A Small Dog’s Guide to Spain

by Gigi Griffis

As you may already know, Luna and I spent this spring exploring Spain. We started in Seville, made our way to the southern coast, and then headed to the center and based ourselves in Toledo (our favorite of the many towns we stopped in).

Unfortunately, Spain is the least dog friendly of the mainland European countries we’ve been to. We’re used to places like Switzerland or France, where dogs are welcome everywhere—from shops to restaurants to the metro. This is not the case in Spain. So while it is more dog-friendly than the US, you’ll also need to do a little more planning than usual for Europe if you want to bring your dog along.

Here’s the full skinny:

Pet-Friendly Accommodations

This is the one thing that didn’t give us trouble in Spain. There are lots of dog-friendly accommodation options. As usual, most of our travels were spent staying in Airbnb apartments. With Airbnb, you can search for dog-friendly rentals or (like us) you can contact owners directly and ask them if it’s okay to bring your dog. Even places that aren’t listed as dog friendly will often make exceptions, especially if your dog is small, well-behaved, and has references.

We also spent a couple nights in one of my all-time favorite boutique hotels, Corral del Ray.

Luna on the beach

Dogs on Trains, Buses, & Planes

Here’s where things get trickier. While trains and planes are doable with a dog, buses are generally not. On ALSA and other distance bus services, dogs are considered luggage and even small dogs are forced to ride in the luggage compartment under the bus. This is not only terrifying for the poor dog, but can also be dangerous, particularly in hot weather. If you are traveling with a dog, do not plan on using the bus. I didn’t try myself, but I’ve been told that dogs are also not welcome on city buses in general. And don’t think you can sneak one by. They check.

Trains, happily, are an easier matter. Renfe trains allow small dogs inside carriers to travel free. You should always double check the policy on any train you’re booking, but this is their overall stance as of this writing.

Planes fall somewhere in the middle in terms of dog-friendliness. Many of Europe’s budget airlines don’t accept dogs and the non-budget airlines will charge you a lot more for both your seat and the dog itself. Happily, the exception to the rule is my new favorite airline, Vueling. Vueling accepts small dogs in cabin (in a carrier, of course). The dog + carrier must weigh less than 8 kilos (about 17 pounds) and costs about 25 euros per flight. Keep in mind that the dog replaces your carry-on, so you’ll need to check a bag (at another 20 or so euros). Still, even with a 25-euro dog and a 20-euro bag, you’re likely to spend very little. A quick search turns up fares at 70 euros one-way from Paris to Madrid, 63 from Rome to Seville, and 40 from Basel to Barcelona.

Luna playtime

If the crappy bus policies leave you stranded (as they did for Luna and I, who had, unwisely, chosen a base without a train station), you do have a few options. The first is the rideshare service BlaBlaCar. That didn’t work for us because no one was listing rides from Nerja, but it’s definitely something to keep in mind if you need to get around.

The second is a car service. This is what Luna and I ended up doing from Nerja to Malaga, where we caught a train to Toledo. The car service we used was Blacklane, which allows you to book online (always a plus), didn’t mind Luna at all (just make sure to note you’re traveling with a dog when you make your reservation), and covers cities all over the world, including the Spanish city of Malaga (about an hour away from Nerja where Luna and I were stranded). Other Spanish cities they’re in include Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and Palma-de-Mallorca.

Your final option if you’re stuck is, of course, to rent a car. In Spain, you can rent a car with an American driver’s license, though rentals can get pricey (especially in smaller spots like Nerja) and it’s much easier to hire a car service or catch a rideshare.

Luna on a bench

Vets & Pet Supply Shops

In Toledo, our vet was located at Calle Panama 12, which is a bit outside the main walled city (all the animal clinics are). They don’t speak English, so you’ll need to dust off your Spanish or do a little pantomiming, but they are incredibly nice and helpful. On our first visit, he looked at her eye irritation, wrote a prescription, explained the instructions to me twice to make sure I understood, and didn’t charge me a dime! Their phone number is 925 25 52 96 and walking to the office is a pretty simple matter if you’re staying in the city (just grab a free map at the tourist center and map your route).

We never needed the vet in Nerja, but there is one near where Calle Antonio Millon meets Calle el Chaparil. There’s also a pet supply shop and groomer on Antonio Million itself and I’m sure they have a vet recommendation.

Restaurants, Shops, & Bars

This is another place that Spain strikes out. You’ll see plenty of No Perros (No Dogs Allowed) signs on restaurants (in fact, I haven’t seen a restaurant that does allow dogs in quite some time), bars, and shops. Shops tend to be a tiny bit more dog-friendly than eateries, but there are plenty of no-dog signs on those as well.

