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Italy does not just tolerate dogs, it adores them, and nowhere is that clearer than in its hotels. On our trips through Italy with my rescue pug Puglo, I have watched him get treated like a small furry celebrity: greeted by name at the front desk, handed his own menu, and welcomed into lobbies, gardens, and elevators that would turn a dog away almost anywhere else.
This is a round-up of the best dog friendly hotels in Italy, the ones with real dog programs and a genuine welcome, not just a “pets allowed” box ticked at checkout.
To make this list, a hotel had to do more than accept dogs. I looked for places where dogs are welcome in the common areas, where the staff actually likes having them, and ideally where there is a proper pet program: a dog menu, a bed and bowls waiting in the room, a welcome gift, or a concierge who will arrange a dog walker.
Below you will find what each one costs, any weight limit, and what makes it special.
The best dog friendly hotels in Italy at a glance
| Hotel | City | Standout dog perk | Pet fee | Weight limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait Roma | Rome | Arrival medal + toy, dog menu, cashmere kennel | €50 / stay (incl. welcome kit) | Up to 20 kg |
| Hotel de Russie | Rome | Terraced Secret Garden for walks | €150 cleaning fee / stay | Up to 20 kg |
| Hotel de la Ville | Rome | Pet concierge, custom beds, rooftop | €150 cleaning fee / stay | Up to 20 kg |
| Villa Agape | Florence | Quiet hillside garden overlooking Florence | None | None |
| Portrait Firenze | Florence | Lungarno pet care on the Arno | €50 / stay (incl. welcome kit) | Up to 20 kg |
| Hotel Danieli | Venice | Pet concierge, lagoon-view grandeur | ~€350 / stay | Up to 8 kg |
| L’Orologio Venezia | Venice | Dogs in all areas, welcome amenities | No pet fee | Small dogs |
| Grand Hotel Tremezzo | Lake Como | Personalized bone biscuit, dog menu, 5ha gardens | No fee (1 pet) | Confirm at booking |
| Hotel Villa Madruzzo | Trento | Trails on property, wonderful spa | None | None |
Dog-friendly hotels in Rome
Rome is where I saw the most over the top dog hospitality in all of Italy. These three set the standard.
1. Portrait Roma
⭐️ 9.2/10 (Booking.com) | 💲 Pet Fee: 50 euros, includes welcome kit | 🐶 Weight limit: 20kg
Portrait Roma, part of the Ferragamo family’s Lungarno Collection, is the most dog obsessed hotel I came across in Rome. Dogs are greeted on arrival by the concierge with a personalized medal and a toy, there is a tailor made dog menu, and your dog rests in a luxurious kennel with a soft cashmere blanket. It sits steps from the Spanish Steps, and the rooftop views over the city are some of the best in Rome.
Dogs are welcome throughout the communal areas on a lead, and a dog sitting service can be arranged on request. This is the one to book if you want the full spoil-your-dog experience.
Check rates for Portrait Roma.
2. Rocco Forte Hotel de Russie
⭐️ 9.5/10 (Booking.com) | 💲 Pet Fee: 150 euros | 🐶 Weight limit: 20kg
Hotel de Russie is a Rome institution, and it is refreshingly dog friendly. The real draw for anyone with a dog is the hotel’s famous terraced Secret Garden, a green oasis that rises up the hillside behind the building where you can walk your dog between sightseeing. It is tucked just off Piazza del Popolo, so you are central but shielded from the noise of the city.
This is old-school Roman luxury that makes real room for your dog, and pets must be kept on a lead in the public areas.
Check rates for Hotel de Russie.
3. Hotel de la Ville
⭐️ 9.5/10 (Booking.com) | 💲 Pet Fee: 150 euros | 🐶 Weight limit: 20kg
Also from Rocco Forte, Hotel de la Ville sits at the top of the Spanish Steps with one of the best rooftop terraces in Rome. It welcomes dogs with a pet concierge and custom dog beds, and the location means the green space of Villa Borghese is a short walk away for morning and evening outings.
If you want a livelier, view-driven base in the heart of Rome, this is my pick of the two Rocco Forte properties.
Check rates for Hotel de la Ville.
Dog-friendly hotels in Florence
4. Art Hotel Villa Agape
⭐️ 9.2/10 (Booking.com) | 💲 Pet Fee: None | 🐶 Weight limit: 20kg
Villa Agape is where we stayed in Florence, and it is my sentimental pick on this list. This property is perched on a hill above the city in the Arcetri neighborhood. The hotel is a former villa with an 8-hectare park, Italian gardens, cypress trees, olive groves, and views over Florence that I still dream about.
