European Train Stations you have felt most uneasy visiting

[Rab Smith]

I'm sure this has been done before but would love to hear your stories of where you felt the most uncomfortable when visiting a European mainline Station? I have a few of the usual contenders, the Gare's in Paris, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Rome etc but recently I had the misfortune to stay several days around Brussels Midi. This Station at night has to rank as one of the most sketchiest areas I've visited recently.
Again, it always gets me thinking why they allow such behaviour around train stations as it would never be tolerated in or around an Airport.

 

[kacper]

Brussels north at night

 

[Bletchleyite]

The area outside Hamburg Hbf on the bus station side is decidedly sketchy.

 

[scarby]

I have never felt uncomfortable visiting any European railway station or around it.

 

[Thebaz]

I've only been at Brussels Zuid during daylight hours but I have to say that the station and its environs are among the worst. The whole of the eastern exterior reeks of piss and human excrement. It really is absolutely disgusting.

 

[BazingaTribe]

I've only been at Brussels Zuid during daylight hours but I have to say that the station and its environs are among the worst. The whole of the eastern exterior reeks of piss and human excrement. It really is absolutely disgusting.

Indeed. Can concur. Visiting the area a couple of weeks ago actually reassured me that Britain is not the worst place to travel by rail, although the Belgian conductors were very enthusiastic about their jobs.

I waited hours for a bus at Liepaja station in early December 2008, but that was depressing rather than intimidating. (Long story short, a kiosk owner had kept my luggage for me but she closed at 4 and the bus didn't leave until 8, leaving me with a sudoku book and four hours to kill in dwindling light.) Many of my other experiences have been similar -- long waits, not enough money to keep myself entertained (Milan is a nice station but not when, in the pre-euro days, you only have a handful of Italian coins left and changing more money would be daft; in Liepaja I was on an absolute shoestring budget and had spent my £50 a day budget) and consequently having an uncomfortable experience in a relatively nice spot. At Liege I was delayed by an hour, not enough time to wander off, too long to sit and fiddle with my phone but sat in a pleasing galleria.

So yeah, I'd have to vote for Liepaja. Nowhere in my travels have I yet been uncomfortable with my actual surroundings.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Indeed. Can concur. Visiting the area a couple of weeks ago actually reassured me that Britain is not the worst place to travel by rail, although the Belgian conductors were very enthusiastic about their jobs.

I think part of the issue is that because we got the railway pretty early on stations (with some notable exceptions like most of the Midland Mainline, Chester and Bristol Temple Meads) are mostly in the city centre or on the immediate edge of it. Whereas the railway coming to mainland Europe later meant that stations are often a bit further out in parts of town that would be a bit scruffy and rough in the UK too. I guess Brussel-Zuid is a bit like if Manchester Piccadilly was in Ardwick/Beswick instead, or Liverpool Central was out in Toxteth.

Talking of Hamburg Hbf again, it's the only place where I've ever seen someone openly injecting hard drugs in public during the day in my life (though I've also seen dumped needles round the back of the old shelter* at Aughton Park so it does happen even in nice places, just more subtly). It can be seriously rough.

* As a kid I had a rather weak bladder so tended to go and water the bushes behind there out of view of the CCTV

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Encountered some rather aggressive beggars at Frankfurt-Main Hbf, and a few dodgy-looking characters around Brussels Midi.
Paris Austerlitz was the worst though, admittedly partly due to being a building site. The only station outside the UK where I've witnessed a fight breaking out between two vagrants.

 

[BazingaTribe]

I think part of the issue is that because we got the railway pretty early on stations (with some notable exceptions like most of the Midland Mainline, Chester and Bristol Temple Meads) are mostly in the city centre or on the immediate edge of it. Whereas the railway coming to mainland Europe later meant that stations are often a bit further out in parts of town that would be a bit scruffy and rough in the UK too. I guess Brussel-Zuid is a bit like if Manchester Piccadilly was in Ardwick/Beswick instead, or Liverpool Central was out in Toxteth.

