Santa Apolónia Station

You're standing at Portugal's oldest railway station. Santa Apolónia opened on May 1, 1865, built on the site of a former convent that gave it its name. The station was meant to be part of an ambitious dream connecting Europe to America. The original 1844 plans envisioned passengers stepping off trains from across Europe and boarding ocean liners to America from a wharf called Cais da América.

They reclaimed land from the Tagus River to make it happenThe old army arsenal was demolished, and architect Angel Arribas Ugarte designed the distinctive neoclassical building you see today. Though the transatlantic connection never materialized, Santa Apolónia became the gateway linking Portugal to Spain and the rest of Europe.

The station launched its first line to Santos in 1873For decades, it served as the departure point for thousands of Portuguese emigrants heading to France and Germany seeking better lives.