The Burrow
Jul 11, 2024
Dogs are man’s best friend, so it’s no surprise that we want to bring them along with us on day trips, outings and holidays. Of course, animals can’t just go anywhere. That’s why dog-friendly venues and destinations are a big win for dog owners.
So which cities are the most dog-friendly?
As experts in keeping pets cared for with pet insurance, we crunched the numbers on 65 cities across 22 different countries in Europe, North America and Oceania. We wanted to find the best places for you and your canine companion to get out and explore, bonding and travelling together.
To uncover the most dog-friendly travel destinations, we looked at the number of dedicated dog parks, vets, pet friendly hotels, cafes and restaurants per capita, and the average number of rainy days in each city.
The results? American cities dominated the top of the list as the best dog-friendly destinations. Read on to learn what makes them such pooch-perfect destinations.
Taking out the top spot is San Francisco, scoring 8.56/10. San Francisco scored well in almost all areas, with especially high scores for the number of pet-friendly cafes and restaurants (46.39 per 100,000 people), the average number of rainy days per year (42), the number of vets per capita (22.76 per 100,000) and number of dog parks per capita (6.06 per 100,000). It’s clear San Francisco is a very dog-friendly location and can be a great destination for puppy parents.
Austin took out second place with a score of 8.37/10. Austin scored well in numerous areas, especially in the number of pet friendly hotels and cafes/restaurants per capita (90.10 and 52.65 per 100,000 respectively) – both of which were the second highest out of all cities on the list. Austin had a higher number of rainy days (72 on average) and number of vets per capita (20.42 per 100,000), but a lower number of dog parks (1.54 per 100,000).
Rounding out the American sweepstake of the podium was a tie between the USA’s capital, Washington, D.C. and San Diego, which both scored 8.03/10 overall. Washington had the highest number of pet friendly eateries out of all 65 destinations (53.14 per 100,000). The US capital also had the seventh-highest number of vets per capita (23.97 per 100,000), and a high number of dog friendly hotels (35.58 per 100,000). The city had a fair number of dog parks in comparison to most cities (2.38 per 100,000 people), but a higher average number of rainy days than Austin and San Fran (88 per year).
San Diego had very high scores for pet friendly hotels (58.87 per 100,000), pet friendly eateries (50.76 per 100,000), and the third lowest number of rainy days on average (28 days a year). San Diego has a somewhat average number of vets per capita (15.42 per 100,000) and dog parks (1.23 per 100,000).
Why did America dominate the rankings? Many American cities performed well due to high scores in several categories, but especially in the number of pet friendly hotels and cafes and restaurants. A large number of European cities also had a high proportion of pet-friendly hotels, but not as many dog-friendly restaurants and cafes.
Australia and Canada had the highest number of dog parks, while European cities performed poorly in this regard. Ottawa had the highest number of dog parks (17.49 per capita), with Melbourne close behind (15.79 per capita). As for other Australian capital cities, Perth had the fifth highest concentration of dog parks (10.73 per capita), Sydney was ranked ninth (7.53 per capita), and Brisbane followed behind in 10th place (7.24 per capita). It’s worth noting that this statistic focuses on off-leash area parks so dogs can run around. Many European cities have many great parks to take your dog on a walk, but not as many spots to let them off the lead.
The table below contains the data and results for the highest performing cities.
| City | Dog parks per capita* | Vets per capita | Pet friendly hotels per capita | Pet friendly cafes/restaurants per capita^ | Average number of rainy days per year | INDEX SCORE |
| San Francisco, USA | 6.06 | 22.76 | 24.12 | 46.39 | 42 | 8.56 |
| Austin, USA | 1.54 | 20.42 | 90.10 | 52.65 | 72 | 8.37 |
| Washington D.C., USA | 2.38 | 23.97 | 35.58 | 53.14 | 88 | 8.03 |
| San Diego, USA | 1.23 | 15.42 | 58.87 | 50.76 | 28 | 8.03 |
| Lisbon, Portugal | 0.59 | 39.43 | 36.85 | 8.12 | 60 | 7.84 |
| Boston, USA | 1.38 | 27.35 | 23.36 | 22.13 | 88 | 7.47 |
| San Antonio, USA | 1.29 | 13.10 | 37.88 | 24.10 | 76 | 7.28 |
| Florence, Italy | 1.57 | 17.53 | 144.93 | 2.35 | 84 | 7.19 |
| Phoenix, USA | 0.79 | 12.53 | 40.39 | 21.11 | 24 | 7.18 |
| Nice, France | 1.17 | 21.02 | 77.08 | 0.88 | 80 | 7.09 |
* Includes parks with dedicated, fenced-off dog off-leash areas, parks with open off-leash areas, and parks with dedicated times where dogs may be taken off-leash. Note that this does not include regular parks where dogs may attend while kept on the leash.
^ This includes restaurants and cafes where dogs may join their owners at outside tables, but not inside. Note that this is not an exhaustive list and there may be other venues that are dog friendly but were not included in this data source.
The full list of all 65 cities can be viewed here.
For Australian dog owners planning on bring their furry friends along for a getaway, it’s worth checking whether your pet insurance policy covers your pet when travelling out of town. Compare the Market’s Executive General Manager of General Insurance, Adrian Taylor, notes that it’s something some providers and policies cover, but not all.
“It can be great to bring your pet dog with you on an adventure, but it’s important to check the details of your policy document – called a Product Disclosure Statement – to see whether you are covered when taking your dog on holiday,” Mr Taylor said.
“Many policies will cover pets if they travel anywhere in Australia – but not necessarily all of them. Some policies will cover your pet if you take them overseas on holiday as well, depending on the type and level of cover that you have, though this may cost extra.
“Having pet insurance is a great source of peace of mind when taking your dog on holiday to a new destination, so you can be covered for accidents, injuries and illnesses – in accordance with the wording and coverage of your policy.”
Compare the Market’s Executive General Manager of General Insurance, Adrian Taylor, said travel insurance should be a key consideration when planning a destination wedding.
“Planning a wedding can be incredibly stressful – even more so when you are flying halfway around the world to do it,” Taylor said.
“With all the planning and stress that comes with arranging such an event, it is no wonder that travel insurance can sometimes be an afterthought – which could be a saviour in the event something goes wrong.
“For an event as important, expensive and meaningful as weddings, it really pays to have peace of mind by having a level of cover for your transport and important baggage – including the dress and wedding rings.”
If you are considering travel insurance for an overseas wedding, why not try our free, online tool to compare some of your options and help you hunt for a policy that is right for you.
Remember to always read the product disclosure statement to help you understand the limits, exclusions or restrictions of any given policy.
To rank these 65 cities, we gathered five data points for each one. For each of these data points, the cities received a score between 0 and 10 based on how they compared to each other, with 0 being the ‘worst’ performer and 10 being the ‘best’. These five scores between 0 and 10 were then averaged together to create an index score for each city. The metrics were scored in the following ways:
Population figures to calculate per capita numbers were sourced from Data Commons.
Sources for dog parks, in alphabetical order: