Waiting in airports can be such a hassle, and it can be boring for kids. But there are airports that have done an awesome job catering to the needs of families with kids and teenagers. Keep this in mind when planning your family travel bucket lists. Here are the top 10 most family-friendly airports in the world, based on various sources such as travel websites, customer reviews, and industry awards.
Changi Airport, Singapore
Changi Airport is known for its family-friendly facilities, which include several playgrounds, a butterfly garden, and an indoor slide. The airport also has a dedicated family zone, which features a play area, a nursing room, and a diaper-changing area. Changi Airport also provides free strollers and car seats, as well as family-friendly restaurants and cafes with children’s menus.
Here are some activities you can do with your kids at Changi Airport (most are in Jewel, its grandest hub):
- Slide@T3: slide down the world’s tallest slide in an airport
- Entertainment Corner: play Xbox and arcade games
- Bouncing Net: bounce around this suspended trampoline
- Discovery Slides: climb and slide on this gigantic interactive sculpture
- Foggy Bowls: let the kids run around this play area that blows off a gentle mist
- Hedge Maze: find your way around this garden maze
- MasterCard Canopy Bridge: take a stroll up and walk through the air
- Mirror Maze: get lost in this mirror maze in a garden setting
- Walking Net: take a walk on this suspended net 25 meters above the ground
Hands down, Changi Airport is on the top of the list of the most family-friendly airports in the world!
Munich Airport, Germany
Munich Airport has a family-friendly terminal, which offers a wide range of facilities for families. These include a play area, a mini-golf course, and a visitor park with a children’s farm. Munich Airport is one of the most family-friendly airports in the world. The airport also provides baby care rooms, a family lounge with comfortable seating and charging stations, and a variety of family-friendly restaurants and cafes.
Areas perfect for families include:
- Visitors Park: climb on top of the Visitors Hill, where you can watch big jets like the Airbus A380 coming in for a landing
- Playground: tour the continents, slide down the runways with a rope slide, hop on the big toy plane, and play mini-golf
- Tante Ju’s: enjoy food from different countries in this family restaurant with a workshop corner for kids
- Interactive Museum: let your kids learn more about how an airport operates with this interactive exhibition of Munich Airport, its aircraft, employees, processes, and machines.
Copenhagen Airport, Denmark
Copenhagen Airport has a dedicated family lane, which provides priority security screening for families with young children and strollers. The airport also has several play areas, including one in the transit area of Terminal 2. Copenhagen Airport also provides baby care rooms, a family lounge with a nursing area and a kitchenette, and family-friendly restaurants and cafes. As Denmark is home to Lego, you’ll find Lego shops in the airport.
Some family-friendly features are:
- Play Area: you can find any kind of toy and entertainment for young kids
- Sky High Flight Playground: your kids can climb in an 8-meter-long airplane with a cockpit or the small clouds next to the airplane
- Airplane and Cargo Train: this is a miniature version of Kastrup Airport where they can climb up the control tower or one of the small planes, or they can ride the baggage carrier train
Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong
Hong Kong International Airport has a variety of family-friendly facilities, including a children’s play area, a cartoon-themed check-in counter, and a Dream Come True Education Park. Similar to Kidzania, kids learn what it’s like to work through occupational simulation games, experiencing real jobs in different industries. The airport also provides baby care rooms, family restrooms, and children’s menus in its restaurants and cafes.
Vancouver International Airport, Canada
Vancouver International Airport has a family-friendly terminal called YVR Kid’s Zone, which features a play area, interactive exhibits, and a mini-movie theater. The airport also provides baby care rooms, a family zone with comfortable seating and charging stations, and family-friendly restaurants and cafes.
Helsinki Airport, Finland
Helsinki Airport has a dedicated family zone called Family World, which offers a variety of facilities for families, including play areas, baby care rooms, and a family lounge with a kitchenette and a nursing area. As Finland is the home of Moomins, you’ll find Moomin shops and restaurants throughout. The airport also provides free strollers and car seats, as well as children’s menus in its restaurants and cafes.
Incheon International Airport, South Korea
Incheon International Airport has several family-friendly facilities, including play areas, a cultural experience zone, and a movie theater. The airport also provides baby care rooms, a family lounge with comfortable seating and free snacks, and children’s menus in its restaurants and cafes.
Oslo Airport, Norway
Oslo Airport has a family-friendly area called Family Gate, which offers play areas, baby care rooms, and a family lounge with a kitchenette and a nursing area. The airport also provides free strollers and car seats, as well as children’s menus in its restaurants and cafes.
Dubai International Airport, United Arab Emirates
Dubai International Airport has a dedicated family lounge called the Dubai International Terminal 3 Family Lounge, which provides play areas, baby care rooms, and a quiet room for breastfeeding. The airport also provides free strollers and car seats, as well as children’s menus in its restaurants and cafes.
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, USA
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport has a family-friendly terminal called Terminal D, which features a play area, a video gaming zone, and an interactive exhibit about aviation. The airport also provides baby care rooms, a family lounge with comfortable seating and charging stations, and children’s menus in its restaurants and cafes.