Parks, Beaches, & Hiking Trails

Sadly, Spain also has a whole lot of No Perros signs on its parks and beaches. But here’s the catch: in the off-season, everyone seems to ignore them. I saw dog owners walking their pets along the No Perros! beaches all the time and the cops didn’t seem to care. I’m guessing it’s a bit like Croatia that way. There were tons of No Dogs signs at parks and beaches there, but the locals told me to ignore them. “They’re just for tourist season when there are so many more people.” (Keep in mind that I’m not advising you to break the rules; if you do so, you do so at your own risk.)

Luna

The Paradox: Poop, Poop Everywhere

So, here’s the strange thing: you’d think in such a dog-unfriendly country there would be less dogs than in dog-loving places like Paris and Switzerland…but not so! Everywhere we went, there were dogs. Lounging in front gardens. Running along the beaches (past the No Perros! signs). Strolling the streets with their window-shopping owners.

And unfortunately, while it’s always lovely to be around other dogs, the Spanish don’t seem to have a habit of picking up after all these animals. I’ve never seen so much dog poop in my life…and in the most inconvenient places. Not only does no one seem to clean up after their dogs, but they don’t seem to care if the dog takes an enormous dump in the middle of a high-traffic walking path or around a blind corner where someone is most definitely going to step in it. Luna and I spent a lot of time dodging bombs and by the end of my time in Southern Spain (which was much much worse than Seville or Toledo), I was actually angry. “Am I the only person who cleans up after my dog here?” I asked the landlord and she voiced her agreement…the problem is bad.

Killer Caterpillars—Yes, Really

So, here’s another scary downside to Spain: in the spring, they have something called the Processionary Caterpillar, which could actually kill (yes, I said kill) your dog. The caterpillars are dangerous to everyone (adults included), but can be especially bad for children or dogs. So if you are planning to take your dog for nature walks/hikes in spring in areas with trees, read up about the caterpillars and keep an eye peeled. The locals will put up signs when they notice the caterpillars in an area (which is how Luna and I found out about them) warning you to turn back.

Luna jumping off bench

Garbage Problems

The other thing that makes Spain so dog-unfriendly is its litter problem. There is a major garbage issue here and it seems to be everywhere. We dodged broken glass in Toledo and mounds of plastic bottles and cigarette butts in the south. Seville was the cleanest of the bunch, but still a bit of a shock when you’re coming from always-clean Switzerland. With this in mind, it’s best to keep your dog leashed here in Spain, be vigilant about watching for garbage, and (as is always a good idea) know where the nearest vet is just in case your dog does step on broken glass or eat a piece of litter.

In Summary

Personally, I really liked Toledo. I loved our little apartment just outside the town center. I loved the walking paths around the walled city. I loved the beautiful old architecture and the cute little shops. But for Luna Spain overall is a tougher place to travel. I worried about garbage and glass along the trails. I worried about killer caterpillars. I find it appalling that buses force dogs to travel in the luggage compartment. And Luna just had less options than usual.

If your heart is set on coming, you can absolutely bring your dog. You just have to be a little more vigilant than you would in other parts of Europe. But if you’re looking for the Europe I normally describe, with small dogs in cafes and off-leash Alpine hikes, this isn’t it. You’ll find that European experience in Italy, Switzerland, France, Belgium, and so on.


Looking for more dog travel posts? Here they all are.


Going to Spain? Grab a copy of my Barcelona guide: Barcelona: 10 Locals Tell You Where to Go, What to Eat, & How to Fit In.


Thanks to Blacklane for the free ride. As always, all opinions are my own.

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20 comments

Sam May 3, 2015 - 11:11 am

Toledo looks stunning! Why didn’t you decide to go to Granada? Seems like you were close in Nerja.

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gigigriffis May 4, 2015 - 3:12 am

Granada was my first choice for a base, but the remaining accommodations were shockingly expensive, so I headed south. And the reason I didn’t do a day trip was because Spain’s buses aren’t dog-friendly and the ride is a couple hours, so there was really no way to take Luna and it wouldn’t have been worth it to go on my own since I’d have to rush back.

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Have Dog, Will Travel: A Look at 2015 on the Road | The Ramble December 14, 2015 - 2:58 am

[…] For more on Spain, check out: The Small Dog’s Guide to Spain […]

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Eve December 19, 2015 - 9:16 am

Very interesting post, thanks a lot!

And Luna is so adorable! I bet my Yorkie, Bruce, would fall madly in love with her.

So, we just moved from Canada to Spain with our dog. We’re currently living in Barcelona but plan to buy a car and move around. I’m so glad that we’re not the only one impressed (in a negative way) by all the poop we see. It is craaaazy! At one point, we were thinking that it was a bad idea moving here. Our neighbourhood is simply filthy. We’ll be moving in Gracia at the beginning of January and then, near Parc Guëll. I hope it’ll be better!

