Taking your dog by train to Europe...

Pip sharing our pet-friendly cabin on the Harwich-Hoek van Holland ferry.

Pet travel:  see www.gov.uk/guidance/pet-travel-to-europe-after-brexit.

Pet health certificate

The £180 10-page pet health certificate, with more stamps than a 1970s Soviet visa.  Another Brexit dividend, as the UK is no longer a member of the Pet Passport scheme.

How to take your dog by train

This gets asked surprisingly often, as it's difficult and expensive to send dogs, cats or other pets by air, and pets find it very stressful alone in the hold of a plane.  So why not take your dog by train or ferry, the civilised and comfortable option?  Unfortunately Eurostar doesn't allow dogs on trains to/from London, except guide dogs.  But there are alternatives - this page explains the options for civilised & enjoyable train & ferry travel between the UK and European destinations with your dog, cat or other pet.

small bullet point  Step 1, taking your dog on trains in the UK

small bullet point  Step 2, getting your dog across the Channel

small bullet point  Step 3, taking dogs on trains in mainland Europe

Microchip, vaccinations, health certificate

Before you start, you'll need to make sure your dog or pet is fitted with a microchip and has an up-to-date rabies vaccination.  Call your vet, they can advise you.

To take a pet from the UK to the EU, see your vet no more than 10 days before you travel for a simple health check and to get a health certificate.  Expect this to cost £180 (yet another a Brexit cost as the UK is no longer a member of the Pet Passport scheme).  The certificate is a 10-page document with more stamps than a 1970s Soviet transit visa which allows you to take your pet into the EU for up to 4 months and to re-enter the UK within 4 months.  You can have more than one pet on the same health certificate.  For certain countries you'll also need a tapeworm treatment, including Ireland, Northern Ireland, Norway, Finland & Malta.

A day or two before you return to the UK, make a vet's appointment.  The vet gives your dog a tapeworm tablet and fills in/stamps the relevant section on the form.  This must be done no less than 24 hours and no more than 120 hours (5 days) before you enter Great Britain.  Expect this to cost around €40.  This allows you to return to the UK.

For full details on how to take a pet abroad, see www.gov.uk/guidance/pet-travel-to-europe-after-brexit.

For full details on how to bring a pet into the UK, see www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel.

Tip:  As you can't take meat or dairy products into the EU, only take enough regular pet food for the Channel crossing.  Take kibble for the onward journey, or stock up with wet food once on the Continent.

Step 1, taking a pet on British trains

This bit is easy.  You can take dogs, cats and other small animals free of charge on all British trains, up to a maximum of two per passenger, as long as they don't endanger or inconvenience passengers or staff.  Dogs must be kept on a lead unless inside a carrier.  Dogs without leads, cats, birds and small animals must be carried in an enclosed cage or pet carrier which must be rigid and not open (to prevent escape) and the animal able to stand and lie down in comfort.  Animals and containers must not occupy seats or a charge may be made.  If you want to use a Caledonian Sleeper to or from Scotland, you'll need to pay a fee, see here.  For full details of dog & pet regulations on British trains see www.nationalrail.co.uk/on-the-train/train-travel-with-pets.  So far, so good.

Step 2, getting across the Channel

Let's get the biggest problem out of the way first:  Eurostar doesn't carry dogs or pets on trains between London & mainland Europe, except guide dogs.  And most ferry operators won't let foot passengers take dogs either.  In fact, there are only three ferry operators who let foot passengers take dogs: 

Stena Line Harwich-Hoek van Holland, P&O Hull-Rotterdam, DFDS Newhaven-Dieppe & DFDS Newcastle-Amsterdam. 

