Take a road trip in Europe with your dog
Going to Europe with your dog, a great idea! What to plan for going to Europe with your dog? What papers should I provide to go to Europe with my dog? Julie tells us about her experience with her dog Nordic, and I give you my advice for going on a road trip in Europe with your dog serenely!
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Get ready to explore Europe with this article. Italy, Slovenia, Austria… Off to a road trip across Europe with your dog! I interviewed Julie who told me about the stages of her roadtrip in a van with her dog, Nordic. It was an amazing trip with his dog to Europe. They traveled together, from lake to lake, through splendid landscapes. I let you discover the story of their trip, as well as their photos. Let's go for a few minutes of happiness with Julie and her dog through some magical corners of Europe.
Prepare your road trip through Europe with a dog
Hello Wouafer's! I am Julie, you may already know me, because some time ago I told you about my adventures in cani-sledge with my dog in the Mag' of EmmèneTonChien.com. Today, I'm back with you to tell you about the wonderful adventure I had with my dog, Nordic, a karelian bear dog.
Our Road Trip in Europe took place in 2018. To tell you the truth, it was not planned at all! I left alone with my one year old dog, on a whim. I was then 19 years old, and I had decided to undertake this road-trip only two days before leaving! I wanted to travel and I had free time so we left without thinking, without planning our itinerary in advance. I had bought a van shortly before but hadn't fitted it out yet when we left.
To prepare a minimum for the trip, I went to buy a mattress, kibbles for Nordic and food for me. I boarded our inflatable paddle, and off we went on an adventure.
We went from late July to early September. The trip lasted a month and a half.
The itinerary was not planned in advance at all, but thanks to the park4night application, which is very practical for traveling by van, I was able to find superb spots to spend the night as I went. It is an application on which van travelers can reference the spots to park. It's a bit like the Wouafer's who can add dog-friendly addresses themselves that they tested and approved with their dog on EmmèneTonChien.com finally!
I'm going to tell you about my road trip step by step, depending on the countries I visited, starting with Italy. You will see that the road trip was organized by going from lake to lake. It was summer so so that Nordic wouldn't get too hot, I preferred to go to a lake each time so that we could go cani-paddle and my dog could bathe.
Tips from Musher and Sophie: – ”Before following in the footsteps of Julie and Nordic across Europe, let's do a quick technical point. What papers for my dog? What vaccines are required? Do I need a European passport for my dog? Going abroad requires preparing your trip well in advance. You will find all the answers to your questions on the website of the European Commission: YourEurope. A super practical site that will allow you to identify the obligations concerning your animal country by country. It's normal to ask yourself a lot of questions… but don't stay with your administrative hassles. The Your Europe site is made for you. Let's go for a great vacation in Europe with your dog. For more info you can also use: @youreurope #YourEurope #AskYourEurope #YourEuropeAnswers “
Traveling to Italy with your dog
We started from Toulon, in the south of France. We went along the whole southern coast to Menton then we went along the whole coast Italy, and we slept near Imperia in Italy. Then we sped off to Rivergaro. Direction the lakes of northern Italy. We went as far as Como lake in Menagio. We spent one night right by the lake. We caught a huge storm. I thought we were going to die! We saw all the lightning. Luckily I had Nordic with me, he wasn't afraid of the storm and that reassured me. The next day, we strolled through the small village of Menagio which borders the lake. We spent two nights there.
Then we went to Lake Iseo. We took our inflatable paddle and every time we stopped near a lake we paddled. Nordic was equipped with a harness with a handle and longe.
Tips from Musher and Sophie: – ” If you also want to paddle with your dog, you can consult our article on paddling with a dog in order to know all our Too W'ouf advice to get started in the cani-paddle. Musher is a big paddle fan! It's a great activity to share with your dog.
Then we went to lac de garde. This lake is really huge. We found a great place to park. We were near a beach and a campsite. I was finally able to take a real shower. We swam a lot and we did cani-paddle.
Then we went to Verona, in the city of lovers. We saw Juliette's house, we went to the small courtyard just in front, but we didn't visit the house, because it was very crowded. The exterior of the house is beautiful to see too, because on the walls there are lots of words of love.
We couldn't get to Venicebecause there were a lot of people on the road. I didn't want to make Nordic suffer the crowd in this touristy town since he doesn't like it.
Then we went to the border of the Slovenia au Predil Lake. You can see all the Italian mountains behind this lake. The view is very beautiful.
Discover Slovenia with your dog
When we arrived in Slovenia, it was a total change of scenery. There, everything is very natural, it's like being in a national park. Everything is very green. In northern Slovenia there are large forests with small wooden houses. We paddled on a lake at 5am. It was sublime to see the sunrise with my dog on the lake.
Our next step was Fusine lakes and triglav park.
Then we went to bohinj lake where we met French people whom we then saw twice during our road trip. Unfortunately they didn't have dogs so Nordic was a bit disappointed.
Then we paddled on the Lake Bled : very touristy, but pleasant for swimming.
There are many rivers in northern Slovenia. The soca river is very beautiful, but it is difficult to bathe there, because it is very cold. Well, not for Nordic. He loved swimming there! This swim allowed him to cool off a bit.
In this country we have seen many beautiful mountains. Slovenia was my favourite. It really is my favorite country.
Next stop on the road trip with my dog: Austria
Our first stop in Austria was a stop near the town of Weissensee, next to a herd of cows and with a view of a lake.
Then we went to Hallstatt. This village in Austria is super nice, it is on the edge of a lake, but it is extremely touristy so you have to go there very early in the morning.
Then we went to attersee lake always continuing our route towards the North. It is a very large lake. We paddled there and walked around the lake. This was our last stop in Austria.
The next stop on our road trip was theGermany.
Traveling to Germany with your dog
I loved crossing Germany with my dog. We started our discovery of Germany with a stop at Lake Koningsee: a lake of a magnificent green color.
Then we headed to the town of Munich. There, we saw people surfing right in the center of Munich! Apparently, it's rather trendy in Germany. We then walked around town. There are plenty of places that look like castles. Germany is also a very beautiful country. We didn't stay very long.
Then we returned to France via Strasbourg. We went to see the typical Alsatian houses. Then I went to see my childhood city: Metz. We walked a lot in Metz. Around the cathedral and in the city center.
Then we kinda crossed the Luxembourg and Belgium, but without making many visits. And we finally got back to my mother's Pas-de-Calais.
I was delighted to tell you about my road trip in Europe with my dog! If I have any advice to give you, it would be to leave with a camper van, to prepare the trip in advance and ABOVE ALL to make the most of it! Preparing for your trip allows you to adapt the trip a little better to the dog and to do what you want and go where you want!
If you need to know more, you can contact me on Instagram: @nordicfamily
Thank you very much Julie for making us dream with your dog for the time of an article!