We’re also thinking about living in Sevilla for a while. You said that it was the cleanest place you’ve stayed in Spain, right? And what about green spaces? Are there many? Bruce loves his grass!

I’m glad I’ve found your blog. I’ll be following you!

Thanks!

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gigigriffis December 19, 2015 - 10:38 am

We weren’t in Seville long, so I didn’t make it to any parks, but you can check with the bloggers over at Jets Like Taxis. They have a small dog and have been living there for a while now.

Thanks for the kind words and good luck with your move!

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Eve December 21, 2015 - 10:55 am

Thanks Gigi! I’ll have a look.
Happy Holidays!

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Danielle May 5, 2016 - 2:29 pm

Excellent post! Thanks! We are travelling through Spain now with our medium size dog and it’s been great but a bit tricky. She’s too big for a carrier but we have a large backpack and we’ve been able to take her on trains and trams.
We have ignored our share of no perro signs and it’s all been fine. We even took her to a castle in Alicante.
We are in Seville now and loving the beautiful parks and walks on the river. I’m not sure if I like Valencia or Seville more. they are both so great! Did you miss any of the city amenities living in Toledo?

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gigigriffis May 5, 2016 - 2:30 pm

Toledo is actually pretty big (it sprawls outside the old town walls), so it had all the city amenities I needed. :)

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Deise de Oliveira December 14, 2016 - 6:14 am

We are planning on living in Spain with my husband and my German spitz next year and your post was really useful. I hoped Spain would be a little more dog friendly, but it isn’t.
Even though, I guess it’s better than here in Brazil.
Thanks for the heads up!

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Shandos January 30, 2017 - 8:47 pm

Thanks for sharing your experience. I’m also a travel blogger and my husband and I are just about to fly from Australia (our home) to Europe for a year or two, along with our Miniature Dachshund, Schnitzel. Our first stop is Spain, specifically Seville (mainly chosen for the warm weather). It’s good to hear it’s a bit cleaner and, according to Danielle, has good walks.

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Nichole May 7, 2017 - 10:04 am

Thank you Thank you Thank you for this post! We’re looking at bringing our dog with us to Europe for a few years (traveling and working digitally) and your post helped so much! :)

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gigigriffis May 7, 2017 - 10:22 am

Glad it helps!

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Nichole Walz July 21, 2017 - 9:58 am

Do you recall if Vuelling Air made you weigh your dog and carrier to ensure it was 8kg or less? Our little lady stayed with my in-laws for a few months and gained 1kg. Do you think it’ll be a problem?

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gigigriffis July 21, 2017 - 10:14 am

Yes, they have weighed her the couple times we’ve flown with them. I don’t know if they’re strict if you go over a tiny bit, though.

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A October 12, 2017 - 2:58 pm

Great post and we are in the same situation! My husband, my pug cross and I are currently in Spain after spending several months in France, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Croatia and Greece who were all extremely dog friendly. We got used to it and then arrived into Spain to be quite shocked about how unfriendly they are. Of course, like you said, probably not like the US and Australia but we have had to leave the dog back at our apartment on many occasions. We just refuse to go to restaurants that don’t let her in and find some great places that do, but that is a change from being to go literally everywhere in the other countries. I have noticed that the local dogs here are larger breeds and can be “unruly” so maybe that is why the restaurants don’t allow dogs? Not sure but I am still curious why Spain is so different to other European countries.

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Iping Stark February 17, 2018 - 4:09 pm

Thank you for the post. We have never been to Spain, and are planning our first trip. Wonder if we should leave the pups behind now after reading this post. We are from the US, I think I can deal with the unfriendliness to the dogs, but don’t know if I could deal with so much poops!

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gigigriffis February 18, 2018 - 6:38 pm

It’s definitely more pet-friendly than the US! Sadly, the poop problem may be something you run into whether you bring the dogs or not, so I don’t think I’d let that deter you. The bigger issue for me was the garbage.

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Sara @ BestPetReviews June 23, 2018 - 3:40 pm

Thanks for sharing! Wow, I didn’t know that dog poop was so rampant in Spain! It seems like it’s a pretty clean city. And that is too bad they don’t allow dogs on buses.

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Eva Ortiz September 17, 2020 - 12:45 am

Completely enjoyed this article and thanks for being so thorough. Like you, I never go anywhere without my small Yorkie and planned on staying in Malaga for a month or so to explore Southern Spain. I most definitely will heed your words going forward. Side note; We are coming from South Orange County California which is SUPER DOG FRIENDLY. From Huntington Beach to Laguna Beach to San Clemente, there are plenty of coastal communities that would welcome You and your pup with open arms and lots of attention!

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Helena Renee June 4, 2022 - 11:07 am

Very interesting post, thanks a lot! We’re looking at bringing our dog with us to Europe for a few years

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