Hua Lamphong Railway Station

Hua Lamphong opened in 1916, designed by the Italian architects Mario Tamagno and Annibale Rigotti - the same pair behind several of Bangkok's other Rama V and VI-era public buildings - in a Neo-Renaissance style with a great arched vault over the platforms and a stained-glass window at the head of it. For a century it was the main railway terminus of Thailand and the departure point for the north, north-east and south. In January 2021 most long-distance services transferred to the new Krung Thep Aphiwat central terminal in Bang Sue, and Hua Lamphong retained only a reduced set of commuter and short-distance trains; plans for the building have included a museum and commercial redevelopment, and its future use has been publicly argued over. What remains is the hall, the vault, the clock, the platforms and a much quieter atmosphere than the crowded terminus it was.

What you actually see

• The arched vault - the 1916 train shed over the platforms.
• The Italian design - Tamagno and Rigotti's Neo-Renaissance frontage.
• The reduced service - commuter trains only since the 2021 transfer.
• The concourse - the hall, clock and stained glass, open to walk through.

When to go

November to February. Early morning has the best light through the vault. An hour covers it, and the MRT station is directly underneath.

Honest expectations

Most long-distance trains left in 2021 - it is much quieter than photographs from before then suggest, and is not where you catch a train north or south. Its future use is undecided and parts may be closed for works.

Nearby

Chinatown and Wat Traimit are a short walk west; the MRT connects to the rest of the city.