You could of course dress your dog as a guide dog, pretend to be blind, and take Eurostar.  I'm only half joking as the Eurostar journey would be so simple compared to some of the other options, though I must admit I haven't heard from anyone who has tried it.  Difficult to be convincing if your dog is a Yorkshire Terrier (unless he's a really good actor).  Realistically, here are the options for crossing the Channel with your dog or other pet:

small bullet point  Option 1, by ferry Harwich-Hoek van Holland

small bullet point  Option 2, by ferry Newhaven-Dieppe

small bullet point  Option 3, Pet Travel Abroad taxi service Folkestone-Calais

small bullet point  Option 4, by ferry from Hull or Newcastle

  The dog-freindly train *& efrry route to Europe:  The Stena Line ferry from Harwich to Hoek van Holland

London to Holland by Stena Line Rail & Sail.  A train takes you from London Liverpool Street station directly to the ferry terminal at Harwich, with your dog at your side.  You walk off the train into the terminal, walk through a painless security check, get your boarding card & cabin key and walk straight onto the overnight ferry to Hoek van Holland, settling your dog into the on-board kennels or they can stay with you in a pet-friendly cabin.

  Captain's class cabin on the 'Stena Hollandica'

Cosy cabins:  The overnight Harwich-Hoek ferry is a floating hotel.  All passengers travel in a cosy private cabin with en suite shower & toilet and satellite TV.  This is a Captain's class cabin with double bed and complimentary minibar.  From 2022, some 2- & 4-berth cabins are designated pet-friendly.

Secure door to the kennels on the ferry

Clean & secure kennel. On the ferry, Kennels A & B are located on Red Stairs on 8 Deck, just below the main passenger deck (9 Deck) & cabin decks (10 & 11).  The door has a 4-digit security code lock so only pet owners can enter.

Kennel on the Stena Line ferry Harwich to Hoek van Holland

Inside the kennel.  The kennels have large and small cages and a washbasin.  Cats & dogs are not allowed in cabins or passenger areas, but it's only for one night and you can access the kennels at any time during the crossing.

Channel 6 on your cabin TV views the kennels

Pets on TV.  All cabins have satellite TV.  Channel 6 cycles through wide and close-up shots of all the kennel cages, so you can see that your pet is OK.

  Dogs by train! An ICE train from the Netherlands to Germany at Frankfurt hauptbahnhof

Onwards to Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Austria or wherever by high-speed train:  At Hoek van Holland, you collect your dog from the kennels and walk off the ship, through passport control and straight onto the station for the frequent metro train to Schiedam & Rotterdam.  Get off the metro at Schiedam Centrum and take an intercity train to Amsterdam, or get off at Rotterdam Alexander and take an Intercity train to Utrecht. Trains run from Amsterdam to Berlin and from Amsterdam via Utrecht to Cologne & Frankfurt.  This is a superb German ICE train at Frankfurt am Main Hauptbahnhof...

Option 1, London to Holland with Stena Line

I highly recommend this option for both comfort and simplicity for travel with your dog between the UK and the Continent. It's an ideal route for the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Poland, Czechia, Scandinavia and so on.  It's a round-about route to France, Spain, Switzerland & Italy, but because it's so dog-friendly & inexpensive with really easy integrated train-to-ferry and ferry-to-train connections on either side of the Channel, it's a surprisingly good option even for that.  It may also avoid the need for an overnight stay in Paris because after an overnight sailing to Hoek in a cosy pet-friendly cabin you can catch a morning high-speed train to Paris in time for an afternoon TGV to Barcelona, Switzerland or Milan.

What is Stena Line Rail & Sail?

Stena Line Rail & Sail is an integrated train & ferry service between London & the Netherlands run jointly by Greater Anglia & Stena Line.  One ticket bought at www.stenaline.co.uk covers the whole journey from London or any East Anglia rail station to Hoek van Holland.  It works in both directions, of course, but I'll describe the outward journey from the UK here.

You take the 19:36 train from London Liverpool Street station to Harwich and your dog travels with you on the train.  At Harwich, the train arrives alongside the ferry terminal around 20:59.  It's totally painless:  You walk straight off the train into the ferry terminal, through passport control (where your dog or cat's pet passport will be checked too) and onto the luxurious Stena Line superferry to Hoek van Holland.

You enter the ship via the passenger gangway onto Deck 7.

If you've booked a pet-friendly cabin, take your dog or cat by lift or stairs up to deck 10, where all the pet-friendly cabins are.  All cabins have a shower, toilet, free WiFi and satellite TV.  Your pet stays with you in the cabin, they are not allowed on the rest of the ship.  If your pet needs a pee or poo, go down the Red Stairs to Deck 7 and press the white button to open a door to a small outside deck area where they can get some air, have a little exercise and do their business.  Inevitably, we refer to this as the poop deck.

