Best Dog-Friendly Hotels in Northern Ireland

Before you go

What happens when you get there

Weight limits

Belfast runs small. Hilton Belfast lists 15 lbs (about 6.8kg), The Fitzwilliam 12kg, Bullitt 30 lbs (about 13.6kg) and voco 16kg, while Second Nature takes dogs under 35kg and the AC Hotel publishes no limit. The Marcus Portrush lists 15kg, and since Hilton gives pounds for Belfast and kilos for Portrush, confirm either one when you book. The Old Inn, The Rabbit and Marine & Lawn Portrush publish no weight cap.

Fees

GBP 15 per dog per night at The Old Inn, The Rabbit and Galgorm. GBP 25 per stay at Second Nature, GBP 25 per dog per night at the AC Hotel and GBP 26 a night at voco. GBP 35 at Hilton Belfast, The Marcus Portrush and Marine & Lawn Portrush, where it is per dog per night, and GBP 40 for The Fitzwilliam's dog add-on. The Bushmills Inn, The Fullerton Arms, The Cuan, Belmore Court and Killyhevlin don't publish a figure, and Bullitt publishes no dog fee beyond its Dog Den room rate, so ask when you book.

Two dogs

The Old Inn, The Rabbit and the AC Hotel each take two. Galgorm's lodging page says two large dogs or three small, so confirm the number when you book. Bullitt, voco and The Fitzwilliam take one, and The Fitzwilliam takes no more than three dogs across the whole hotel on any night.

Crate rule

The Old Inn, The Rabbit and Galgorm share a rule: a dog left in the room or lodge must be in its own secure crate. None of the three supplies one, so pack yours. The Fitzwilliam doesn't allow a dog to be left alone in the room at all, and Bullitt asks you to tell reception first.

Dogs at breakfast

No hotel on the list publishes a yes for breakfast. Belmore Court is a stated no, with every other public area open, and Galgorm keeps dogs out of its main resort building. Second Nature's restaurant, Winnie's, takes dogs on a lead, so ask whether that covers breakfast. Everywhere else, ask by name when you book.

Trains and buses

NI Railways carries no dogs before 09:30 on any day, assistance dogs excepted. After that they travel free, one per person, on a lead or in a container, on the floor, and should be small enough to sit under a seat or at your feet. Translink buses carry small dogs free at the driver's discretion, on a lead or in a container. For the Enterprise to Dublin, Irish Rail says small dogs travel free on the owner's lap, and the arrangements for larger dogs aren't confirmed, so ask Translink before you book.

Beaches

The restriction is seasonal and partial, not a ban. Causeway Coast and Glens council beaches, including Benone, Whiterocks and Ballycastle, keep dogs off marked sections from 1 June to 15 September, and the council's own pages disagree on whether that starts in May. The zones on Portrush East and West Strands aren't confirmed, so read the signs at the entrances. Portstewart Strand has no seasonal dates and dogs can go off the lead past post 10, and at Murlough dogs stay on leads and are kept off the Blue Flag area of the beach in July and August.

Ferries

Stena Line requires every pet to be booked in advance. Pets can stay in your vehicle free on all routes, kennels are free between Cairnryan and Belfast, and on the Liverpool route Stena recommends a pet-friendly cabin or a kennel, with a fee per kennel each way. The Superfast ships between Cairnryan and Belfast have a Pet Lounge for up to two pets per booking, each in a secure carrier no bigger than 91 x 62 x 56cm. Foot passengers must book a kennel or a pet cabin, or the pet may not be allowed to travel.

Best walks

In Belfast, the Lagan riverside walkway from Donegall Quay over the Lagan Weir footbridge to the Maritime Mile, Ormeau Park, the Stormont Estate and the 4.2-mile Divis Ridge Trail above the city. On the north coast, the Port Path between Portstewart and Portrush at 6.5 miles, Portstewart Strand where dogs can go off the lead past post 10, the four trails at the Giant's Causeway, the 1km walk down to Carrick-a-Rede, and Mountsandel and Somerset forests. In County Down, Crawfordsburn Country Park down to the beach and Helen's Bay, the off-lead exercise fields at Castle Ward and Mount Stewart, Rowallane Garden at Saintfield and Murlough on a lead. In Fermanagh, the National Trust grounds at Castle Coole, Florence Court and Crom, Castle Archdale Forest, Lough Navar, Big Dog Forest and the dog park at Henry Street in Enniskillen.

When to go

Plan around the dated rules. Causeway Coast and Glens council beaches keep dogs off marked sections from 1 June to 15 September, possibly from May, and Murlough keeps them off its Blue Flag area in July and August, so mid-September to the end of April is when those beaches carry no restriction. Portstewart Strand has no seasonal dates at all. Whatever the month, no NI Railways train carries a dog before 09:30. Dog rooms are scarce in any season: The Old Inn has three a night, The Cuan has one, and The Fitzwilliam takes three dogs a night across the hotel, so book well ahead.