Best Dog-Friendly Hotels in Umbria

Before you go

What happens when you get there

Dogs at breakfast

Most hotels here keep dogs out of the breakfast room, and several out of the restaurant too. It's a written no at Hotel Giò, Posta Donini 1579, Grand Hotel Italia, Hotel Fonte Cesia and Borgobrufa. Giotto in Assisi is the one written yes. Elsewhere, outdoor terraces are the usual answer, so ask for one by name.

Weight limits

Small dogs only is the norm. Nun Assisi, Hotel Fonte Cesia, Palazzo Bontadosi, Posta Donini and Duca della Corgna all say small dogs. Rosetta and Borgobrufa cap at 10 kg, Hotel Bramante at 12 kg and Hotel Giò at 15 kg. Borgo dei Conti, Sangallo Palace and Dal Moro take small and medium dogs, and Il Cantico della Natura takes any size.

Buses, funicular and lake ferries

Busitalia runs the region's buses, the Orvieto funicular and the Lake Trasimeno ferries. Its bus conditions let a small dog travel free in a carrier no bigger than 70 x 30 x 50 cm. A medium dog needs its own ticket, and outside a carrier a dog needs a muzzle and a lead. Carry the pet passport. There's no separate published dog rule for the funicular or the ferries, so ask at the ticket office.

Churches and sights

Neither the Basilica di San Francesco in Assisi nor Orvieto's Duomo publishes a dog rule we could find. Ask before you plan a visit around either one, and have someone ready to wait outside with the dog.

Lake Trasimeno beaches

The lake has public beaches and lidos at Castiglione del Lago, Passignano, Tuoro and San Feliciano. There's no published dog-on-beach rule or named dog beach for the lake, so ask the lido or the town before you set up for the day.

Getting there

Perugia airport (PEG) has a Ryanair route to London Stansted. For Ireland, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh, fly to Pisa, which has Ryanair routes from all of them, and drive about two hours to Perugia. Rome Fiumicino suits Orvieto and the south of the region. Check which airlines take dogs in the cabin before you book, and drive through France with a bigger dog.

Vets

Hotel Duca della Corgna gives guests a 24-hour on-call vet contact. Perugia University's Department of Veterinary Medicine is at Via San Costanzo 4, Perugia, but its emergency hours aren't published, so find a local vet with your hotel on arrival.

Seasonal closures

Several country hotels and relais close in winter, so check opening dates for an off-season trip. July and August are hot inland, which matters on the steep old-town lanes.

Best walks

Above Assisi, the Parco Regionale del Monte Subasio has open upland meadows, and the road from Porta Cappuccini climbs about 4 kilometres into the woods to the Eremo delle Carceri. Le Silve di Armenzano sits inside the park. Below the Basilica, the FAI's Bosco di San Francesco runs down through woodland and olive terraces, so check its dog rule with the FAI before you go. In Orvieto, the Anello della Rupe circles the base of the tufa cliff, and the Giardini Comunali by the Albornoz fortress are at the top of the funicular. Perugia's big green space is the Percorso Verde at Pian di Massiano, with a long flat path, and the Giardini Carducci sit beside Piazza Italia. Todi has the Parco della Rocca at its highest point and the lawns of Santa Maria della Consolazione below. Above Norcia, the Piano Grande di Castelluccio in the Monti Sibillini National Park is about 30 kilometres up the valley road. At the lake, the shore path below Castiglione del Lago is the easy one.

When to go

Spring and early autumn are the months for a dog here. The steep hill-town lanes and the Subasio and Sibillini meadows are far easier on a dog outside the summer heat. July and August are hot, as Umbria is inland, so plan walks for early morning and evening and pick a hotel with shade or a terrace. Winter is quiet and some country hotels and relais close, so check dates before you book. Norcia's black-truffle fair falls in late winter, and Borgo dei Conti and Hotel Bramante arrange truffle hunts with local hunters and their dogs.