Visiting Paris with a Dog, Paris, France

Ah, the city of love. Why wouldn’t you want to share Paris with one of the most loyal loves of your life? Well, I can think of a few reasons, but I’ll get to those. Visiting Paris with a dog can be downright delightful as long as you are well prepared for what to expect.

Paris is one of those cities (like Vienna) that I like to call dog-owner friendly, but not so dog-friendly. Dogs are pretty much allowed everywhere you’ll want to eat, from sidewalk bistros to cafes to even some nicer restaurants. Not only are they allowed, but servers and restauranteurs will be positively doting. They’ll get pets and water, and you’ll instantly become one of the establishment’s favorite customers. The rumors are true - the French are much friendlier and warm when you have a dog. And of course, what dog wouldn’t love French food? Our dog had everything from steak frites to quiches and was in culinary heaven. But I would say that is just about where the city’s dog-friendliness ends.

As much as your dog might love to eat table scraps of your French food, he probably also likes running around big parks, and Paris is dog-hostile when it comes to parks. Most small city parks are gated, and dogs are explicitly forbidden. So my dog who lives a luxury life in very green Prague, with at least half a dozen parks within 10 minutes of him, was a little bit at a loss when it came to doing his business outside. Even the squares with trees that line the streets are covered up, so no soil or grass is available. And Paris is huge, so available dog parks are not exactly a short walk away. You might need to take a 40-minute metro to the nearest dog-friendly park. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).