Dog Friendly City Guide: Rome, Italy

Rome is a city built for walking, and a dog takes to it at once. Beyond the walls lies something few capitals can offer: a stretch of open Roman countryside, threaded with ruins and ancient roads, that runs right into the city's south eastern quarters, and the park that guards it lets dogs walk it end to end. A morning can begin at a table near Piazza del Popolo and end on the Appian Way, two thousand years old, with your dog nosing through the grass beside the tombs.

Getting There With a Dog

Italy follows the European Union's rules for pets, and the Ministry of Health sets them out on its page for travelling to Italy with a pet. Your dog needs a microchip, fitted before or at the same time as its rabies vaccination, and the vaccination counts only once 21 days have passed. Arriving from Great Britain, the government's taking your pet abroad page explains that a pet passport issued to someone living in England, Scotland or Wales cannot be used. Your vet issues an animal health certificate instead, the dog must be at least twelve weeks old when vaccinated, and the certificate is valid for entry to the European Union for ten days from the date of issue, then covers six months of onward travel. You need a new one for each trip.

From the United States, the USDA's pet travel page for Italy asks for an ISO microchip before the rabies vaccine, a wait of at least 21 days, and the European Union health certificate issued by an accredited vet and endorsed by the USDA within ten days of arrival. A new version of that certificate took effect on 1 October 2026, so make sure your vet is using it.

The train is a pleasure with a dog in Italy. Trenitalia's page for travelling with your pet carries small dogs free in a carrier of up to 70 by 30 by 50 centimetres, and a dog of any size travels in first or second class, and in the Executive, Business and Standard levels, on its own ticket of five euros from Sunday to Friday and one euro on a Saturday. The dog must be on a lead and wear a muzzle throughout, one dog per passenger, and you carry its registration certificate and health booklet, or its passport if you live abroad.

Where to Stay

Every hotel we have assessed in Rome is listed among our ranked dog friendly hotels in Rome. Two hold a B rank. J.K. Place Roma welcomes dogs in its bar, restaurant and lounge, so your dog can join you at dinner. Dogs stay free with no deposit, most rooms take them, and a bed and bowls are provided. The weight limit is 22 lb, so this is a house for a small dog, and dog walking and dog sitting can be arranged.

InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace sets no weight limit at all, which makes it the choice for a larger dog. Most rooms take dogs, the terrace and lounge are open to them, a bed, bowls and treats are provided, and your dog may stay in the room on its own. The fee is 25 euros a night for a small dog and 35 euros for a large one, with 70 euros for cleaning at the end of the stay and no deposit.

Ateneo Garden Palace holds a C rank. Dogs of up to 44 lb stay free, most rooms take them, your dog is welcome in the garden and the lounge, it may be left in the room, and the staff will point you to walking routes. Two hotels hold a D rank: Baglioni Hotel Regina, which charges 50 euros a stay for dogs of up to 33 lb and can arrange dog sitting, and Parco dei Principi Grand Hotel, which takes dogs of up to 11 lb, with a bed, bowls, dog walking and its own garden.

Eat and Drink

The most dog minded table in the city is Fiuto, at Via Flaminia 502 by Ponte Milvio in the north of the city, which presents itself on its own site as a dog friendly restaurant in Rome. It is the place to take your dog for a proper dinner, with a walk across the old bridge over the Tiber afterwards.

In the centre, Il Margutta at Via Margutta 118, by Piazza del Popolo, calls itself Italy's first vegetarian restaurant and hangs exhibitions of art that change every few months. Our venue data records that it welcomes dogs of all sizes with water bowls and treats, which makes it a good lunch on a day in the centre.

Across the river in Trastevere, Ercoli 1928 has its newest house at Via Giggi Zanazzo 4, and our venue data records it as welcoming dogs. It is the place to finish an evening walk through Trastevere's lanes with your dog at your feet.

Walks and Parks

The great walking country of Rome is the Parco Regionale dell'Appia Antica, and the park answers the dog question itself: you may walk your dog anywhere in the park as long as you have a lead and a muzzle with you, and there are wide areas where a dog can come off the lead, beyond the dog areas in the Valle della Caffarella, at its northern entrance from Largo Tacchi Venturi, in the upper part of Parco Scott and in the Parco degli Acquedotti.

The Valle della Caffarella is the closest to the centre, 200 hectares of open country under the Aurelian Walls between the Via Latina and the Via Appia. The park's own Sentiero dell'Acqua follows the little river Almone through paths worn by walkers and flocks of sheep and goats, past the Nymphaeum of Egeria, the church of Sant'Urbano and the Casale della Vaccareccia. The valley is closed to traffic, and the park lists drinking fountains near the Casa del Parco and the church. Some of the descents from the edges are steep, around ten percent in places, so pick your entrance with an older dog in mind.

The Parco degli Acquedotti covers 240 hectares between Cinecittà and Quarto Miglio, the old Roman countryside crossed by six of the city's eleven ancient aqueducts, the tall arches of the Aqua Claudia among them. It is also closed to traffic, open ground among centuries old pines, and the park lists a drinking fountain at the dog area by the Via A. Viviani entrance.

Then there is the Via Appia Antica itself, the Regina Viarum, which runs for about 16 kilometres from Porta Capena. The first section, about four kilometres, takes some fifty minutes on foot without stops, with drinking fountains near the Porta San Sebastiano and by the tomb of Cecilia Metella, and bars and restaurants along the first two and a half kilometres beyond the gate. Through traffic is banned on the old road every Sunday and public holiday, so go on a Sunday morning and walk south as far as your dog likes.

For a day at the sea, Baubeach at Maccarese has offered dogs a beach and the sea since 1998, a beach, in its own words, for free and happy dogs. It is closed for the winter and reopens in spring 2027, with the date to be posted on its site.

A Day Out

Take the Appian Way. Start at Porta San Sebastiano, walk out past the old Cartiera Latina at number 42, now the park's headquarters, and drop down into the Caffarella for an hour off the lead among the springs and the sheep. In the afternoon, head across to the Parco degli Acquedotti and walk beneath the arches of the Aqua Claudia. In the evening, cross the river to Trastevere, or go north to Fiuto at Ponte Milvio for dinner with your dog beside you.

Good to Know

On the city's buses, trams and metro, ATAC's conditions of carriage accept small and medium dogs on an ordinary ticket, on a lead and muzzled, with at most two dogs on a bus. Dogs board buses by the rear door and use the first or last carriage on the metro. In the summer months walk early and late and carry water; the park lists its drinking fountains on each itinerary page. In the parks, always carry a lead and a muzzle, as the park itself asks.