Austria
The family zone on ÖBB Railjets are “designed specifically for fun and games”. There is a children’s cinema as well as tables with decorated with board games.
Czech Republic
RegioJet operates rail routes around the Czech Republic, Slovakia and other European countries.
Their trains feature six reservable seats within a children’s compartment, with additional seats for children, toys and a screen
Finland
Finnish operator VR proudly boasts “a train is the best way to travel with children.” With designated spaces for prams, family compartments, and a children’s play area, who could disagree?!
France
SNCF Intercity services on the Paris-Limoges-Toulouse line have a “Espace KID” carriage for children, including several family compartments and a play area for children.
The carriage has fixed seats designed especially for passengers aged 1 to 4, changing tables, power outlets for bottle warmers and a storage area for pushchairs.
Germany
Deutsche Bahn provides a family compartment or area on all high speed Intercity Express (ICE) trains and most intercity trains.
There is room to park a pram in this area.
The compartment offers space for crawling and playing, a childproof socket for a bottle warmer and a changing table to fold out.
The family compartment can be reserved in advance.
Great Britain
We welcomed the Proteus Rail Interior concept from transport design consultancy PriestmanGoode that includes space for unfolded prams and pushchairs.
New Merseyrail trains introduced in 2023 include space for unfolded prams and pushchairs, and level boarding at every station. There is one pram space on every carriage of the train, showing what is possible in the UK!
Ireland
New trains for Ireland’s DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) network feature a dedicated family area with tip-up seats and a clearly marked area on the train floor.
Japan
Japan has various novelty trains with themed interiors.
The Aso Boy (あそぼーい！) is a train service in Kyushu, Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company. The Kuroclub family area contains a ball pit. Yes, a ball pit!
Italy
A dedicated space for pushchairs is included on several carriages on FrecciaRossa high speed trains
New regional trains also include a clearly marked area for pushchairs
Norway
New long-distance trains will be introduced in Norway from 2026.
The trains feature a family area with a Viking ship themed play area. There are also plenty of places for pushchairs and prams
During daytime, the sleeping compartments can be used as private seating groups for both families and business travelers.
Switzerland
All InterCity long-distance double-deck trains on the Swiss Federal Railways include a family coach. The family coaches are kitted out with a play area with a slide!
There are also family zones in 2nd class on single-deck trains.
Have you used any of these trains or come across any other family friendly trains on your travels? We’d love to hear about them so please, let us know!