Traveling to Germany with your dog
What visits to do with your dog in Germany? At what time of year should you come to Germany? How to organize a road trip with your dog in a van in Germany? I tell you everything in this article!
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Guten Tag! Do you know how I like to introduce you to the great adventures of our Wouafer's and their dogs around the world? So today, we are crossing the North East border of France to go to Germany. You may have already guessed it from my way of greeting you haha: Guten Tag, that's how you say hello in German.
Germany? A destination for your next vacation? Are you still hesitating or are you just looking for information to organize your next trip to Germany with your dog? I am sure you will like this article. After showing you dog-friendly destinations around the world, I now suggest you discover Germany with your dog. The most beautiful way to introduce you to this beautiful country: the roadtrip! Musher and I have never been to Germany, so I interviewed Florence, a Belgian on the move who regularly goes on road trips with her dog Naya! Florence, please make us dream! We follow you to Germany.
Hello Wouafer's, I'm happy to take you on a trip with me, Florence, and my border collie, Naya, to Germany. I hope you are ready to take full eyes! Germany is a great destination to do with your dog.
Germany: a holiday destination to try with your dog
THEGermany is a beautiful country and I find it terribly underrated. Plage, montagne, lake, plain, forest, castle, old town, the choice is enormous there and there is really something to do. We have been there several times and have barely scratched the surface of what this country offers.
We chose this country because it is our neighboring country and I had seen, thanks to Instagram, that it offered beautiful variants and that it was very open for traveling by van with dogs. So that's how our experience in Germany started!
Musher and Sophie: Traveling in a van is really great with a dog, but also when you're alone. If you want to learn more about van-life and possibly embark on a vacation in a van with your dog, I invite you to read the testimony of Raphaël who is going to holidays with your dog in a converted van.
Visiting Germany with your dog is simply a must. Germany is, for me, the most dog-friendly country in Europe. You can take your dog almost everywhere, there are doggie bars in almost all tourist places and we are always offered something to drink for our dogs when we go to eat somewhere or have a drink. Moreover, most restaurants offer water to dogs even before we had time to place an order. Even if in hotels you have to pay for their place, they are always well received, we even had the right to bags of sweets and welcome letters against them in some hotels. I loved it, many countries should follow their example. As we mainly travel by van, we haven't tested many hotels, when you book one, it's just to enjoy a nice hot shower.
Roadtrip in van in Germany with his dog
When we go on a trip, we take our home with us, in every sense of the word. We take our daily life into four square meters, so we have to think of everything but also think minimalist. For our Naya, we do not deprive ourselves of the comfort of a cart, towels, harness, its travel bowl, food, enough to provide him with care in the event of an injury. I also take his toys to occupy it in case of bad weather or if it is too hot to hike.
Musher and Sophie: Indeed Florence, you are right to think about the possible injuries of your dog and yours too haha. Moreover, as far as I am concerned, the first aid kit of Musher never leaves me. If you are wondering what to put in it, read my article on your dog's first aid kit.
Of course, I do not forget the mandatory papers! Germany is part of the European Union, so your dog's record must be up to date with all vaccines. Naya had to be chipped, wormed and obviously healthy and fit to travel. The rabies vaccine must also be up to date. We have, until now, never been checked in any country, but if the case were to arise, we know that everything is still in order. The best is a check-up 48 hours before departure with your veterinarian. Please note that the rabies vaccine requires 21 days of incubation, do not forget!
What to visit in Germany with your dog
In Germany with our dog Naya, we visited cities, lakes and castles. Germany is a country full of castles, each more beautiful than the next. We visited the courtyards of Hohenzollern castles, Pyrmont and Eltz, dogs are not allowed within these castles. The last two castles are only about fifteen minutes from each other, Too W'ouf right? We also visited the cochem castle which is fully accessible to our dog friends. Frankly, they are all worth seeing, these castles are magnificent and if you are a fan of history, these are the places to see absolutely.
Of course, I do not forget to mention the famous abbey of Maria Laach. Besides, it's next to the Belgium and easy to get to!
On the city side, we visited Schiltach, Cochem, Monschau et Freiburg. We have always been welcomed like royalty. At least, Naya was welcomed like a queen. We were even asked questions about her: if she liked her days in Germany, if she liked the cuddles, etc. If Germany has conquered our hearts, Naya has conquered the hearts of Germans! These are cities that are well worth the visit, besides the fact that they are dog-friendly and welcoming, they are really beautiful and lively. I loved going through these places, for their dynamism and their beauty.