If you've booked a kennel, you take your dog up two decks by lift or stairs to the Guest Services desk on Deck 9, which is the main passenger deck with all the bars, lounges & restaurants.  The Guest Services staff will give you a kennel number in either Kennel A or Kennel B, and give you the 4-digit code to access the kennels.  You then go down one deck on Red Stairs to the kennels on Deck 8.  The kennels have a sink with running water, and they provide blankets for dogs to sleep on, but you should take your own pet's water bowl, food bowl and perhaps their favourite toy.  If your pet needs a pee or poo, go down one deck on the same Red Stairs to Deck 7 and press the white button to open a door to a small outside deck area where they can get some air, have a little exercise and do their business.

After settling your pet into their kennel you can settle in to your own private en suite cabin on Deck 10 or 11 and perhaps have a late dinner in the ship's restaurant or a nightcap in the bar on Deck 9.  All cabins have a shower, toilet, free WiFi and satellite TV.  Channel 6 on the TV shows CCTV pictures of the kennels, with close-ups of individual cages.  You can visit your dog at any time during the crossing, although pets are not allowed in the public areas, other than to reach the Customer Services desk on embarkation, or to reach a pet-friendly cabin.

The ferry sails at 23:00 every day and arrives at Hoek van Holland at 08:00 next morning, Dutch time.

You now collect your dog from the kennels, if they need a pee you can take them to that small outside deck area on Deck 7.  You then walk off the ferry into the terminal and out onto the adjacent railway station for the frequent metro train to Schiedam & Rotterdam.  Dogs travel for free on the RET metro trains.  You can use any contactless bank card to travel, just touch in and out at the start and end of the metro journey.

Get off the metro in Schiedam Centrum for a frequent NS (Dutch Railways) InterCity train to Amsterdam, arriving Amsterdam Centraal around 10:25.  In the reverse direction, you'd leave Amsterdam Centraal around 18:46, the ferry sails from Hoek around 22:00 arriving Harwich at 06:30, you reach central London around 08:50.

Or continue to Eendrachtsplein station in Rotterdam city centre, from where it's then an 800m 10-minute walk to Rotterdam Centraal.  Or continue to Rotterdam Alexander for NS trains to Utrecht, Groningen and so on.

You'll find full details, photos & a video guide on the Stena Line Rail & Sail page.

Onward trains to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Eastern Europe etc...

Direct daytime trains link Amsterdam with Germany and Switzerland - in many cases these go via Utrecht, and changing at Utrecht saves going all the way into Amsterdam.  Regular daytime trains link Rotterdam with Brussels and Paris.  All of these trains take dogs, sometimes free, sometimes for a fee, sometimes with a child rate ticket.

Or take the Nightjet sleeper from Amsterdam to Basel, Zurich (change for Italy), Munich, Innsbruck or Vienna (change for Bratislava, Budapest, Zagreb).  Dogs are carried on Nightjets for €29 paid on board the train, as long as you and your party occupy a whole compartment.

You'll find specific timetables for journeys between London and each of the following countries here:  Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Hungary, Czech Republic & Poland.

Onward trains to Paris (for France, Switzerland, Spain, Italy)

Take the metro from Hoek van Holland to Eendrachtsplein station in Rotterdam city centre, dogs go free of charge on the metro.  It's then an 800m 10-minute walk to Rotterdam Centraal.

Then take a Eurostar (formerly Thalys) high-speed train from Rotterdam Centraal to Paris Gare du Nord, you'll usually find a 10:58 arriving 13:38.  Dogs can travel in any class on Eurostar (formerly Thalys) trains for €30, you pay the dog fee on board to the conductor.  Book your own ticket from Rotterdam to Paris from €35 online in advance at www.sncf-connect.com (don't bother trying to add a dog to the booking, this doesn't work with Eurostar (formerly Thalys).

How much does it cost?

You'll find specific fare & booking information for journeys between London and each of the following countries by clicking the relevant link:  Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Hungary, Czech Republic & Poland.

...and to take a dog or cat? 

