Best Dog-Friendly Hotels in Milan

Before you go

What happens when you get there

Metro, trams and buses

ATM runs all of them. The dog travels on a lead and in a muzzle, and a dog that isn't small enough for a carrier needs its own ticket. Missori on the M3 is on the square outside Dei Cavalieri, and Duomo station is one stop on. The muzzle rule is enforced more than visitors expect, so have it on before the barriers.

Trenord and the Malpensa Express

Trenord takes a muzzled dog on a lead, with its registration certificate, or a small pet in a carrier no bigger than 70 x 30 x 50 cm, free within Lombardy. Dogs of either kind aren't carried on weekdays from 7 to 9.30 and from 17.30 to 19.30. That rule covers the Malpensa Express, so a weekday morning flight means a taxi to the airport or an earlier train. Keep a hand on your bags on the trains. A friend's bag was stolen on ours.

The sights

Sforza Castle admits dogs in the courtyards and outdoor areas only, not the museums. The Last Supper at Santa Maria delle Grazie is a plain no, guide dogs and certified therapy animals aside. The Duomo publishes no pet rule and is a working cathedral, so plan on one of you waiting outside. The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is a covered public street and the dog walks through it with you.

Parks

Parco Sempione behind the Castle is the big one, ten minutes from the hotel, with fenced off-lead areas. The Giardini Pubblici Indro Montanelli off Corso Venezia is eight minutes the other way. Further out, the Idroscalo by Linate takes dogs of any size on a lead, has signed off-lead areas, and is the one place near the city where a dog is allowed to swim, in the marked dog area only. No dogs in the children's playgrounds there. The Giardini Pubblici also have the Mobility Dog Park, an agility course with tunnels, see-saws, hoops and a slalom on the Via Manin side, and Largo Marinai d'Italia east of the centre has a fenced dog area. The city's signed aree cani are the off-lead spots, so assume the lead stays on everywhere else.

Restaurants and cafés

Terraces are the norm and a dog under the table is ordinary. Indoors is at the owner's discretion, and most Milanese bars and trattorias say yes to a calm dog. A sign on the door is the signal either way. The rooftop bar at Dei Cavalieri is the one to confirm at check-in. Hotel dining rooms are the exception. Park Hyatt keeps dogs out of every restaurant and bar, and most other hotels don't publish a rule.

Fees, weight limits and two dogs

Free at Armani, Bvlgari, the Four Seasons, Grand Hotel et de Milan, Magna Pars, Mandarin Oriental, Palazzo Parigi, Senato and The Unique. EUR 25 a night at Dei Cavalieri, EUR 30 a stay at Palazzo Segreti, EUR 35 a night at NH Collection CityLife and Principe di Savoia, EUR 50 a stay at Portrait, EUR 80 a stay at Viu and EUR 100 plus VAT a night at Park Hyatt. Most caps sit between 5 and 10 kg, Portrait takes 20 kg and NH Collection CityLife 25 kg. NH Collection CityLife and Principe di Savoia take two dogs, and at Principe di Savoia it's two of up to 7 kg.

Getting there

Malpensa is the main airport, about 50 km out, with the Malpensa Express into Cadorna and Centrale. Linate is the city airport and the M4 metro runs into the centre. Flying from Britain, the return leg is the problem: the UK doesn't take pets in the cabin on arrival and the main UK and Irish carriers don't carry them in the cabin at all, so most people arrive by a carrier that does, or overland. The flights app has the detail by route.

Vets

Clinica Veterinaria Gran Sasso, Via Donatello 26, is open 24 hours with an emergency department, phone 02 2663095. AniCura Clinica Veterinaria Tibaldi, Via Pezzotti 2, runs 24 hours too, phone 02 58106826. AniCura San Siro on Via Gallarate 203 keeps a 24-hour emergency service on the west side.

Best walks

Parco Sempione from the Castle courtyards out to the Arco della Pace, then back through Brera's streets. The Navigli towpaths from Porta Genova along the Naviglio Grande, best early before the bars fill. The Giardini Pubblici Indro Montanelli for a shorter loop near Corso Venezia. The Idroscalo, out by Linate on the M4, for a proper long walk round the water and the only dog swimming near the city.

When to go

April to June and September to October. July and August are hot and humid, the streets hold the heat, and much of the city shuts for the middle of August. November to February brings fog and cold, which most dogs handle better than the summer. Milan Design Week in April and the fashion weeks in late February and late September fill the hotels and push prices up, so book early or go the week after.