Best Dog-Friendly Hotels in Basel

Before you go

What happens when you get there

The Rhine

The lower Rhine banks, the steps and berms by the water, are a dog-ban zone along St. Alban-Rheinweg, St. Johanns-Rheinweg, Elsässerrheinweg, Schaffhauserrheinweg, Oberer Rheinweg and Unterer Rheinweg, except for a signposted dog bathing zone on St. Alban-Rheinweg. The upper pedestrian promenades on Oberer and Unterer Rheinweg and Elsässerrheinweg are open to dogs on lead. No dates are given, so treat it as year-round.

No-dog zones

Dogs are banned in Schützenmattpark, Kannenfeldpark, on the Pfalz terrace behind the Münster and in the Solitude playground. They're also banned from all playgrounds, cemeteries, public bathing spots, food shops and anywhere signed. The fine is CHF 100. Schützenmattpark and Kannenfeldpark are both close to the Spalentor, so plan that hotel's walks around Petersplatz and the river instead.

Lead rules

Basel-Stadt has no general lead rule. Dogs must be on a short lead from 22:00 to 06:00, on public transport, in restaurants and beer gardens, in busy streets and squares, at markets, anywhere signed, and in and near woods from 1 April to 31 July. The canton publishes a map of off-lead areas on its Geoportal.

Christmas markets

The Basler Weihnachtsmarkt runs 26 November to 23 December 2026 on Barfüsserplatz and Münsterplatz, daily 11:00 to 20:30. On 23 December Barfüsserplatz closes at 20:00 and Münsterplatz at 18:00, and the Märchenwald on Münsterplatz runs to 22 December. The market page publishes no dog rule, but the city's general rule puts dogs on a short lead at markets, and the evenings get crowded.

Trains

On SBB, small dogs up to 30 cm at the shoulder travel free in a suitable carrier. A dog outside a carrier needs a half-fare second-class ticket, a Dog Day Pass at CHF 25, due to rise to CHF 27 from 13 December 2026, or a Dog Pass at CHF 60 a month or CHF 350 a year. Bigger dogs lie under the seat, and dogs aren't allowed in dining cars. The Day Pass covers the trams of most Swiss cities, but SBB doesn't name Basel's BVB and BLT, so check before relying on it there.

Getting there

EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg sits on French soil 3.5 km north-west of the city, with a Swiss sector and a customs-free road into Switzerland. BVB bus 50 runs from the Swiss exit to Basel SBB in about 20 minutes, every 7 to 8 minutes on weekdays. Airline cabin rules aren't covered here, so check with your airline. Hotel Victoria and the Nomad are a short walk from the station.

Fees

CHF 15 per stay at the Spalentor. CHF 20 at the Nomad, basis not stated. CHF 20 a night at the Pullman. CHF 20 cleaning fee per animal at Hotel Victoria. CHF 25 per dog at Art House. CHF 100 per stay at the Basel Marriott.

Two dogs

Art House Basel takes two. The Basel Marriott, the Pullman and Hotel Victoria take one. The Spalentor and the Nomad don't publish a number.

Best walks

The upper Rhine promenades on lead: Oberer and Unterer Rheinweg on the Kleinbasel side, about 600 m from the Pullman and 1 km from the Basel Marriott, and Elsässerrheinweg and St. Johanns-Rheinweg on the Grossbasel side, about 900 m from the Spalentor. The St. Alban-Tal riverside paths near the Nomad, and the signposted dog bathing zone on St. Alban-Rheinweg, the one place on the city Rhine where a dog can go in. Petersplatz under its old trees by the Spalentor, and the Elisabethenanlage beside the station. For a proper run, Lange Erlen and the Landschaftspark Wiese north-east of Kleinbasel, where the right bank of the Wiese, its flood meadows and the dam paths on both sides are exempt from the spring and summer woodland lead rule. Leads are needed on the path from the Lange Erlen car park to the Wiesendammpromenade and in the Tierpark. Not Schützenmattpark, Kannenfeldpark or the Pfalz, which ban dogs.

When to go

The Rhine promenades and Lange Erlen work all year, and the river ban on the lower banks has no dates, so it applies in summer as much as winter. From 1 April to 31 July dogs must be on a short lead in and near woods, which affects the woodland walks but not the Landschaftspark Wiese exemptions. The Christmas market, 26 November to 23 December 2026, is lead-only under the city's market rule and busiest in the evenings, so go earlier in the day with a dog.