On the train from London to Harwich your dog travels free.  On the ferry, you must reserve a kennel (£23) or pet-friendly cabin during the online booking process.  On the Dutch domestic trains between Hoek van Holland, Rotterdam & Amsterdam or Utrecht, small dogs or cats in containers on your lap travel free of charge, but if you have a larger dog you'll need to buy a dog day-ticket (Dagkaart Hond) for €3.30, you may be able to buy this at the Guest Services desk on deck 9 on board the Stena Line ferry, otherwise buy it at Schiedam station.  On the international daytime trains from Amsterdam or Utrecht to Germany and Switzerland, cats and small dogs (up to cat sized) in containers go free, larger dogs on leads require a child rate ticket which you can buy online exactly as you would for a child, although unlike kids they don't qualify for the free kid with an adult deal.

How to buy tickets for you & your dog, step 1:

Book your Rail & Sail ticket from London to Amsterdam online at www.stenaline.co.uk.  You simply need to choose a pet-friendly (animal) cabin at the cabin stage plus the 'pet in cabin' option at the extras stage, or just add a pet in kennel at the extras stage.

How to buy tickets, step 2:

You now need to book the onward trains to your European destination.  Booking usually opens 90 days ahead, you cannot book before reservations open.  Trains from Amsterdam to Cologne, Frankfurt and Switzerland pass through Utrecht so it's quicker to pick them up there rather than going all the way into Amsterdam, unless you really want to.  For daytime travel from Amsterdam or Utrecht to Germany or Switzerland, book your own ticket at int.bahn.de.  Small (cat-size) dogs & cats in containers go free, if you have a larger larger dog it travels at the child rate (either full-fare Flexpreis or discounted Sparpreis, it doesn't matter) so simply use int.bahn.de again to buy a child ticket, I recommend buying this as a separate booking to avoid the system automatically offering the 'Child under 15 accompanied by an adult goes free' offer which doesn't apply to dogs!  There are Nightjet sleeper train from Cologne to Innsbruck (for Italy) & Vienna (for all points east) and you can easily book these online at int.bahn.de.  Onward connections from Innsbruck to Italy or Vienna to Budapest can be booked at www.oebb.at.

Inward one-way tickets:  Note that www.stenaline.co.uk can only book one-way or return tickets starting in the UK.  One-way or return tickets starting in the Netherlands must be booked at the Dutch version of the Stena Line website, see the advice here.

Harwich-Hoek with a pet, in pictures

The dog-freindly train *& ferry route to Europe:  The Stena Line ferry from Harwich to Hoek van Holland

London to Holland by Stena Line Rail & Sail.  A train takes you from London's Liverpool Street station directly to the ferry terminal at Harwich, with your dog at your side.  You walk off the train into the terminal, walk through a painless security check, get your boarding card & cabin key and walk straight onto the overnight ferry to Hoek van Holland, settling your dog into the on-board kennels or (if you've booked a pet-friendly cabin) they can stay with you.

Captain's class cabin on the 'Stena Hollandica'

Cosy cabins:  The overnight Harwich-Hoek ferry is a floating hotel.  All passengers travel in a cosy private cabin with en suite shower & toilet and satellite TV.  This is a Captain's class cabin with double bed and complimentary minibar.

Secure door to the kennels on the ferry

Clean & secure kennel. On the ferry, kennels are located on Red Stairs on 8 Deck, one deck above the deck where you enter the ship (deck 7), just below the main passenger deck (deck 9) & cabin decks (10 & 11).  The door has a 4-digit security code lock so only pet owners can enter.

Kennel on the Stena Line ferry Harwich to Hoek van Holland

Inside the kennel.  The kennels have large and small cages and a washbasin.  Cats & dogs are not allowed in cabins or passenger areas, but it's only for one night and you can access the kennels at any time during the crossing.

Channel 6 on your cabin TV views the kennels

Pets on TV.  All cabins have satellite TV.  Channel 6 cycles through wide and close-up shots of all the kennel cages, so you can see that your pet is OK.

