Union Station

Union Station, in Washington

Union Station is the main station of Washington DC, a magnificent Beaux-Arts building opened in 1907. The Washington audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this monumental railway hall, at once gateway of the capital and architectural masterpiece in the heart of the town.

The monumental gateway of the capital

You are in front of the main station of Washington DC, called Union Station. Opened in 1907, it receives today several tens of millions of travellers per year, which makes of it one of the most frequented places of the capital. At the time of its construction, the railway companies of the town united to create a great common station, hence its name of Union Station. Designed in the Beaux-Arts style, then in vogue for the great American public buildings, the station is a grandiose monument that is inspired by the architecture of ancient Rome: its majestic façade of white marble, adorned with triumphal arches, columns and statues, and its immense hall covered with a vault of gilded coffers make of it one of the finest stations of the world. Conceived as a gateway worthy of the federal capital, it welcomed the travellers and the dignitaries in a solemn decor. Restored, Union Station is today at once a lively station, a shopping centre and a meeting place, combining function and heritage. A Beaux-Arts masterpiece and a gateway of the town, Union Station is a fine stop of the discovery of Washington.

What to see

You admire the main station of Washington, opened in 1907, which receives tens of millions of travellers; born from the union of the railway companies, this monument of Beaux-Arts style inspired by ancient Rome charms by its majestic white marble façade adorned with triumphal arches and its immense hall with a vault of gilded coffers, today a station, a shopping centre and a meeting place. Union Station is a gateway of Washington. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

Union Station lies to the north-east of the Capitol, in Washington, reachable on foot, by metro and by train. It is a station in activity, open to the public, which also shelters shops and restaurants according to their own hours. You can freely admire there the great hall and the façade.

Why is Union Station of Washington remarkable?

Because it is the main station of the capital, opened in 1907 and born from the union of the railway companies, and a masterpiece of Beaux-Arts style inspired by ancient Rome: its majestic white marble façade adorned with triumphal arches and its immense hall with a vault of gilded coffers make of it one of the finest stations of the world, today also a shopping centre.

Where is Union Station in Washington?

To the north-east of the Capitol, in Washington, in the United States.