Best Dog-Friendly Hotels in Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main

Before you go

What happens when you get there

Getting there by train

Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof is a straight ICE run from most of Germany and from Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. On Deutsche Bahn a pet no bigger than a cat in a carrier travels free. A larger dog needs its own additional ticket and must be on a lead and wear a muzzle. On the regional Länder-Ticket a dog counts as an adult passenger, with Hund written in a name field.

Local transport

RMV covers the whole region, Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, Mainz, Darmstadt, the Taunus and the Rheingau. The general German rule is that small pets in a carrier travel free and larger dogs may need an extra ticket, leashed and muzzled, but the exact RMV terms should be checked on rmv.de before you rely on them. Frankfurt's own rule is that dogs must be on a lead on public transport and at stops.

Lead rules

Frankfurt's lead rule is two metres maximum, and a lead is mandatory in restaurants, on public transport, in green spaces, pedestrian zones, nature reserves, on bridges, at stops and at gatherings. Pick up after your dog everywhere, including in the free-run areas. Dog tax applies to residents, not visitors.

Off-lead areas

The city names its free-run areas. Grüneburgpark is the one that matters for the Westend hotels, the Sofitel and the Meliá. An der Gerbermühle on the south bank serves Sachsenhausen and the Ostend. Others include Alter Rebstockpark, Ostparkstrasse, Huthpark, Volkspark Niddatal, Martin-Luther-King-Park, Sulzbachpark, Wörthspitze, Sindlinger Mainufer and the Höchster Stadtpark.

Dogs at breakfast

No Frankfurt hotel on this list publishes a yes. Roomers Frankfurt Central is a clear no for the restaurant and the Roomers Bar. The Westin, the JW Marriott, the Sofitel, the NH Collection, the Meliá and Hyatt Place say nothing either way, so ask by name when you book rather than assuming.

Weight limits

The Westin Grand, the NH Collection Spin Tower and Hyatt Place Frankfurt Airport all cap at 25 kg. Villa Rothschild takes dogs up to 40 kg. The JW Marriott, the Sofitel, Roomers Central, the Meliá, Burg Schwarzenstein and the FAVORITE Parkhotel publish no limit, which means ask, not assume.

Fees

EUR 20 a night at the FAVORITE Parkhotel. EUR 25 a night at the Westin Grand. EUR 30 a night at Roomers Central, Hyatt Place, the Sofitel and Burg Schwarzenstein. EUR 35 a night per pet at the NH Collection. EUR 50 a day at the Meliá. Per stay: EUR 50 at the JW Marriott, where the site also shows a EUR 15 a night line so confirm which applies, and EUR 60 at Villa Rothschild.

Two dogs

Villa Rothschild and the NH Collection Spin Tower take two. The Westin Grand, the JW Marriott and the FAVORITE Parkhotel take one. The rest don't publish a number.

Best walks

The Main riverbanks on both sides, with the museum embankment on the Sachsenhausen side and the Nizza garden on the north bank west of the Untermainbrücke. The Wallanlagen ring park on the line of the old walls, which the Westin, the JW Marriott and the Sofitel all sit on or beside. Grüneburgpark in the Westend for off-lead running. The Frankfurt Stadtwald south of Sachsenhausen and behind the airport, one of the largest city forests in Germany and the walk for Hyatt Place. Out of town, the vineyard tracks between Rüdesheim, Johannisberg and Eltville, the Rheinsteig along the whole stretch, and the Rüdesheim cable car up to the Niederwald monument, which takes dogs of all sizes free. From Villa Rothschild, the Königstein forest paths and the Grosser Feldberg loops.

When to go

The reason to come with a dog is the Rheingau and the Taunus, so plan around the vineyard tracks and the forest rather than the city. The Main embankments and the Wallanlagen work in any month. Seasonal closures, the cable car's operating months, Christmas market rules for dogs and the Hesse dangerous-breed list haven't been confirmed, so check before you go rather than assuming.