Markets by theme
Taking the dog? Plenty of markets are happy to see it, usually on a short lead. These are the ones that say so in their own rules, with what your dog pays on the trams and trains, and how to get it across the Channel when Eurostar won’t.
15 markets say yes to dogsTrams and trains covered tooRules checked 2 Nov 2026
15 of the markets we cover say yes to dogs in their own rules, nearly always on a lead. The market itself is rarely the problem. What catches people out is the trip around it, from muzzles on the trams to weekend crowds and Eurostar, which won’t carry pet dogs to or from London.
Best Index score first. Open them on the map →
| Market | Dogs at the market | Trams, buses and local trains | Market open | Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Strasbourg All official Strasbourg markets | On a lead, but the city asks you to avoid weekends | TramsFree, on a short lead and muzzled. Buses take only small pets in a carrier | 27 Nov – 24 Dec | 9.1 |
 Regensburg Romantischer Weihnachtsmarkt auf Schloss Thurn und Taxis | Allowed on a lead, except fighting breeds | BusesFree, on a lead | 19 Nov – 23 Dec | 8.0 |
 Salzburg Salzburger Christkindlmarkt (Dom- & Residenzplatz) | On a lead and muzzled, a new rule from 1 Nov 2026 | BusesMuzzle and lead, and the dog pays the minimum fare. Small dogs in a carrier go free | 19 Nov – 6 Jan | 7.9 |
 | Dogs allowed | Trams, busesFree across North Rhine-Westphalia, on a short lead and off the seats | 19 Nov – 30 Dec | 7.8 |
 Gdańsk Jarmark Bożonarodzeniowy | Welcome if your dog copes with crowds | Trams, busesFree, on a lead and muzzled, with its vaccination certificate | 20 Nov – 23 Dec | 7.8 |
 Lübeck Lübeck's Christmas markets | Dogs are allowed on a lead, says the official Christmas FAQ. | 23 Nov – 30 Dec | 7.8 | |
 | Welcome on a short lead, best on weekdays | BusesFree in a basket up to 30 cm, otherwise a reduced-rate ticket | 20 Nov – 24 Dec | 7.5 |
 Reims Marché de Noël des Hautes Promenades | Allowed on a lead | Regional trainsTER Grand Est charges half fare for a dog, capped at €7 | 25 Nov – 27 Dec | 7.2 |
| Welcome on a lead, fondue chalet included | Trams, busesFree in a carrier up to 30 cm, otherwise a reduced fare or the CHF 25 dog day pass | 19 Nov – 24 Dec | 7.1 |
 Paris Marché de Noël de La Défense (just outside the city limits) | Allowed on a lead | Metro, RERFree. Bigger dogs on a lead and muzzled, and not on buses or trams | 12 Nov – 4 Jan | 6.9 |
 Winchester Winchester Cathedral Christmas Market, weekdays best | Dogs are allowed, but it's a squeeze at weekends, so a quieter weekday is the time to bring one. | 20 Nov – 22 Dec | 6.9 | |
 Maastricht Magisch Maastricht Vrijthof | Dogs are welcome on a lead at all times, though not in the attractions, and weekends get busy and loud. | 27 Nov – 27 Dec | 6.7 | |
 Leeds Both sites, but not the rink pavilion | Dogs on leads are welcome at City Square and on the Ice Cube site, though not in the rink pavilion. | 19 Nov – 31 Dec | 6.6 | |
 Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market | The organiser allows dogs on a lead at all times, but says busy Friday and Saturday evenings may not suit them. | 5 Nov – 24 Dec | 6.1 | |
 Glasgow St Enoch Square and Glasgow Green | The organiser says dogs are allowed on a lead at both sites. | 6 Nov – 3 Jan | 5.2 |
These aren’t the highest scorers overall. They’re the markets where the rules make a dog easy, at the market and on the way there.
Switzerland · Bellevue Noël
Zurich is the easiest of the nine with a dog. Dogs on a lead are welcome across the whole of Bellevue Noël, fondue chalet included, and the trams take small dogs for free in a carrier up to 30 cm. Bigger dogs need a reduced fare or the CHF 25 dog day pass.
Germany · Roncalli's Weihnachtspromenade
Düsseldorf’s official FAQ says dogs are allowed on the market, and getting around costs your dog nothing. Dogs ride free on trams and buses across North Rhine-Westphalia, as long as they’re on a short lead and off the seats.
Switzerland · Montreux Noël
Montreux welcomes dogs on a short lead, and the organisers themselves suggest coming on a weekday to dodge the crowds. Small dogs in a basket up to 30 cm ride the buses for free.
Most markets just want a lead. These are the exceptions worth knowing before you book anything.
No dogs
The WeihnachtsZauber doesn’t let dogs in, apart from assistance dogs.
Big event days
Dogs are fine on a lead at the markets, but the city suggests leaving them at home for the big events.
Not allowed
No pet dogs on any train to or from London, only guide and assistance dogs. LeShuttle is the easy way across.
