Visit the major cities of Spain with your dog
How to prepare for your road trip abroad with your dog? Which big cities to visit with your dog in Spain between Madrid, Cordoba, Seville and Malaga?
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Today heading to Spain, I'm taking you to discover the big cities of this southern European country!! I interviewed Alyssa and her dog Natsu to find out all about the best places to visit with your dog in major Spanish cities like Madrid or Seville for example. Ready for the adventure? Head to Spain with your dog.
I leave you in good company with Alyssa, her companion and Natsu!
Alyssa and Natsu: a complementary duo
Hello Wouafer's, I'm Alyssa, I'm a hairdresser. With my military spouse, we love to travel and discover new places.
Ever since I was little, I have lived surrounded by dogs. Also, it is naturally that once installed we decided together to start our small family by adopting a dog. At the time, I missed it a lot and I felt that there was a void that needed to be filled. After explaining and discussing with my spouse the issues of having a dog, a travel lover, we decided to take a dog that was not too big to be able to take him almost everywhere.
So we adopted Natsu in April 2018, an adorable Shiba Inu male now 3 years old. It is a so-called primitive race – that is to say very old – on which I learned a lot beforehand. In my opinion, this is a very complex breed with which you have to be patient and take the time to get it right. Landraces are often very sensitive dogs.
Natsu is a very playful Shiba Inu. He is not cuddly but loves being with us. These characteristics make him a very independent dog, but with whom we have a close relationship. Due to three misadventures in contact with other dogs when Natsu was young, he is extremely reactive in the presence of his congeners, especially males.
Today I'm here to tell you about our road trip through major cities in Spain with our dog.
Traveling abroad, preparing for a road trip with your dog
Madrid, Cordoba, Seville and Malaga: our road trip in Spain with our dog lasted 10 days!!! We had planned a whole program to be sure not to miss anything.
My little advice is to choose in advance, the sites you least want to see. This way, if you are short on time, you already have a choice made.
Thanks to the program, we had estimated an approximate time per city. Then we were able to plan the route accordingly to calculate the driving time.
Of course, not traveling by van or motorhome, one of our main constraints was having to find and book dog-friendly accommodation. To avoid disappointment, we always asked if it was a problem that we had a small dog. So far we have never had a refusal but we prefer to check.
Musher and Sophie: Ah yes, it's not always easy to find dog-friendly accommodation in France and abroad. It was also one of my motivations when I created EmmèneTonChien.com. The number 1 site for holidays WITH your dog now lists thousands of accommodations accepting dogs in France and Europe. Every day, the Wouafer's, travelers with dogs, share the accommodations, activities and restaurants they have tested with their dog and enrich the site! So do like them, keep on share your Too W'ouf Addresses on line. It's free, easy, it takes 3 minutes and it allows thousands of Wouafer's to travel WITH their doggie.
Concerned about the smallest detail with regard to my dear doggie, I had planned the total for the trip. So even if I had already taken a harness and leave alone, we still had in the suitcases a necklace and an emergency leash! And then, of course, the classics: his European passport, his papers with up-to-date vaccines; but also, its muzzle which must be worn on public transport in Spain. To make Natsu feel like home, I also took his collapsible basket and his blanket as well as a towel, and some toys.
Natsu being a gourmet, it was important not to forget his water bottle, his 2 bowls, Its treats and croquettes. When we're on the go, I usually use a treat pouch.
For this trip, we had planned a first aid kit human – dog, in which we had put things that could also be used for Natsu: a ticks for example.
On the way to Spain
We left from October 15 to 25, 2018, when Natsu was only 10 months old. We had decided in advance to spend 2 or 3 days in each city. The three of us got into my car, Natsu, my spouse and I, and the adventure was ours! Off to Spain with my dog.
Overall, we mainly strolled through the different districts of the cities, passing by the must-see monuments of course! I noticed that in no city, there were bags of droppings available. Better plan ahead...