Talking of Hamburg Hbf again, it's the only place where I've ever seen someone openly injecting hard drugs in public during the day in my life (though I've also seen dumped needles round the back of the old shelter* at Aughton Park so it does happen even in nice places, just more subtly). It can be seriously rough.

* As a kid I had a rather weak bladder so tended to go and water the bushes behind there out of view of the CCTV

That makes sense. There are also a few political placements -- Bialystok station is quite a bit out of town because the Tsars 'punished' them for being fertile ground for the Polish uprisings. I went there on my interrail trip because the line from Gdansk goes through the lakelands of Mazuria and I quite like exploring countries by train that way, but it was just a bit overgrown rather than uncomfortable.

 

[The exile]

I've only been at Brussels Zuid during daylight hours but I have to say that the station and its environs are among the worst. The whole of the eastern exterior reeks of piss and human excrement. It really is absolutely disgusting.

The southern side of Essen Hbf used to be similar 25 years ago - no idea what it’s like now. Though not as repulsive, I suspect the surroundings of Frankfurt Hbf are much dodgier.

 

[Segedunum]

Hamburg Hbf I've witnessed blatant shoplifting and someone snorting a white substance off the pavement outside. Köln Hbf at the quieter ends isn't great either and I once walked into a waiting area and left immediately on realising it seemed to just be a shelter for various waves and strays.

 

[cactustwirly]

Agreed about Hamburg Hbf, very overcrowded, very dirty and not a nice place to be

Stuttgart isn't amazing either, lots of rats around the building site

I see these comments about Belgium, was in Brugge earlier this week and was staying in the Ibis next to the station.
Was pleasantly surprised to see there weren't undesirables hanging around and it felt very safe

 

[signed]

Outside Termini at night is definitely something quite sketchy

 

[Bletchleyite]

Hamburg Hbf I've witnessed blatant shoplifting and someone snorting a white substance off the pavement outside. Köln Hbf at the quieter ends isn't great either and I once walked into a waiting area and left immediately on realising it seemed to just be a shelter for various waves and strays.

Koeln is one you'd think would be OK given that it's bang in the city centre with the cathedral outside, but it still seems to suffer serious antisocial behaviour even so.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

I stayed in a hotel right next to Frankfurt Hbf. some years ago - I had an early train to catch the next morning - the hotel was fine but the surrounding area was very sketchy. It was an anxious walk back from the city-centre after dinner and a few beers - to fair the main drag was O.K. but venturing into any of the side-streets would have been unwise. Frankfurt isn't my favourite German city although some of the old-town has been recreated and rebuilt recently so maybe I should revisit. It is one of those cities you can't really avoid if you are on a railway holiday with all its connections!

 

[X-City-WM]

I stayed in a hotel right next to Frankfurt Hbf. some years ago - I had an early train to catch the next morning - the hotel was fine but the surrounding area was very sketchy. It was an anxious walk back from the city-centre after dinner and a few beers - to fair the main drag was O.K. but venturing into any of the side-streets would have been unwise. Frankfurt isn't my favourite German city although some of the old-town has been recreated and rebuilt recently so maybe I should revisit. It is one of those cities you can't really avoid if you are on a railway holiday with all its connections!

I can confirm that the neu-alt stadt in Frankfurt is lovely; definitely worth a visit. However, the roads around the Hbf are still rather grim.

 

[SephenWorceste]

The plaza outside Milan made me feel particularly uneasy. There was a large number of police so I was probably safe.

The immediate areas around many big European stations make me careful after dark. I tend to keep my luggage closer and hurry on. I have been approached at a few of them. Begging or attempted distraction thefts I think. You could probably say the same about some UK stations though.