Dogs by train! An ICE train from the Netherlands to Germany at Frankfurt hauptbahnhof

Onwards to Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Austria or wherever by high-speed train:  At Hoek van Holland, you collect your dog from the kennels and walk off the ship, through passport control and straight onto the station for the frequent metro train to Schiedam & Rotterdam.  Get off the metro at Schiedam Centrum and take an intercity train to Amsterdam, or get off at Rotterdam Alexander and take an Intercity train to Utrecht.  Trains run from Amsterdam to Berlin and Amsterdam & Utrecht to Cologne & Frankfurt.  This is a superb German ICE train at Frankfurt (Main) Hbf.

Option 2, London to Paris via the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry

See the London/Brighton-Newhaven-Dieppe-Paris timetable on the London-Paris by train & ferry page.  This is the cheapest option if you're heading for France or Spain.

Step 1, take a train to Newhaven Town, see www.nationalrail.co.uk for train times.

Up to 2 dogs of any size go free of charge on British trains, just buy a ticket for yourself.

Step 2, take a DFDS ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe, check ferry times at www.dfds.com.

DFDS allows you to take a cat or dog with you as a foot passenger on these routes.

Only small and medium size dogs are carried, according to DFDS customer services.  That means I'd expect them to have no problem with springer spaniels, but they won't carry great Danes or St Bernards.  You'll have to call them to check whether your labrador will fit their kennels.

If the animal is small and in a carrier, the pet & carrier are handed to staff at check-in and returned to you after the crossing.  Larger dogs have to be booked in one of the ship's 3 kennels, although you can visit the pet in the middle of the crossing by taking an appointment at the reception desk.

To book as a foot passenger with a pet you must call DFDS on 033 058 787 87 if you're in the UK or 0809 541 890 if you're in France or +44 33 058 787 87 from outside either country.  You cannot book online if you're taking a pet!

Step 3, take a French train from Dieppe to Paris St Lazare, book this at www.sncf-connect.com

Dogs can be taken on all French trains.  Small dogs (under 6Kg) placed in containers not exceeding 45cm x 30cm x 25cm pay no more than €5.10 per journey.  Larger dogs muzzled and on leads pay half the 2nd class full fare (even travelling in 1st class).

You can buy a ticket in English at the official French Railways website www.sncf-connect.com (for English scroll to the bottom and change France to Europe (other countries).  You add a dog to the booking by clicking the Add button (English version) or Ajouter (French version) before running the enquiry.

Once in Paris, you can take onward trains to Spain, Portugal or the South of France, as shown in step 3 below.

Option 3, London to Paris by train + taxi with Pet Travel Abroad.

For France, Spain or Portugal you really need to go via Paris.  As Eurostar won't take pets and most Channel Ferries won't let foot passengers take pets either, here is a solution which works well, although it's not cheap:

Step 1, travel from London to Folkestone by train.

You can use any normal British domestic train, dogs go free.  There are hourly or half hourly trains from London Charing Cross, Waterloo East or St Pancras to Folkestone Central, check train times & fares at www.nationalrail.co.uk.

Step 2, book a taxi from Folkestone to Calais via the Eurotunnel shuttle with Pet Travel Abroad.

Book your trip by calling Pet Travel Abroad (part of Folkestone Taxis) on 01303 246 925 (+00 44 1303 246925 from outside the UK), see their pet transport page at pettravelabroad.co.uk.

They can take you and your dog and up to 3 other passengers from Folkestone Central station to Calais Ville or Calais Fréthun stations for around £190 plus the cost of the Eurotunnel ticket, typically £164, but this can vary.

You and your dog remain together in the taxi throughout the journey via the Channel Tunnel car shuttle train.  Pet Travel Abroad (part of Folkestone Taxis) has been highly recommended by several travellers, further feedback is always appreciated.

Of course, a cheaper solution is to get a friend to drive you to Calais and drop you at the station, using a cheap day return ferry ticket - try www.dfds.com or www.poferries.com.  The dog remains inside the car on the ferry car deck.

Step 3, take a French domestic train from Calais Ville or Calais Fréthun to Paris.

To check train times use www.sncf-connect.com, this lets you add a dog to the booking.  On French trains, small dogs under 6 Kg placed in containers not exceeding 45cm x 30cm x 25cm pay no more than €5.10 per journey.  Larger dogs muzzled and on leads pay half the 2nd class full fare, even travelling in 1st class.  For onward train travel with your dog to Spain, Italy, Portugal and so on, see the following section.

