Taking the dog to France

[Lulinator]

We’re looking to book a summer holiday in France and one of the teen DCs really wants to take the dog along. It would be in the summer hols.

So then plan is to get to France via the Chunnel. We’re happy to drive for up to 5 hours and then either stay in a cottage or caravan.

where would people recommend that’s dog friendly? We’re not sure if dogs are allowed on French beaches.

You need to check re access to beaches before you book anything. Each department is different. Brittany was particularly bad for dog access. We take our dog to Europe regularly but can't rely on beach access. Denmark however allowed the dog everywhere

General beaches during summer no, but there are also dog beaches here and there - we're going to a campsite that has a dog beach 10 min away from the regular one.

If your dog isn't inoculated against rabies, you'd need to start looking at that quite soon as there's a blood test they have to have to make sure they're immune. Also check with your vet how much the travel card costs - ours charges £150 I think. You'll also have to have a vet appt to give your dog a worming tablet and stamp your travel document before you come back to UK. We usually take our own tablet and pay €30 for the privilege. Apologies if you know all this already.

Some beaches we've been to allowed dogs at certain times of the day. They're all so different. All the sites we've stayed in have allowed dogs, so think dogs are quite welcome.

Yes generally France is dog-friendly and there are only a few places where dogs are not welcome. Ours (large mutts) have been to even fancy, Michelin-starred restaurants.

I didn’t know about the rabies test so thanks for that 😀. I’ve discussed the pet passport with the vet- he hates them as it’s time wasted on paperwork 🤣