And if you do not know the place, I recommend a small passage to the famous well-known suspension bridge: the Geierlay Suspension Bridge. Be careful though, it is not made for all our four-legged friends.
Musher and Sophie: Haha, it's sure that Musher with his vertigo couldn't bear to visit this bridge, the poor thing would have been completely petrified. A solution if you have a smaller dog than me is to take a bag to carry your dog. If you don't know which one to choose yet, go to my comparison of the best dog carriers.
When to visit Germany with your dog
I don't think there is really a better time than another to visit this country with your dog. There are so many different places to walk around, and whatever the season, everything is accessible. I would just recommend that you avoid stormy periods; the Germans are very keen on security. We weren't able to do almost any hiking on one of our last stays there. Storm Ciara forced authorities to close all hiking trails for safety. It's annoying when you go on vacation at that time and you love the cani-hiking, but it's totally understandable.
Musher and Sophie: Yes, the Germans are very conscientious and do everything to limit the risks. In any case, before setting out on a hike, it is important to know what precautions to take, because hiking with your dog, it can't be improvised !
The final word
For us, Germany is a must whose reputation is frankly not up to its wealth. We can't wait to return to this country dear to our hearts and to continue to discover it as much as possible. So if I had one piece of advice to give about this beautiful country, it would be to make the most of it and above all, don't worry.
Of course, not everything is necessarily rosy either, there are places that are forbidden to dogs. In general, these are museums or castle interiors. Not to mention activities such as the cinema or bowling.
Much like in most countries, there are also natural parks where dogs are prohibited. This is because the dog could bring a germ that would harm the environment or wildlife. Anyway, the country is big enough and there is already a lot to do! As in Belgium, the places forbidden to our four-legged friends are indicated with a simple and very effective sign: the crossed dog. For the rest, the country remains very open to dog activities and there are even a lot of dog parks. I think the Germans are just as close as the Belgians or the French to their dog.
Florence and Naya, a Too W'ouf duo of travelers
I hope you enjoyed our article on Germany. If you want to know a little more about Naya and me, it's right after. First of all, there is me, Florence, the human of the duo; I just Belgium. I have an exciting job as a behaviorist and I run a small family canine pension. With my companion Martin and our dogs, we devote our weekends to discovering our beautiful Belgian country and to hiking. Sometimes we take our van and spend the whole weekend in the forest far from civilization and any network. It's really the must to recharge your batteries after a long week of work.
And then there's my dog Naya, a border collie 4 year old blackbird. I met Naya on February 14, 2017, the day she was born. Following the loss of my dog, I wanted a border to fill this void. So I came across the announcement of a litter that had just been born a few kilometers from my house, I made an appointment and the same day I was there. When Naya only had a few hours, she was the one I wanted to share my life with. I had spotted her on the photo as well as on the spot, it was inexplicable, it was her. Difficult for me to have to wait a month before being able to touch it, it was very long!
By nature, the border is an active dog, who needs a lot of activities to be well in his paws, he is a very smart dog who adapts easily to life changes (at least, that's what I come from my experience with Borders). It is quite possible to travel in a converted van with these dogs, you just have to take into account the fact that they need to go out regularly.
Naya is a dog of a suspicious nature towards strangers and reactive with congeners. However, very sociable at the beginning, his behavior completely changed following two major traumas that marked him deeply. The first is that she was caught by a dog when she was 5 months old. I thought that was the end of it for her. This traumatic experience pushed her into a corner and she no longer trusted dogs. The second is partly my fault. Overwhelmed by his behavior, I called a professional who gave me very bad guidance (I knew nothing about it at the time), it only made the situation worse. This is where I decided to train. The trauma is still there, but she trusts me a lot more now.
Together we practiceagility in a private center, as well as canicross and hiking.
Naya literally changed my life. She was the one who made me buy a van and she was the one who pushed me, in a way, to travel in a van and discover the country. She allowed me to discover theAustria, France,Germany, Luxembourg,Italy and Belgium !
Today, my little Naya shares her daily life for a year with Hope, another border collie who has come to enlarge the family.
Naya and I are really happy to have been able to tell about our trips to Germany in this article. If you want to see more photos or just ask me a few questions, go to my Instagram account @wildtravelpaws (Naya and Hope are really honored there you will see).
Wow Florence, what can I say, thank you very much for this interview Too W'ouf. Your story and photos are so inspiring. Germany is a bit of a drive from home, but I can't wait to visit this pretty country that knows how to welcome our doggies. The last time I set foot there was for my 4ᵉ trip… I really enjoyed the experience, I would be happy to eat a Bratwurst there! I'm sure my greedy dog would like it a lot 😉