A young person once took my suitcase out of my hand at the bottom of some stairs at Barcelona Santa metro station. He waited at the top while I carried up the rest of my luggage. He handed my suitcase back and disappeared off before I had time to thank him properly.

 

[E94]

Koeln is one you'd think would be OK given that it's bang in the city centre with the cathedral outside, but it still seems to suffer serious antisocial behaviour even so.

I found Cologne to be fairly chilled compared to the likes of Frankfurt, Rome or Brussels. The area in front of the cathedral can get a bit noisy and boisterous, but station and riverside not too bad.

 

[Geswedey]

Amsterdam Central

 

[Bletchleyite]

Amsterdam Central

While in most of Amsterdam you do need to hold onto your wallet because there's a lot of pickpocketing, I've never found the surrounds of Amsterdam Centraal to feel that dodgy to be honest. Nothing like many German stations or Gare du Nord.

 

[Ian99]

I've visited 80% of the stations mentioned above whilst crossing Europe. Whilst I recognise some of the issues mentioned, I've never felt uneasy about visiting any of them.

 

[Rab Smith]

I recently stayed in the St George area of Hamburg. The Station itself was just the usual, full of very desperate people with real problems but on arrival at my Hotel just along Steindamm, there was a stabbing across the street then after I had returned after a night out, I had to move an intoxicated/drug induced person from the front steps of my Hotel.
After a couple of days though, the area felt actually pretty safe. It had a strong community feel about it.
It's what you get if you book bargain Hotels next to Railway Stations

 

[WessexEclectic]

Not a train station but Paris Bercy Coach station is not somewhere to linger long…

 

[signed]

Not a train station but Paris Bercy Coach station is not somewhere to linger long…

And I don't expect its planned replacement at Saint-Denis to be any better

 

[Rab Smith]

Not a train station but Paris Bercy Coach station is not somewhere to linger long…

That is a fantastic place to be at 3am!
You will probably only ever experience it once in your life!

 

[Segedunum]

One more springs to mind...

Jugla (outside Rīga) which was in the middle of a housing development but felt very isolated. Every occupant on the platform was an older man and very intoxicated/vocal.

I was only there about five minutes but they were the longest five minutes of my life

 

[Zamracene749]

Another vote for Frankfurt Hbf. The area around that station is horrible. Aggressive beggars, equally aggressive drug pushers. Shady looking gangs and knive flicking mouthy youths. Humans excreting on the steps to the U bahn, discarded needles, cars full of intimidating blokes crawling the streets (and blocking them in broad daylight if they feel like it). Chatting with locals, I was told that the Polizei have pretty much abandoned the area, it is drug gang territory.

 

[Wolfie]

I'm sure this has been done before but would love to hear your stories of where you felt the most uncomfortable when visiting a European mainline Station? I have a few of the usual contenders, the Gare's in Paris, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Rome etc but recently I had the misfortune to stay several days around Brussels Midi. This Station at night has to rank as one of the most sketchiest areas I've visited recently.
Again, it always gets me thinking why they allow such behaviour around train stations as it would never be tolerated in or around an Airport.

I did a shedload of work in Brussels and never felt it that bad. Milano Centrale though... Not to mention Genova, the only place l was ever propositioned by a prostitute on a train while travelling with my then-fiancée, who, being of Italian decent herself, promptly told her where to go, lol....

 

[ABB125]

Berlin Zoologischer Garten had enough of a reputation in the 70s/80s to have a book (subsequently adapted for television) written about it...

 

[Rab Smith]

Another vote for Frankfurt Hbf. The area around that station is horrible. Aggressive beggars, equally aggressive drug pushers. Shady looking gangs and knive flicking mouthy youths. Humans excreting on the steps to the U bahn, discarded needles, cars full of intimidating blokes crawling the streets (and blocking them in broad daylight if they feel like it). Chatting with locals, I was told that the Polizei have pretty much abandoned the area, it is drug gang territory.

Frankfurt Hbh is a den of deviants.