A dog-friendly trip through Northern Italy

Dog-friendly travel expert, Lottie Gross, presents her dog-friendly itinerary, bookable through our support team. This itinerary is for a minimum of 7 days, from £1,600 per person.

Know before you go:

This slow travel trip takes you through France, into Switzerland and down to Milan in Italy. Dogs are allowed on all trains in all three countries, but there are some different rules to follow for each, and dog tickets must be purchased manually by you at the train stations. Follow the instructions in your Byway trip guide carefully. 

Generally, Italy is a supremely dog-friendly country, with most restaurants, bars, and shops allowing dogs inside. Even some supermarkets do, too! But there are some rules you need to follow on your travels.

1. Most regions of Italy have made it an offense to leave dog waste, so be vigilant and always carry bags to clean up after your dog. Some regions have even gone as far as DNA testing for local dogs in order to hand out fines to the correct people where rules are not obeyed, so don’t assume it’s a law rarely enforced. 

2. The Italian Ministry of Health has stated that all dog owners must have a muzzle on hand at all times when in public with their dog, and they must comply when instructed for their dog to wear it by officials such as train conductors or police officers.

3. Italy doesn’t ban any specific dog breeds, but the city of Venice prohibits entry to Rottweilers and Doberman Pinschers. 

Ali Müftüoğulları

The itinerary

Travel: London to Ashford

Dogs travel free here!

Travel: Ashford to Calais 

Your minibus driver will pick you up from Ashford International for the trip on the LeShuttle Eurotunnel train. Your dog will sit in a crate built into the minivan and you will be able to sit next to them. The trip is only 35 minutes on the train and there is ample time to let your dog out for a bathroom break once you’ve checked in; there is an enclosed dog area by the LeShuttle terminal and water bowls. Dogs are allowed inside the terminal. 

Travel: Calais Frethun to Calais Ville 

Dog tickets must be purchased manually by you at the train station for each French leg of your journey. Don’t forget to have these on hand when boarding your next connections. If your dog is under 6kg, they can travel in a carrier on your lap or under the seat (carriers should be no more than 45 cm x 30 cm x 25 cm). If over 6kg, they must be leashed and muzzled. 

Stay: Calais

Suggested hotel: B & B Les Secrets des Loges

Welcome to France! This is one of Europe’s most dog-friendly destinations, and Calais itself is an excellent place for dogs thanks to its enormous sandy beach. It’s off-limits to dogs during the summer season (May 15 to October 15), but outside of this they can run free responsibly. If you’re traveling during summer, wander along the promenade with the dog on a leash until you reach the dunes; this is Blériot-Plage, where dogs are allowed to roam year-round. 

Look out for the Calais dragon on the promenade – a 12-meter-high mechanical dragon that roams the seafront with passengers on its back, breathing hot, blasts of fire into the air. In the town itself, morning strolls with the dog can be had around Parc Richelieu, and there’s a self-guided walking tour to follow to see all the main sights. Alternatively, look out for the town’s burgeoning collection of street art on another self-guided walking tour. Don’t miss a visit to the town’s dog-friendly citadel, or a stroll along the Canal des Pierettes. 

Here, seafood is the culinary highlight and at Le Grand Bleu, dogs are welcomed with water and lots of attention while you dine on exceptional local catches. Located right across from the fish market, where fresh catches are for sale each day, it has some of the best seafood in town.

Oveth Martinez

Travel: Calais to Paris  

Dog tickets must be purchased manually by you at the train station for each French leg of your journey. Don’t forget to have these on hand when boarding your next connections. If your dog is under 6kg, they can travel in a carrier on your lap or under the seat (carriers should be no more than 45 cm x 30 cm x 25 cm). If over 6kg, they must be leashed and muzzled. 

Travel: Paris to Geneva

Dog tickets must be purchased manually by you at the train station for each French leg of your trip. Don’t forget to have these on hand when boarding your next connections. If your dog is under 6kg, they can travel in a carrier on your lap or under the seat (carriers should be no more than 45 cm x 30 cm x 25 cm). If over 6kg, they must be leashed and muzzled. 

Stay: Geneva

Suggested hotel: Hotel N’vY

Welcome to Switzerland! This is one of Europe’s most dog-friendly destinations and you’ll find plenty of restaurants that welcome your four-legged companion. There’s ample green space for your dog to sniff around, from the Parc des Cropettes right by the train station, to the Parc Mon Repos on the lake, best reached by walking along the pedestrianized lakeshore. For off-leash time, head across the Pont du Mont-Blanc to Parc de la Grange where your dog can run free. 

If time permits, head to Geneva’s Old Town to see its magnificent Cathédrale Saint-Pierre from the outside. For dinner, try Va-et-Vient for typical Swiss dishes. Dogs can travel on all public transit throughout Geneva, from buses to boats to trams and trains.

Terence Burke

Travel: Geneva to Milan

Unless your dog is small enough to travel in a carrier that fits under the seat (no more than 70 x 30 x 50 cm), you'll need to buy a dog ticket at the train station for this leg of the trip. All dogs, unless in a carrier, must be muzzled and on a leash for this trip. 

