Europe's most family-friendly airports revealed - and the top has 17 kids' play areas and 23 restaurants

By ALESIA FIDDLER – TRAVEL REPORTER

Published: 12:52 EDT, 23 March 2026 | Updated: 12:56 EDT, 23 March 2026

Travelling with children can be a stressful experience so finding an airport equipped for families is often a priority.

A newly released report looks into the hubs across Europe that offer the best support for holidaymakers with youngsters.

The Family-Friendly Airport Index, by Airport Parking and Hotels (APH), considers key factors including children’s play areas, baby-changing facilities, dining options and nearby hotels.

Europe’s 50 busiest airports were considered for the research and the top 10 features destinations like Spain, Hungary and France.

Malaga Airport was crowned the very best for families and boasts 17 children’s play areas – one of the highest out of all of the rankings – providing plenty of spots to keep the little ones entertained.

The popular Spanish hub saw a record-breaking 26.76 million travellers pass through last year for both international and domestic journeys.

With 23 restaurants to choose from, holidaymakers are spoilt for choice and the average hotel price works out at £94 a night.

The busy airport scored 7.7 out of 10 on the index, making it the highest rated overall.

Malaga Airport proved to be the very best hub in Europe for families travelling – boasting 17 children’s play areas

It was followed by another Spanish hub, Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport, which features 18 play areas (including the one pictured), as well as the most restaurants

It’s perhaps not surprising, as Malaga Airport is a key spot for families heading on beach holidays.

The airport has spacious terminals with plenty of room for pushchairs and luggage, as well as a clear and easy to navigate layout.

Another Spanish hub – Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport – ranked second and features 18 play areas as well as the most restaurants out of the top five, with 53 places to eat and drink.

It’s one of Spain’s busiest airports and saw 68.2million passengers head through last year.

Elsewhere, Vaclav Havel Airport Prague in the Czech Republic placed third overall.

Families heading to the hub can find 10 play areas as well as 23 restaurants and quiet rooms making perfect spots for relaxing with children.

Alicante International Airport followed, the third Spanish hub to make the top five, and scored 6.7 on the index.

It has eight play zones and 18 restaurants. There are also plenty of affordable hotels nearby priced at around £88 per night.

Elsewhere, Vaclav Havel Airport Prague in the Czech Republic placed third overall – and includes a giant chess board (pictured)

The airport is one of two of the main hubs for Costa Blanca – a popular spot with sunny beaches to enjoy.

Rounding off the top five, Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport, in Hungary, ranked fifth.

It only features three play areas but does have 26 dining venues to choose from, as well as highly-rated hotels nearby priced at a great value average rate of £86 per night.

In the airport, there are five different pushchair locations for travellers to use and families with young children have priority in security screenings to make things as smooth as possible.

Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport, in France ranked sixth, with four kid zones and 26 restaurants, followed by Geneva Airport, in Switzerland.

Charles de Gaulle Airport and Sabiha Gökçen International Airport ranked joint eighth, and Lisbon Portela Airport, Helsinki Airport and Stuttgart Airport make the top 10.

The top 20 family-friendly airports in Europe

1. Malaga Airport, Spain

2. Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport, Spain

3. Vaclav Havel Airport Prague, Czech Republic

4. Alicante International Airport, Spain

5. Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport, Hungary

6. Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport, France

7. Geneva Airport, Switzerland

8. Charles de Gaulle Airport, France

8. Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, Turkey

10. Lisbon Portela Airport, Portugal

10. Helsinki Airport, Finland