Children: which train ticket should you buy?

Booking a train ticket for a child seems at first glance to be an easy thing. But that's not always the case, unfortunately... It's as if some companies deliberately complicate their offers so that our little ones don't travel... Anyway, we decided to simplify it all for you!

Find out right away which ticket to buy for your child, depending on your transport company of choice!

With SNCF, the railway company that operates trips in France, many different options are available to allow your child to travel by train.

It should be known that at SNCF, travel for children under 4 years old is free. However, they will not have a separate seat, it's up to you to hold them, for example. For just 9€, your child can enjoy the Toddler plan and especially have their own seat.

For children 4 to 11 years old, there is no automatic reduction: without a card, your child simply occupies a seat at the current rate. On the other hand, with an Advantage Card held by the accompanying adult, you get up to 60% discount for your children (we detail family cards a bit further down).

As with Intercités and TGV tickets, if your child is under 4 years old, they can travel for free, without a separate seat.

For older children, TER child fares are now set region by region, and they are often very advantageous: depending on the region, your child benefits from a reduced child fare, a low-price ticket, and sometimes even free travel for children under 12 when accompanied. The simplest: indicate your child's age in your journey search, prices update automatically according to the region.

With Ouigo, the SNCF's low-cost TGV brand, children's tickets are also low-cost! Children under 4 travel for free on your lap, and for children 4 to 11 years old, it's a fixed rate: 5€ on OUIGO Classic Train and 8€ on OUIGO High Speed. So it's not linked to a specific station but rather to the type of train! We hope that these mini prices for children's trips on Ouigo will allow your whole family to go on a trip!

With SNCF, you will be able to enjoy discounted offers by taking out one of the discount cards, which are very practical for families! Here are the two cards to know:

• The Advantage Card (€49 per year, available in Adult version for ages 27-59, Young for ages 12-27 and Senior for ages 60 and over): this is the one that replaced the old Child+ Card, with one major difference, now it is the adult who holds the card! The cardholder benefits from -30% on their tickets, and especially -60% for up to 3 children aged 4 to 11 accompanying them.

• The Large Families Card: this is a State card (€19 for the entire household) reserved for families with 3 children or more. Discounts increase with the number of children: -30% for 3 children, -40% for 4, -50% for 5 and up to -75% from 6 children. To learn more, go HERE.

In short, at SNCF, your child under 4 years old travels for free but without enjoying a separate seat in their name for your trip.

And if your child is between 4 and 11 years old, the best discount comes from the accompanying adult's card: up to -60% with an Advantage Card.

So remember to subscribe to the SNCF ADVANTAGE CARD if you travel often as a family. And for large families, the LARGE FAMILY CARD will be the most advantageous.

Small change to know: the Thalys brand no longer exists since October 1, 2023, it merged with Eurostar. Routes Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam are now operated under the Eurostar brand. To learn about the child policy on these lines, go directly to the Eurostar section a bit further down, everything is explained there!

Here too, something new: Thello, which formerly connected France and Italy, ceased operations on July 1, 2021. These routes are now operated by Trenitalia France (Frecciarossa high-speed trains between Paris, Lyon and Milan) and by SNCF's TGV INOUI (Paris-Turin/Milan). For children's tickets, refer to Trenitalia's policy, detailed just below, or to SNCF's policy presented above.

With Trenitalia, the Italian railway company, children under 4 years old travel like with all other train companies: free of charge and on the lap of the accompanying adult. You can always choose to buy a Trenitalia child ticket for your child so they have their own seat.

For children aged 4 to under 15 years old traveling on a Trenitalia national train, a 50% discount is applied to the base fare. The child ticket therefore costs half of an adult ticket.

For children aged 4 to 12 years old and traveling on a Trenitalia regional train, their Trenitalia child ticket fare will have 50% discount on the base adult ticket fare.

But ATTENTION: regional trains apply their own rules depending on the region, and age thresholds may vary. Here are some examples, to be verified on a case-by-case basis when booking:

• Abruzzo: the child ticket is free for those measuring less than one meter tall and who are accompanied by an adult.

• Campania: the child ticket is free for those under 6 years old and who are accompanied by an adult with a paying ticket.

• Bolzano: the child ticket is free for those under 6 years old as well as for children living in the Province of Bolzano, whether they are under 6 years old or 6 years old, but who are not yet in school. They must travel with an adult.

• Lombardy: the child ticket is free for those aged under 4 years old and who travel accompanied by an adult. For children aged 4 to 14, a 50% discount on the full-price ticket is applied.