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Madrid
Madrid is a beautiful city but also a very big city. Obviously, it is the capital of Spain. Also, we took the Madrid metro with Natsu and everything went well. The only condition for taking the metro is to muzzle your dog, keep it on a leash and take the last car of each metro. I know that even on buses, all you have to do is use a transport crate or a bag for your dog and you're done! In short, you can find all this information on the site Madrid tourism official website. We were able to explore the streets of Madrid and walk along the main via without any problems.
We were also able to visit some historical sites such as the Atocha station, the Plaza Mayor, the San Miguel market or the Parque de la Montaña. We also visited the exterior of the Teatro Real – in my memory dogs were not allowed inside.
If you want to walk your dog in a large park, you have to go to Retiro Park. It is 125 hectares!!! Besides, it's not just a park, there are plenty of super nice viewpoints. Moreover, it was at Retiro Park that the photo below was taken, Natsu is proud of it.
We loved visiting Madrid with our dog. This first visit to Spain with our dog was a success.
Cordoba
Cordoba is one of my favorite cities with Seville !!! It is a very beautiful city full of treasures. We were able to visit the Alcazar de Los Reyes Cristianos and Natsu loved it. Doesn't he look happy in the photo? It was taken in front of the Puerta de Almodovar, an architectural gem. We also strolled through the Jewish quarter, a very pretty neighborhood with colorful houses. The Casa Arabe is also super nice to see, very typical of Andalusian architecture. And before leaving, we don't forget to cross the Roman bridge and visit the temple!!! In short, we loved visiting Cordoba with our dog.
Seville
As I told you earlier, Seville is among my favorite cities of this roadtrip, especially thanks to its remarkable architecture. With my dog and my companion, we visited the Spanish Steps, the Triana district and the Metropol Parasol. It's a super quirky building, we were very impressed. The Triana district is really atypical, it is a district of craftsmen and you see a lot ofTiles – these decorated earthenware tiles originating in the region and also very present in Portugal.
I really advise you to visit Seville with your dog.
Malaga
À Malaga, we especially visited the Alcazaba of Malaga. It is a fortified palace, really magnificent, I recommend! As you know, Malaga is a coastal city; unfortunately, we didn't go to the beach, so I don't know if dogs are forbidden there or not… It must be said that our trip being in October, there are better months for taking a dip.
You will have understood it, whether it is Madrid, Cordoba, Seville or Malaga, there are many parks or unmissable neighborhoods to see and in which you can walk quietly with your dog. We always inquired before going to a place, even if it meant calling so as not to find ourselves stuck at the entrance to a monument. From what I could see, not all museums or generally all closed monuments accepted dogs.
In all these cities, we have always been well received! It must be said that we had chosen Airbnb where the keys were handed over electronically. In this sense, no one was there physically to welcome us. On the other hand, even if the owners of the accommodations knew that we had a small dog, there were no mats or bowls in the accommodations, for example.
In general, I have noticed that in all these cities, dogs are not rejected, but that does not mean that they are warmly welcomed. For example, for restaurants, the majority accept dogs but only on the terrace.
I don't have a good or bad experience. I think that if you stay outside, Spain can seem rather dog friendly. Indeed, in Spain, many people keep their dogs next to them without leash for example. On the other hand, as soon as you want to go somewhere with your dog, it's complicated: restaurants are a good example. 😉
I would rather advise Wouafer's to go to Spain around May, because the weather is nice, but not too hot and there are still not too many people at this time.
Above all, if you want to visit something in particular, find out well beforehand.
Walking from neighborhood to neighborhood and soaking up the different atmospheres is, for me, the best way to travel with your dog!! We often come across real nuggets.
That's it, I'm done with my little story! I hope I have made you want to travel to Spain with your dog. You can find Natsu's adventures on our Instagram @alyssanatsu.
Thank you very much for this interview Alyssa, it was a pleasure to discover your adventures to all three!!! I've never been to Spain with Musher as it's not that far from where I live. Your trip made me want to test this destination with my dog. And you Wouafer's? Ready to go on a roadtrip in Spain with your dog? Given Alyssa's comments, it's clear that Cordoba and Seville will be on the agenda if we schedule a vacation to Spain with Musher.
A hug to Natsu 😉