How to plan your trip.

The French trains from Calais to Paris are irregular and less frequent than the British ones, so start by picking a suitable afternoon train from Calais to Paris and work backwards.  Ask Folkestone Taxis what time you need to leave Folkestone Central in their taxi to make this train.  Then work out a train from London (or your local station) to Folkestone Central with plenty of time in hand.

You can buy a ticket in English at the official French Railways website www.sncf-connect.com (for English scroll to the bottom and change France to Europe (other countries).  You add a dog to the booking by clicking the Add button (English version) or Ajouter (French version) before running the enquiry.

This blog may inspire you: Argo, the dog who took the train to Italy.

Option 4, Hull-Rotterdam or Newcastle-Amsterdam by ferry

You can take a dog as a foot passenger on P&O Ferries Hull-Rotterdam route, with pet-friendly cabins & kennels.  Book online and add a pet plus pet-friendly cabin or kennel at www.poferries.com More about the Hull-Rotterdam ferry route.

You can also take a dog as a foot passenger with pet-friendly cabins on DFDS overnight Newcastle-Amsterdam ferry.  However, you can't book online as a foot passenger with a pet, you need to book by phone, so check sailing times at www.dfds.com then call DFDS on 0871 522 9955.  More about the Newcastle to Amsterdam ferry route.

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Step 3, taking pets on trains in mainland Europe

Once safely across the Channel, you can take a dog or cat with you on most trains across Europe, sometimes free, sometimes for a small charge, sometimes with a normal child-rate ticket.  In sleeping-cars and couchettes on overnight trains, you can generally only take a dog if your party occupies all the berths in a compartment.

small bullet point  France

small bullet point  Netherlands

small bullet point  Switzerland

small bullet point  Italy

small bullet point  Spain

small bullet point  Portugal

small bullet point  Germany

small bullet point  Austria, Scandinavia, central & eastern Europe

small bullet point  Denmark, Sweden, Norway

small bullet point  Greece

To France

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To the Netherlands

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To Switzerland

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To Italy

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To Spain

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To Portugal

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To Germany

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To Austria, central & eastern Europe

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To Denmark, Sweden, Norway

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To Greece

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For more information

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Feedback requested!

Feedback from anyone who takes their dog or cat into Europe by train would be very welcome.

Traveller's reports

Dog owner Wendy Shillam reports:  "We've been taking our dog abroad since the rules changed 9 years ago.  Firstly I agree that its mad that Eurostar doesn't allow dogs, especially as it would be a good earner for them and they need the money!  I wrote to the COE but got no reply.  The most comfortable and quickest way for dogs to cross the channel (though not always the cheapest) is by car with Eurotunnel.  They just stay in the car with you and there is no bother.  Once, we then left our car at the Calais 'parkway' station, but on returning we saw that quite a few cars - not ours thank goodness - had been broken into.  It is a very desolate spot and no security as far as I can see.  But it is free parking.  Once across the channel be careful which train you get from Calais - some especially on Sundays are really slow.  We also have taken the motorail train from Düsseldorf, it's not too far and then you can get a car-carrying overnight train from Düsseldorf to Italy, the south of France or Austria.  Dogs are accepted on these German motorail trains in the sleeper cabins and we have never had a problem. Our dog Astrid, a nine year old Mini Schnauzer, has lasted 17 hours on a train with no ill effects - overnight she just settles down to sleep, generally taking up most of my bunk!  The steward will tell you if there are longer stops which allows you to give your dog a 'comfort' walk.  The irony is that if we could travel on Eurostar we would never dream of taking our car with us at all!  On Spanish trains dogs should be muzzled - the guard did let us get away with it, but if Astrid had been a bigger dog there might have been trouble.  Also beware if you plan to travel with your dog by bus in Spain.  They insist that the dog goes in a casket (which you have to bring) in the hold underneath the seats, which I suspect on a hot day is tantamount to animal cruelty!  Astrid has been most comfortable and spoilt in France, Italy, Belgium and Sweden.  Also remember that if you are going to the South dogs need to be protected against a nasty bug called lishmania which can cause a chronic disease with no cure - but drugs can control it.  So always check with a  vet who knows about foreign travel well before you go."


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