• Puglia: the child ticket is free for those aged under 10 years old and who are accompanied by an adult with a ticket. For children over 10 years old, there is no discount on child tickets which are at adult ticket rates.

• Sardinia: the Trenitalia child ticket for this region is free for children under six years old, only if they are accompanied by an adult with a valid ticket. Note that this is valid for only one child per accompanying adult. If multiple children travel with a single accompanying adult, you will need to buy a full-price ticket for two children (for example, one child is free, two children - one full-price ticket, three children - one full-price ticket, four children - two full-price tickets, etc.).

• Trentino: the child ticket is free for those aged under 6 years old accompanied by an adult with a valid travel document. This offer is valid for a maximum of 5 children aged 6 years or younger, per adult accompanying person.

Special rates are also available on a case-by-case basis. To discover them, go HERE.

With Lyria, the train company for your trips between France and Switzerland, you will find several different offers regarding child tickets:

• Children aged 4 years or under can travel free on Lyria trains if they travel on their accompanying adult's lap. If you prefer them to have a seat of their own, you can always choose to buy them a Baby Pass ticket from €19.

• For children aged 4 to 11 years, there is a Lyria Child Ticket, with a 30% discount on the adult fare.

• For children and young people aged 12 to 26 years, there is a Young TGV Lyria ticket.

• Finally, a Family Plus offer is proposed for families. This is only applicable for trips with 1 or 2 adults accompanying a child under 12 years old (second class only).

Did you know that at SNCB, the SNCF Belgian version, up to 4 children under 12 years old could travel free? Amazing, right?! This is only possible if these 4 children are accompanied by a person aged 12 years or older and with a valid SNCB train ticket.

Otherwise, if your child under 12 years old travels alone or if you travel with more than 4 children per accompanying adult, you can benefit from the Child (-12) ticket at -40%.

It's quite nice to travel with your children and SNCB! For more information, go HERE.

With SBB, the Swiss railway company, your children under 6 years old travel free, whether accompanied or not, without a ticket or special conditions.

Children aged 6 to 16 years enjoy a 50% discount on their SBB train tickets.

But there are other SBB child ticket offers, here they are:

• The SBB Child Day Card: it is aimed at children aged 6 to 16 accompanied by an adult with a valid ticket. This card allows these children to travel all day on SBB trains in 2nd class at the price of CHF 19. The card can also allow travel in 1st class at the price of CHF 33.

• The SBB Junior Card: it allows your child aged 6 to 16 years to travel on public transport for one year at the price of CHF 30 per year. This is only valid if they travel with one of their parents, who is a valid ticket holder.

• The Accompanied Child Card: it costs CHF 30 per year. Once in your child's possession, it will allow them to travel throughout Switzerland for a full year. This is only valid if they travel with a person aged 16 years or older, who is a valid ticket holder (up to 4 children per accompanying adult).

There are still a few SBB tips to help children travel easily in Switzerland, on a case-by-case basis. Discover them right HERE.

With Renfe, the Spanish railway company, the policy for children's travel is clear and concise:

• children under 4 years old travel free but without a separate seat.

• Children under 14 years old benefit from a train ticket offer 40% cheaper than adult tickets.

Since the merger with Thalys, Eurostar covers both connections to London and Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam routes. At Eurostar, your child can travel free on your lap if they are under 4 years old.

If you want your child to have their own seat or if they are over 4 years old, you must book a Eurostar child ticket for them. If you travel with two or more children, you will need to buy a child ticket for every additional child (only one can travel free per accompanying adult).

Eurostar offers preferential child fares for 4 to 11 year olds, both in Eurostar Standard and Eurostar Plus class. Contact Eurostar directly to find out about them.

As for children traveling alone: those under 12 must be accompanied by a person aged 16 or over. 12-15 year olds can, however, travel alone, only on trains departing between 6am and 5pm, with the "unaccompanied minor" form signed at the station by a responsible adult.

At Deutsche Bahn, the German train company, your children under 6 years old do not need a ticket or reserved seat, they travel free.

When your child aged 14 years or under is accompanied by a traveler aged 15 or over, they travel free provided their name has been entered in the reservation. Good news: it's no longer reserved for parents or grandparents, any adult companion is sufficient!

As you will have understood, children aged 15 and over travel as adults. So take advantage of their youth to travel with Deutsche Bahn child offers!

Finally, remember to inform yourself about the documents to bring: for international trips, minors sometimes need to have identification documents or specific authorizations.