Is Locarno Dog-Friendly?, Locarno, Switzerland

Peaceful lakeside strolls, mountain hikes, and stunning gardens – sounds like paradise for a dog, doesn’t it? This is Locarno, Switzerland. When deciding where in Switzerland’s Ticino region to stay with our dog for a couple of days, Locarno immediately stood out for the variety of dog-friendly activities. This turned out to be mostly accurate with some caveats.

Overall, dogs are allowed almost everywhere in Locarno, with some eyebrow-raising exceptions. The old town area generally lacks grass where your dog can comfortably pee, and any small flower beds or grassy squares often explicitly forbid dogs with signs. I can’t help but wonder why people prefer to have dogs poop and pee on concrete where we walk rather than in small decorative patches of grass where it can at least be absorbed by the soil.

If you want to stroll along the lakeside promenade with your pup, you’ll likely meet many other dogs. However, your dog is not allowed to walk on the grassy gardens along the promenade, a rule most people simply ignore. Other notable places that don’t allow dogs include the Parco delle Camelie and the Giardini Rusca. At the Parco della Pace, dogs are only allowed between October and April. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).