Travelling with your dog can be entertaining, stressful, and rewarding. You may have to sacrifice visiting famous museums, some city parks, and other tourist areas to explore Europe with your pet. But you can still see a lot with your four-legged companion!
After meandering various European destinations over the last year, my husband and I have found that our dog can accompany us on most of our adventures (plus, we don’t mind surrendering quintessential tourist spots because it saves us money).
Below is a list of places we’ve travelled to recently, ranked most to least dog-friendly. When formulating this list, I considered restaurants, public transit, green spaces, and crowds!
Tips For Travelling With Your Dog in Europe
We’ve found the following regulations the same across the European countries we’ve visited so far:
- Wearing a muzzle is required on public transit—muzzles seem to be a natural part of a dog’s European life, so don’t feel cruel for muzzling your pup. Even if your dog isn’t reactive, it’s considerate to muzzle your dog because, believe it or not, some people don’t like dogs.
- Don’t be alarmed by all the dogs walking off-leash alongside their owners! Most pups stay beside their owners, but some off-leash dogs occasionally approach your on-leash dog. In most places, keeping your dog on a leash is the law, but some owners opt not to follow this practice.
- Look up transit rules before you go! Most places will allow muzzled, on-leash dogs on a local bus or train, but some areas won’t let your pup on board, requiring you to look into Uber or Grab. We only struggled with this along the coast of Croatia.
- Get an EU pet passport! We received our pet passport from a local vet in Budapest, but you can likely get it from any vet in any city upon arrival. We were told our dog had a 3-month grace period, but we aren’t sure how valid that source was! It’s a good idea to ask a European vet if you’ll need one if only visiting temporarily. You’ll also need all your paperwork with proof of vaccinations before you get the pet passport.
- Make sure your dog has up-to-date vaccinations. Check with your vet at home before going!
- Check your dog for overstimulation. A day in the mountains can be much different than crowded city streets! Learning your dog’s reactive cues before letting him engage with strangers or other dogs is essential.
European Destinations We’ve Visited With Our Dog
We love travelling through Europe with our dog, but some places rank higher in dog-friendliness than others. Take a look below!
Hungary
We have spent a lot of time in Hungary with our dog, allowing us to explore various villages, smaller cities, and Budapest. You’ll find green spaces, dog bins specifically for poop bags, and fenced-off dog agility spots all over the city. Most restaurants, pubs, and even bars allow dogs, too!
Meanwhile, the smaller cities, such as Pecs, Eger, and Esztergom, adore dogs. One notable memory is the Valley of Beautiful Women in Eger, where we visited a collection of wine cellars accompanied by our dog. Sipping wine inside stunning medieval-like cellars was so much fun with our dog by our side!
In Budapest, you can take your dog to the grounds of Buda Castle, Fisherman’s Bastion, Margit Island, around Parliament (except for a tiny section, but you still get to see so much of it, so it doesn’t make much of a difference), and around the Basilica.
Transit
Hungary allows dogs in local buses and trains if they are muzzled and on a leash (although some owners don’t muzzle their dogs). Just be sure to buy a ticket for your dog! You can get your dog’s monthly pass or buy a regular adult ticket. It’s not too expensive. We have yet to travel by bus cross-country, but trains connect to most areas of the country, which follow the same rules as local public transit. You can buy a ticket specifically for your dog through MAV.
Verdict
So far, we have found Hungary to be the most dog-friendly place in Europe!
Bratislava, Slovakia
Slovakia has similar dog-friendly vibes as Hungary. We have only visited Bratislava, the storied, charming capital of Slovakia, and Štúrovo, a Slovak town that connects to Esztergom, Hungary, via a bridge stretching over the Danube River. (Side note: Walking across the bridge takes less than 10 minutes!) In Bratislava and Štúrovo, we were rarely denied entry into restaurants or bars because of our dog.
We weren’t allowed to visit the castle grounds in Bratislava, but there was a beautiful walking path just outside, granting a great view of the city sprawled below.
Transit
The transit seemed to follow similar rules as Hungary: muzzle your dog, buy a transit ticket, and keep your pup on a leash.
Verdict
Slovakia slips just under Hungary for the second-best dog-friendly place we’ve visited over the last year!
Slovenia
First, Slovenia deserves a spot on all European travel bucket lists. It’s clean, brimmed with fresh air, and promising adventures. We only visited Ljubljana and Lake Bled, but we loved walking around both areas with our dog! We could even take him to the castle grounds in Ljubljana, which can be hit or miss in some cities. He could also join us in all restaurants.
Lake Bled was also super chill regarding accepting dogs inside and outside establishments. We loved the walk circumnavigating the lake. He couldn’t go into the Bled Castle grounds, but we didn’t feel like paying for it, so we were fine to keep the cash.
Transit
We rented a car when we went through Slovenia, so we can’t make a note of our experience with public transit.
Verdict
Lake Bled and Ljubljana both proved to be very dog-friendly. We have even been back to Lake Bled twice because it was the perfect spot for us. The area also has some hikes we would like to explore with our dog someday!
Austria
Austria is an epic place to visit with your dog! We’ve roamed Vienna, Salzburg, Hallstatt, and Wachau Valley—and enjoyed every location. Our dog would rank Wachau Valley as his favourite location, thanks to the walking paths hugging the river and twisting into the hills, steeped in vineyards.
We found Hallstatt to be the least dog-friendly in Austria, prompting us to enjoy mulled wine on a cold, rainy day outside rather than inside an establishment—to be fair, only a select few restaurants were open when we went due to the off-season. However, we could still walk around, take a brief hike, and soak in the all-encompassing beauty painting this quaint lakefront town.
