FAMILY FUN ON
Europe’s trains take you seamlessly from city centre to city centre, with space to stretch your legs, dedicated play carriages for younger kids and everchanging views to entertain
Sleeping on a gently rolling train, the novelty of eating in the dining car and the excitement of waking to find a new country outside the window - when you plan a family trip by train, the journey itself becomes part of the fun.
Switching planes and cars for trains also has many practical benefits. Gone are the annoyances of lengthy airport queues, the need to wrestle your kids into seat belts and the inconvenience of arriving often miles away from your intended destination. Europe’s trains take you seamlessly from city centre to city centre, with space to stretch your legs, dedicated play carriages for younger kids and ever-changing views to entertain.
Crucially, as Europe continues to invest in rail as a lower-carbon alternative to flying, there are more routes - and more sleeper trains - than ever to choose from. London connects to Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris. But beyond that, it’s easy to reach Vienna, Berlin, Zurich, Budapest, Rome and even Zagreb in Croatia. Before long, Istanbul is in range - all of Europe is your oyster.
Bernina Express: through Swiss Alps
Many Swiss (SBB) long-distance doubledecker trains, such as Zurich to Chur, have a play area in the family coach, with energyburning games and slides. Change at Chur for the Bernina Express - what you lose in onboard entertainment is more than compensated for by the views as the train climbs into the Alps. The snaking track follows the contours of glacial lakes, ragged gorges and towering mountains, with 196 bridges and 55 tunnels cutting corners en route to Tirano just over the border in Italy.
SBB tickets covering both legs cost from 53 per person. You’ll also need a separate Bernina seat reservation from 20 each for prime panoramic carriage views. The striking red Bernina travels through pristine Alpine landscapes and crosses the impressive Landwasser Viaduct.
The Med: Rome to Syracuse
Slip slowly out of Italy’s Eternal City after nightfall on the sleeper service to Sicily. Breakfast coincides with the train rolling onto the ferry across the Straits of Messina.
Once in Sicily and back on the earthbound rails, the train runs down the eastern coast, skirting the volcanic cone of Mount Etna before passing flamingos idling in the trackside lagoons on the approach to the ancient coastal city of Syracuse.
Book directly through Italiarail, which charges 41 for a berth in a four-person compartment or from 21 per person for a seat on the day train.
The Arctic: Helsinki to Rovaniemi
From Finland’s capital, it’s possible to travel by rail through the endless winter night to the edge of the Arctic Circle and the ‘official’ home town of Santa Claus. If conditions are right, you can glimpse the Northern Lights from the Santa Claus Express; if not, you still get to look out on snow-covered fields, lakes of ice and pine forests cutting serrated silhouettes against the darkened sky.
Book tickets through Finnish Railways, from 49 per person including a sleeper berth.
The British Isles: London to Fort William
Breakfast in the plush restaurant car of this sleeper train, gazing out over the brooding Scottish Highland scenery, is a treat. From Fort William, you can set off on a hike up
Ben Nevis, take a seal-spotting boat trip on Loch Linnhe or catch the Jacobite steam train, which curves over the 21-arch Glenfinnan Viaduct, made famous by its appearances in the Harry Potter films as part of the route the Hogwarts Express takes.
Tickets can be booked through Caledonian Sleeper, from £240 for a family of four. Families should book connecting two-bed compartments. Leave London in the evening and wake up to stirring Scottish landscapes in the morning when travelling aboard the Caledonian Sleeper.
Multi-destination trips
For a multi-destination trip, an Interrail pass makes travel much easier. There’s a range of ticket options depending on the number of countries you want to visit, how long the trip will be and how frequently you wish to travel. Once the pass has been bought, download Interrail’s Rail Planner app to reserve tickets across the network - you can travel as much as you like within the parameters of the pass. Interrail’s handy map shows connections between the most popular destinations, such as Paris to Milan and Munich to Prague.
When booking trains independently, without an Interrail pass, getting tickets early gives you the best rates and choice of dates. Many routes open bookings three months before travel, but it can vary. Sign up to the Rail Europe alert service to be notified when bookings for your intended journey have opened.
The online rail guide, The Man in Seat 61, is also invaluable for plotting your way around the continent. It covers detailed itineraries, connection timings, links to booking sites, tips for getting the best deals, descriptions of trains and routes, and even hotel and dining options close to many stations.
Most operators offer free travel for children under a certain age, but the threshold can vary wildly, from under threes to under 15s. And free travel for children often means the child doesn’t get a seat or berth of their own.
Rail Europe summarises which ages
When booking trains independently, without an Interrail pass, getting tickets early gives you the best rates and choice of dates. Many routes open bookings three months before travel
qualify for discounts in more popular countries, including Italy, France and Switzerland. If you want your young ones to have their own space - particularly in sleeper compartments where you may not want to be wedged in a bunk with your child overnight or want to ensure you’re not sharing your compartment with someone you don’t know - you’ll need to pay for the child’s ticket to secure them a bed.