On the rails: A child-friendly train adventure through Spain, France and Switzerland

What could be better than a long train ride with three kids? Four long train rides covering four countries – yes, even with three kids, says Katherine Latham

The train in Jungfrau, Switzerland (Katherine Latham)

Before kids, Tom and I were always planning our next adventure. As a pair, we explored Europe by train, travelled the length of Asia, and circled the globe. But as parents, we tended to stick to the UK; travel is not so easy with children who need routine and sleep, or who simply don’t sit still ‒ certainly not for hours at a time.

Nearly a decade into parent life, we thought it was time to introduce Billy (9), Sammy (6) and fresh-out-of-nappies Sophie (2) to a real adventure. Shaking off post-pandemic restlessness, we decided to introduce our kids to “abroad” by replicating our Europe-by-train adventure, on a realistic but ambitious multi-stop tour. We’d start in all-ages-friendly Barcelona, head to pretty Avignon in France, and end up in the snowy Swiss Alps.

We decided to introduce our kids to ‘abroad’ by replicating our Europe-by-train adventure, on a realistic but ambitious multi-stop tour