Child-friendly airports? Do do they even exist? Airports and children never go hand in hand. They are busy, crowded, rushed and let’s be honest – not very kid friendly places in general. However, the operators of most of the European airports do make some efforts to adjust to the needs of their little customers.
These days, airport children playgrounds are almost everywhere in Europe but surely to be called child-friendly you need more than that. Family check-ins? Dedicated security lanes? Food options? Other dedicated facilities? In my eyes, the combination of all-of-the-above is what really makes a difference.
Over the last 6 years, as a family, we have visited over 30 airports in 15 European countries so I consider myself enough qualified to have a view. So here is my very subjective list of the top child-friendly airports in no particular order:
London Heathrow
I had to include Heathrow on this list as 70% of our flights start or finish here. But that is not the only reason. I recognise the fact that over last few years they have massively improved their family services.
At Heathrow airport, you can now use the family check-in’s (depending on your carrier) and more importantly there are dedicated family security lanes. These get opened at peak times only but they help a lot if you travel at these times.
As you would expect, at Heathrow you will find plenty of baby changing facilities as well as family-friendly unisex toilets. It might be a detail but a very important one.
All the terminals have play areas which are full size soft play areas large enough to accommodate many full-of-energy kids. It is good to see that these kids play facilities have been designed in such a way that the kids can burn out excess energy ahead of their flights.
Last but not least, at many of Heathrow restaurants kids eat free of charge if accompanied by a paying adult.
Anyway, don’t just take my word for it though – listen directly to the experts from Mumsnet.com
One of the non-obvious and unintentional attractions of the Heathrow Terminal 5 is the business parking POD. My kids absolutely love it and call it “egg-train” because of the way it looks. It is a driver less personal transport pod, that is available on-demand and you can take it there and back even without parking your car. Just follow the signs for the POD.
Copenhagen Airport
The airport in Copenhagen is the largest in Scandinavia and given the Nordics love of children and happy life you wouldn’t expect anything less from their airports.
When it comes to security we have not noticed any dedicated family lanes but we have been directed to less crowded checkpoints which was a nice touch. It also helps that you are asked to go to the most suitable gate just to make sure everything goes smooth.
More importantly, the Copenhagen Airport offers free buggies. If you don’t want to take yours with you, there are always some available around. You may even find them parked around the terminal left by other passengers.
In the terminal, you will also find a large play area located on the mezzanine in the corner.
Once you are there it is a large space full of huge lego blocks, soft toys, screens and other necessary equipment.
Thanks to its location, the play area is away from the hustle of the main passenger crowds and can be quite relaxing for the parents.
Word of warning – there is no lift so if you have a buggy with you, you will need to carry it on the stairs.
When it comes to food, most of the restaurants we visited had a children menu available with some more and less challenging options. There is also a bakery offering all sorts of breads and freshly made sandwiches, fruits and smoothies. If you are after healthy options for your children – this is the right place to be.
Copenhagen Airport has also some shops that attract a lot of interest from the kids (maybe a bit less from their parents). As you are in Denmark, of course there is a LEGO store at the airport. Usually with travel theme life-size lego traveller outside. You have also at least two or three clothing stores for kids, including always popular H&M kids.
Lyon Airport
Lyon is not one of the main hub airports and unless you need to get to Lyon or the area it is highly unlikely you will visit it. The terminals are spacious and have dedicated family security lanes so it is almost guaranteed there will be no queues.
Once on the air-side, its design is ideal for the parents. Right in the middle of the terminal, there is a play area which is surrounded by comfortable benches for parents. This means you can give the kids freedom to play whilst you are relaxing. The design of the waiting area makes is very easy to keep an eye on the kids wherever you are.
The playground itself is a vast space with thoughtfully designed climbing equipment and places to crawl into or over.
Another benefit is that the Lyon Airport helds a lot of family friendly events in the terminal throughout the year. When we were there, the kids played at toy scooters and I understand that was just one of many attractions planned for the month.
Food wise, all the restaurants had children menus and there were easily available microwaves if you needed to heat up a baby meal.
The toilets were very spacious. You could easily move around inside even with a buggy and there were also family toilets available.
Have a look at our Instagram post for some photos from Lyon.
Other airports
If there are other airports worth mentioning it would be:
- Zurich and Amsterdam – for overall experience – playgrounds and family facilities including baby sleeping rooms with cots. We have only travelled through them once so can’t fully evaluate them. Otherwise, they would be high on my list
- Frankfurt and Geneva – for the very good playgrounds
- Barcelona and London Gatwick – for separate, dedicated family security areas
The above list of child-friendly airports is based purely our experience. It only means that I do not panic if I have to travel through them.
If you are after more formal and complete list of child-friendly airports – you can find it here.
If you rather avoid airports and live near London check Weymouth as a trip destination.