reviews the past, present and future of the international line and its two stations:

• The engineering work on the Arañones mountain, which protects the building from the natural hazards of the slope.
• The history of the line since it opened.
• The project to restore the historic building.
• The redevelopment of the railway complex and the new station, opened on 15 April 2021.
• The plans to reopen the line to France.

From the town hall square to the new platform

You meet ten minutes before at the Tourist Office, in the town hall square of Canfranc Estación, opposite the station. You walk about 300 or 400 metres, with no architectural barriers, and to reach the new station you cross the lobby of the historic building, which is now the hotel reception. The explanations last between an hour and an hour and a quarter, in Spanish; there are no audio guides. For another language, ask the Tourist Office.

In bad weather

As almost everything is outdoors, in rain or snow the tour starts at the Centro de Interpretación A Lurte, or at the Ayuntamiento, and does the first part there. Bring warm clothes and an umbrella anyway. The weather or organisational reasons may change the time or cancel a tour.

Tickets and dates

• €5 from age 11.
• €2 for ages 6 to 10.
• Free up to age 5, but children and babies take up a place and must be included in the booking.

They are bought at canfranc.es, up to two hours before, or on 974 37 31 41. Tickets are not sold at the office: the online quota is the whole capacity. Dates open gradually; if you see only one ticket available, it is the last place. Money is not refunded except in cases of force majeure or cancellation, but you can change the date by phoning (not by email); the ticket is valid for a year, subject to availability. Groups of more than 25 people write to [email protected].

Animals of any size are not allowed, except assistance animals, and the office has no left-luggage: do not come loaded with suitcases.

Other ways to see it

Companies in the area run guided and dramatised tours of the station; the municipal website links to them. Those who want to see the interior at leisure can eat or have a drink at the hotel's restaurants or sleep there: Canfranc Estación, a Royal Hideaway Hotel.

What to combine it with

The tour fits with a trip on the Canfranero from Zaragoza: the Blue Train Saturday combines it with lunch at Restaurante Universo, on the main avenue. The ski Sunday at Candanchú also passes through it.