Well, let's see…read more.. ...it's a train station ...it take's you places (well, the trains do...not the station) ...it's dirty and gritty ...you can buy your coffee to go and a bite to eat ...you can buy something to read on the road ...it's a train station, and not a nice one at that ...it's small and walking through this place is definitely not one of my favourite pastimes ...it's located in the city centre and everything is within easy reach ...but it's a train station, after all!

Busy clean & modern train station with many tracks. Once we got into the main hall we found an…read moreikea, food hall, banks, and many fast food stands. There were many doors & it was confusing to find the best way out. The high-speed ice trains in Germany are very clean and efficient. But they are not cheap. There aren't many cars on the road because the rail system and bicycles run well here.

Wikipedia says: Originally built as in the neo-Gothic…read morestyle, it was rebuilt by Karl Zenger, in 1900 largely in the Neo-Baroque style. The most striking feature is the muschelkalk which characterises the exterior façade. The portals to the individual halls are richly decorated and primarily depict symbols of technological progress, for example a winged wheel above the portal in the Mittelhalle. The lounge, in which the present-day travel centre is located, was built in 1904/1905 by Bruno Paul in the Jugendstil. Sections of the walls are decorated with fine mosaics, the roof is ornamented with unobtrusive stucco. The Jugendstil lounge is one of the few areas of the station, which has survived the destruction of the Second World War. I say: It's a very convenient train station with trains and more connecting you to anywhere you wish to go. As one of the larger stations in Germany even the high-speed trains do stop here, as well as the more local trains. It conveniently connects directly with the subway, just take an escalator down. Across the street is a large station where you can catch a tram or bus. A little further down the road are the long distance bus station where you can catch busses to take you all across Europe. There is a large taxi stand out front of the main hall and cabs are always lined up ready to take you anywhere. There are of course ticket machines, but also a ticket office if you need help with trip planning or ticket purchases. There are plenty of restaurants and shops to hang out while you wait for your connections. A personal favorite of mine is the large bookstore. I shop there even if I am not travelling.

Another German train station a bit of a walk outside the town/city centre. Just over 10 minutes…read morehere, but seems far for such a small town. When I got there I had some trouble locating the ticket machines, which are not in the station hall, but hidden off to the side. There are a couple of bars that looked alright outside the station...if you are there early or if your train is late...or for the hell of it! 5 platforms seems a lot for a town so small, surely 1 platform for each direction would suffice? (Then again I shouldn't really second guess Deutsche Bahn. They are so good compared to the train companies in the Uk).