We're planning on going to France again this year for holiday, constrained to going in school holidays. Last year we went to Brittany but it was a nightmare finding a beach which was suitable for sandcastle building and allowed dogs. Can anyone recommend an area to go to? We are happy to go in land and I think I read somewhere that dogs weren't allowed in some French national parks, is that true? Anyone able to advise on both beach areas and national parks. Thanks.
Jura is way cool. Think a French Dales. Commune sites are basic but cheap as you know. Over to the Alsace side people are very friendly. If you are a carnivore the food is superb. In Colmar the restaurant on the barge is highly recommended for lunch. Also there's a burger joint that does a €39 burger but it does weigh over 4 kilos. When the vans is on the road we are going back for defo.
I think there is an open invite for anyone to go and stay with them in France, drink their beer and wine, make small talk, get him to drive you around as a tour guide, get fed, and generally follow him around all day everyday as he loves the close quarters living - kind of a commune thing if you like. That's what I heard anyway.
You can definitely take dogs on the beach at St Vaast la Houge near Cherbourg. In fact, you could make a dog egg sandcastle the size of your house if you wished such was the quanities available.
We go to Brittany regularly, with our old doggy named Bhubesi, but we have found that sadly, dog friendly beaches are a bit few and far between. Tony
Pet passport so your pet is chipped and all vaccinations up to date. They then have to be checked by a vet within 24 hrs of return to Uk and checked on arrival in Uk. At least that’s what we had to do bringing our cats back from Spain to the UK.
This is not correct, there is no requirement to visit the vet to export to the continent, the animal must be 'wormed' before you return to the UK. ( Which is complete unmitigated BS, just the Brits. having the last word when the EU forced the UK to accept the passport scheme). Tony
Ours had never been in the UK, they were Spanish cats. We got them when we lived in Spain and bought them back with us when we moved back to the UK.
We take our dogs over most years. We generally take the lead from the locals (who take no notice whatsoever of the signs) We quite often visit the Cote Savage (SW) where there is plentiful forest and beach that is dog friendly although it isn't quite as scenic as some beaches. Last year we spent a bit of time along the coast between Landeda (NW Brittany) and Roscoff and found plenty of beaches to go on. We went in late June but the dog bans have usually started by then. We have only ever been asked to move further along the beach once before in many years of holidays, and we are respectful of other beach users by keeping the dogs on leads and cleaning up after them (which is more than the french do) so I don't stress too much about the signage. Don't send me the bill if you get busted though
BTW the last I heard, the penalty for getting busted with a dog on a restricted beach in Brittany was 11 euros .
Sorry not quite right, there IS a requirement for the animal to be seen by a vet at some point before travel into mainland Europe (doesn't have to be 24h before) BUT they need a rabies vaccine before they can travel either to the continent OR come into the UK. The worming regulations state that a vet must administer a wormer before return to the UK - not EU BullS in my opinion as their are plenty of parasite spread diseases in mainland Europe that dogs & cats can bring into the UK which we are currently free of.