The Channel is the bit that catches people out. Eurostar doesn’t take pet dogs on any train to or from London, only guide and assistance dogs, so unless you’re driving you’ll need a plan B. The easy one is LeShuttle, where your dog stays in the car with you for the 35-minute crossing and costs £24 each way, as long as you check in at Pet Reception and arrive 90 minutes before you leave.
Foot passengers have fewer options. DFDS doesn’t take foot passengers at all on its Dover routes, but it will take you and your dog on Newhaven to Dieppe and Newcastle to Amsterdam if you book a kennel or a pet-friendly cabin, and P&O’s Hull to Rotterdam crossing is approved for pets travelling with foot passengers too.
Whichever way you cross, your dog needs a microchip, a rabies jab at least 21 days before you travel and an animal health certificate from your vet for each trip. Pet passports don’t work for dogs living in Great Britain, even one issued in the EU, and on the way home your dog needs a tapeworm treatment one to five days before you cross back.
Once you’re on the continent, dogs get around far more easily than they do at home. Munich lets one dog ride free with any ticket, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Kraków, Gdańsk and Innsbruck carry dogs for nothing, and in Prague up to two dogs ride free on your own ticket inside the city. Elsewhere it’s pocket money, €1.60 for a dog’s ticket in Vienna and 500 Ft in Budapest.
The catch is the muzzle. Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Kraków, Gdańsk, Salzburg, Innsbruck and the Strasbourg trams all want one on any dog that isn’t in a carrier, and Budapest spells out that a halti doesn’t count. Get your dog used to wearing one before the trip, because a dog that won’t keep it on isn’t getting on the tram.
What a dog costs on the main rail operators near the markets, checked on 2 November 2026. Small dogs in a carrier usually go free.
| Operator | Small dog in a carrier | Bigger dog | Rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deutsche Bahn | Free if no bigger than a house cat | Half the fare, booked as a “Hund” traveller | Lead and muzzle, and no dogs in the restaurant car |
| ÖBB (Austria) | Free | 10% of the full fare, at least €2 | Muzzle and lead, and the dog sits on the floor |
| ÖBB Nightjet | No separate rule published | Only if you book the whole couchette or sleeper compartment | No dogs in Mini Cabins |
| SNCF TGV INOUI | €10, in a bag up to 45 x 30 x 25 cm | €10, at your feet | Muzzled for the whole journey |
| SNCF OUIGO | €10 | €10, one pet per adult ticket | Muzzle on from the moment you enter the station |
| TER Grand Est (Strasbourg, Colmar, Reims) | Half fare, capped at €7 | Half fare, capped at €7 | Varies by region |
| SBB (Switzerland) | Free up to 30 cm at the shoulder, in a bag under the seat | Half-fare dog ticket, or a CHF 25 dog day pass | Big dogs lie under your seat |
| PKP Intercity (Poland) | Free | 11.90 zł flat | Lead, muzzle and rabies certificate |
| České dráhy (Czechia) | Free in a closed carrier | CZK 30 up to 150 km, CZK 50 beyond, 2nd class only | Muzzle and short lead |
| MÁV (Hungary) | Free | 500 Ft flat | Lead, muzzle and rabies certificate |
| SNCB (Belgium) | Free | €3 per journey | Muzzle recommended |
| Eurostar between Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Cologne | Free under 6 kg | €30 a journey, from the train manager | Lead and muzzle |
| Eurostar to and from London | Not allowed | Not allowed | Guide and assistance dogs only |
Not from London. Eurostar only takes guide and assistance dogs on its London trains, so most people take the dog through the Channel Tunnel by car on LeShuttle. Eurostar trains between Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Cologne do take dogs, free under 6 kg in a carrier or €30 a journey for a bigger dog on a lead and muzzled.
Few German markets publish a rule either way, so the city’s own rules apply, and they usually mean a lead. One big exception is the WeihnachtsZauber on Berlin’s Gendarmenmarkt, which doesn’t let dogs in apart from assistance dogs. Nuremberg wants dogs on a lead at its markets and suggests leaving them at home for big events.
At some markets and on most public transport, yes. Salzburg’s Christkindlmarkt asks for a lead and a muzzle from 1 November 2026, and Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Kraków, Gdańsk and Innsbruck want a muzzle on any dog riding the trams or buses outside a carrier. Deutsche Bahn, ÖBB and SNCF’s TGVs want one on the train too.
A microchip, a rabies vaccination at least 21 days before you travel and an animal health certificate from your vet. Your dog has to enter the EU within 10 days of the vet issuing the certificate, and it then covers travel around the EU and the trip home. Coming back, your dog needs a tapeworm treatment one to five days before you cross.
Weekday daytimes, when the crowds are thinner. Strasbourg asks dog owners to avoid weekends, Montreux suggests weekdays, and Gdańsk only welcomes dogs that cope with crowds, so if yours hates a crush, Friday and Saturday evenings are the ones to skip.