Meanwhile, Salzburg and Vienna are good spots to visit with your dog as far as cities go. We could easily navigate both cities and find nature. Our budget was a little tight, so we opted for picnics rather than restaurants, but when we did want a sit-down meal, the few restaurants we visited allowed us to sit with our pup.
However, Austria falls to number 3 because Vienna doesn’t allow dogs in some central park attractions like Schönbrunn Palace or Volksgarten. On the other hand, the city is so big that you will still find a lot of attractions to see! We enjoyed going to the amusement park, except our dog hated watching one of us go high in the sky on a ride (poor guy).
Transit
The transit follows the standard rule: muzzle your dog, buy a transit ticket, and leash your dog.
Verdict
Austria is dog-friendly, but being unable to visit many of the gardens in Vienna might be a bummer for some.
Zakopane, Poland
Zakopane, Poland, would be a very dog-friendly place if they allowed dogs to hike in Tatra National Park. Unfortunately, you’ll have to take your dog to the Slovakia side to find trails winding to alpine lakes and other natural wonders.
However, we were able to find one hike just inside the park, albeit a flat walk, but still beautiful. And we spent a lot of time at Gubałówka, a stunning overlook where you can chill on chairs in the sand and gaze at the imposing snow-capped mountainscape in front of you.
The first time we went, we took a gondola up with our dog on our laps. Then, we walked down via a dog-friendly trail. The next time, we found a makeshift path to the top. To get down to the bottom, we walked below the gondola. Our purpose for visiting Zakopane was to hike, so we were bummed at first when we found out dogs are prohibited in the national park. Thankfully, we still found many gorgeous adventures to go on! We also had no problem bringing him into restaurants.
Transit
We took public transit to Zakopane (train). In town, we only took one bus from the central area to the trailhead for our hike. The bus driver accepted our dog without any issues!
Verdict
Zakopane would be the ultimate dog-friendly destination if they allowed dogs in Tatra National Park. If you’re going here to hike, we suggest going to the Slovak side of the national park instead.
Croatia
Some areas in Croatia are more dog-friendly than others. In Pula, we could bring our dog to every attraction, even the coliseum and the underground tunnels. During the summer, we travelled to the Dalmatian Coast. Researching how to get there and back with a dog was a nightmare, but we eventually found Eurobusways, who could take us there and back.
We visited three places: Split, Dubrovnik, and Korcula. Instead of booking hotels and hostels, we spent almost three weeks camping. It was incredible! All campsites had beaches with dog access, which made our lives much easier. However, if you’re staying in the cities, you’ll also find dog-friendly beaches. On top of that, it was super easy to find shaded spots in coves along the craggy shoreline, too!
In Dubrovnik, our dog enjoyed exploring the city walls and Fort Revelin. He could also accompany us in Old Town, Split, and a network of hiking trails behind the city. It was way too hot when we went to Split, so we stuck to the shaded areas on the trails. Another great spot to go with our dog was Salona, a collection of Roman ruins just outside the city.
Korcula was our favourite location to go with our dog. It was (mostly) easy to get around the island via public transit, find spots to swim, and we could go on various hikes around the island. We highly recommend the hop-on-hop-off boat that takes you to Badija Island, Vrnik Island and Lumbarda. All areas allowed dogs!
Transit
Public transit in Croatia was tricky. During our first stint, we had a car, but our second stint along the Dalmatian Coast wasn’t as dog-friendly. We took Ubers to and from most places. The general rule in Croatia is that it is up to the bus driver if they allow your dog on or not. We carried our dog when we boarded a bus to show that he was small enough to sit on our lap. On Korcula, we took our dog on every bus, except we had to fight to take him on when we were stranded almost 31.1mi from our campsite. Thankfully, the driver eventually let us on, but we almost had to drop a lot of money on a taxi.
We also took a ferry from Split to Dubrovnik since no buses allowed dogs!
Verdict
We loved travelling around Croatia with our dog, but navigating the transit, especially getting there and back, was challenging.
Venice, Italy
Italy, in general, is very dog-friendly, and we found that Venice aligned with similar rules and regulations. The only unfortunate part was the lack of green spaces, but we made it work! The three of us enjoyed navigating the maze of cobblestone alleys punctuated by canal after canal. Once we escaped the more crowded central area and strolled the side streets, we could relax and enjoy the sights with our dog.
It was a sunny January day when we visited, so we sat outside to eat, but from what I gathered, we likely could’ve sat inside most restaurants. Just be sure to check with restaurants before you go out!
Transit
We took a water taxi to and from our hotel to central Venice. Our dog was allowed on board with a muzzle and a leash!
Verdict
We would go back to Venice with our dog! However, our boy probably keeps Venice low on his list of favourite places to travel with his mom and dad due to the lack of green spaces and crowded areas.
Paris, France
Paris is one of my favourite places, but our dog probably doesn’t want to go back—unless we stay more on the outskirts of the central area. Poor guy had to get used to doing his business on the sidewalk (bring doggie bags with you!). I would love to return and stay somewhere like Le Vésinet, just outside the central hustle and bustle. The city had several limitations on what you could see with your pup. However, we could still visit sections of Jardin des Tuileries and Jardin du Luxembourg. And, of course, we had a fantastic time sipping wine at the Champs de Mars, with the Eiffel Tower illuminating our view.
It was sizzling hot when we went, so we sat outside for meals. However, rumour has it that restaurants have tightened rules regarding dogs allowed inside, something to consider if you travel to Paris in winter!
Transit
You can take public transport with a leashed, muzzled dog. Small dogs might be able to get away without a ticket, but we always bought one just in case. Big dogs will definitely need a ticket if they ride the RER.
Verdict
Paris could have been more dog-friendly, but we still had a blast introducing our dog to the quintessential sights: the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur, and Notre Dame.
We love to travel with our boy and hope to visit more countries soon!
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