The European Countries With the Most Disgusting Train Toilets
Having travelled all across Europe by train, these are the countries with some of the most disgusting toilets you’ll encounter on the rails.
Train toilets
Those of you who follow my travels on social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) know that I regularly share pictures and short videos of all the trains I take.
When I share impressions of these train rides, I don’t just show the seating arrangements in first and second class and, if available, a dining car, but also the quality of the toilets on board.
Some people may find the focus on toilets a bit odd, but there are good reasons why I always highlight these facilities, something I will address further down in this article.
For now, let’s first take a look at the national railway companies in Europe that I believe have the most disgusting train toilets on average.
Countries with the worst quality train toilets
Of all European countries with a functioning railway network, I think Bulgaria has some of the worst train toilets.
In Bulgarian trains, it’s common for toilets to lack flushing water, soap, running water in the sink, and even a toilet seat is often a luxury.
Take a look at the video below to see for yourself how dire the average train toilet in Bulgaria looks — and note that it can often be even worse than this!
Another country where you won’t find the best quality loos on board trains is Romania.
Here too, you’ll be lucky to encounter running water or toilet paper (it’s always wise to bring some along when riding trains in this part of the world).
However, there are always exceptions, and while the toilet situation on local trains in Bulgaria or Romania is often poor, some higher-quality trains on premium routes are a bit better, although even these toilets don’t meet modern standards.
Toilet on an old Romanian train, with missing toilet seat and no toilet paper. ©AndyBTravels
The importance of clean train toilets
As I wrote in a previous article about Transport for London’s (TfL) excellent decision to modernise and increase the number of toilets at London stations and make them free to access, such steps are enormously important for accessibility.
For those with medical conditions that require frequent toilet breaks, travelling can be a challenge without proper facilities.
But it’s not just passengers with specific needs— the state of the toilets plays a crucial role in the overall travel experience for everyone on board.
Clean, well-equipped toilets encourage people to travel by train more often, while dirty facilities may make some wish they had taken the car instead.
A clean, fully accessible toilet on a Lithuanian train with baby changing facilities. ©AndyBTravels
How the ideal train toilet looks like
When it comes to ideal toilet facilities, I believe that each train should have at least two toilets (one of which is fully accessible) whenever the length of the train allows for this.
I’m not a fan of modern toilets on trains with button-operated doors, as they’re not always easy to operate and can lead to embarrassing “trousers around your ankles” moments when they suddenly open!
A simple lock that you just have to twist often works much better.
Ideally, a toilet on public transport should have a foot-operated flush to avoid the need to touch anything with your hands.
A toilet should also include a mirror, running water in the sink, soap, both a hand dryer and paper towels, as well as two coat hooks.
Help buttons on an accessible toilet should be clearly labelled to avoid mistaken use, and toilet paper dispensers should be placed in a convenient position for easy access (surprisingly, this isn’t always the case!).
I actually like the fact that trains in Japan and some other Asian countries have special urinals in addition to normal toilets, which might be a good idea for railway companies in Europe to consider as well.
What do you think of the general quality of toilets on trains, and what would your ideal facilities be?