Stay: Milan

Suggested hotel: B&B Hotel Milano Aosta

Cosmopolitan, ever-fashionable Milan is an easy-on-the-eye city, with mesmerizing architecture at the likes of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II (a dog-friendly shopping center) and the iconic Duomo and elegant parks and gardens, such as Parco Sempione which has fenced-in areas for dogs to run off-leash. 

You’ll find high-fashion stores and fine dining to enjoy here – much of which can be done with your dog by your side – but the real thrill for dog owners is the opportunity to get out of the urban sprawl and into the countryside. 

Hop on the train or rent a car and try one of these fantastic dog-friendly Italian adventures: 

1. Take a beach break in Venice: The city of Venice might not seem like the obvious choice for a beach break, but beyond the main island with its winding canals and curvaceous bridges is the long, skinny slice of land called Lido. Here lies a long, sandy beach where, at its northern end, you’ll find the Pachuka Beach club, where dogs are warmly welcomed to play in the surf, snooze on the sand beneath an umbrella, and get plenty of love from the lifeguard all year round. The island has plenty of dog-friendly hotels, or splurge on a private-island experience at JW Marriott, where your dog gets free rein over a vast parkland.

2. Take a tour of Lake Garda and Valpolicella wine country: Discover the dog beaches of Peschiera del Garda, Salò, and Toscolano Maderno on the shores of Lake Garda, then drive out into the Veneto countryside to discover the underrated Valpolicella wine region. Sip beneath the vines with a fine red wine risotto at Dimora Buglioni Wine Relais (they have dog-friendly rooms, too), or do a tasting at Cantina e Agriturismo Corte Merci. 

3. Bolzano and the Dolomites: Italy isn’t short on magnificent mountains, but the Dolomites are a striking, spiky set of peaks that will have your head turning throughout the day as the light bounces off their surface. Bolzano is a great base for dog-friendly adventures in the mountains – you can visit the South Tyrol Archeological Museum with your dog (they must be carried; there are kennels downstairs for larger dogs to wait) to see Ötzi the Iceman, a 5,300-year-old man who was discovered preserved in the mountains nearby in the 1990s; take the cable car up to the Ritten plateau for wonderful walks among the peaks or along the Freud Promenade. 

Pro tip: Don’t forget, to return to the UK your dog needs to have a deworming treatment administered by a vet and have their passport or Animal Health Certificate signed. This must be done between 120 and 24 hours before you arrive in the UK; in Milan, make time to visit Ambulatorio Veterinario Arco Della Pace (appointments necessary; +39 0239 542 237), conveniently right next to Parco Sempione.

Dewang Gupta

Travel: Milan to Zurich

Unless your dog is small enough to travel in a carrier that fits under the seat (no more than 70 x 30 x 50 cm), you'll need to buy a dog ticket at the train station for this leg of the trip. All dogs, unless in a carrier, must be muzzled and on a leash for this trip. 

Travel: Zurich to Paris

You'll need to buy dog tickets in person at the train station for each French leg of your trip. Don’t forget to have these on hand when boarding your next connections. If your dog is under 6kg, they can travel in a carrier on your lap or under the seat (carriers should be no more than 45 cm x 30 cm x 25 cm). If over 6kg, they must be leashed and muzzled. 

Stay: Paris

Suggested hotel: Hotel Du Jeu De Paume

While the French truly do love their pets, Paris is a slight anomaly when it comes to access for dogs. They’re welcome on the metro with a leash and muzzle, and plenty of restaurants and bars allow them inside and on terraces, but it’s the parks where there are the most restrictions. Until 2019, most parks in Paris didn’t allow access for dogs. Today, they’re allowed in a few more, but it pays to know in advance. Some of the best parks for dogs in Paris include: 

• Jardin du Palais Royal

• Jardin des Tuileries (only in the lower grassy sections closer to the Louvre)

• Jardins du Trocadéro

• Bois de Boulogne

• Parc Monceau

• Square des Batignolles

For a chic dinner setting with natural wines and organic produce, try Le Truffaut in Batignolles (right next to the dog-friendly square). 

Khamkéo

Travel: Paris to Calais Ville 

Dog tickets must be purchased manually by you at the train station for each French leg of your journey. Don’t forget to have these on hand when boarding your next connections. If your dog is under 6kg, they can travel in a carrier on your lap or under the seat (carriers should be no more than 45 cm x 30 cm x 25 cm). If over 6kg, they must be leashed and muzzled. 

Travel: train from Calais Ville to Calais Frethun

Dog tickets must be purchased manually by you at the train station for each French leg of your journey. Don’t forget to have these on hand when boarding your next connections. If your dog is under 6kg, they can travel in a carrier on your lap or under the seat (carriers should be no more than 45 cm x 30 cm x 25 cm). If over 6kg, they must be leashed and muzzled. 

Travel: Calais to Ashford Intl

Your minibus driver will pick you up from Calais-Fréthun station. 

Travel: Ashford to London

To book Lottie's itinerary to northern Italy, please contact our support team to inquire.

For more exclusive insights into slow travel journeys, overland travel inspiration, and insider tips, subscribe to our newsletter.