It is also completely, enthusiastically pet friendly.
Puglo had access to the gardens whenever he wanted. He walked the grounds every morning and evening, sniffing around olive trees and sitting in patches of sun on the stone paths. It was such a peaceful place to watch the sunset in the evening and get our morning walk in through the forest.
The staff treated him like a guest, not a tolerated addition to my reservation. He was welcomed at breakfast, allowed in the common areas, and the entire property felt designed for the kind of slow, beautiful travel that’s hard to find in city center hotels.
Check Rates for Art Hotel Villa Agape
5. Portrait Firenze
⭐️ 9.4/10 (Booking.com) | 💲 Pet Fee: 50 Euros | 🐶 Weight limit: 20kg
If you want the Lungarno Collection’s dog friendly polish in Florence, Portrait Firenze is the sister property to Portrait Roma, sitting right on the Arno with views of the Ponte Vecchio. Same group, same attentive approach to pets, in one of the best locations in the city.
Each pet will be welcomed with tasty snacks, and in their room they will have a luxurious dog bed to rest up, along with water and food bowls and treats from the best pet food brands.
Dogs are welcome throughout the hotel except for the Michelin-starred Borgo San Jacopo restaurant, but cannot be left alone in the room.
Check rates for Portrait Firenze.
Dog-friendly hotels in Venice
6. Hotel Danieli
⭐️ 9.3/10 (Booking.com) | 💲 Pet Fee: 350 Euros | 🐶 Weight limit: 8kg
The Danieli is Venice at its most grand, a palazzo hotel steps from St Mark’s Square with sweeping lagoon views. It welcomes dogs with a pet concierge, so you get the old world glamour and a team that will help you sort walks and needs while you explore the canals.
This is the most opulent option on the list, and the pet policy is aimed at smaller dogs. Only dogs are accepted, not other pets.
Check rates for Hotel Danieli.
7. L’Orologio Venezia
⭐️ 9.2/10 (Booking.com) | 💲 Pet Fee: 350 Euros | 🐶 Weight limit: 8kg
For something more intimate, L’Orologio is one of the most reliably pet friendly hotels in Venice. Dogs are welcome in the rooms, apartments, and all common spaces, which is rare at this level. It has a convenient canal entrance and old-school Venetian service, and it is a great choice if you want your dog beside you everywhere rather than left in the room.
They go further than most with a full set of welcome amenities: snacks, a cleaning kit, a leash, a kennel, bowls, a blanket, and toys. Pet fee: none, dogs stay free. Weight limit: geared to small dogs, so confirm if yours is larger.
Check rates for L’Orologio Venezia.
Dog-friendly hotels in Lake Como
8. Grand Hotel Tremezzo
⭐️ 9.5/10 (Booking.com) | 💲 Pet Fee: None | 🐶 Weight limit: None
If you want mountains, lake views, and space for your dog to roam, Grand Hotel Tremezzo is the dream. This century-old lakeside grande dame rolls out a proper program: a welcome dog biscuit shaped like a bone and personalized with your dog’s name, an in-house pet menu you can order to the room, a dog-kit waiting on arrival, and a concierge who will arrange dog walking and dog sitting.
Best of all, nearly five hectares of gardens surround the hotel, which is about as good as it gets for long walks with a dog in Italy. Dogs are welcome throughout except the restaurants, pool, and spa, and must be leashed in the common areas.
Check rates for Grand Hotel Tremezzo.
Dog-friendly hotels in Dolomites
9. Hotel Villa Madruzzo
Villa Madruzzo is where we stayed near Trento, and it is my pick if you are using northern Italy as a gateway to the Dolomites. It is an elegant villa hotel just outside the city, and it turned out to be a solid dog friendly base: dogs are welcome everywhere except the spa, and there is a really nice trail on the grounds that Puglo and I used every morning. The spa is also incredible relaxing, with an outdoor hot tub.
The rooms are comfortable, the brunch was amazing, and the whole place is very affordable for the quality you get. Dogs of any size are welcome, and they didn’t charge me a fee when I stayed. If the Dolomites are on your route, this is a lovely, easygoing place to land with a dog.
Check rates for Hotel Villa Madruzzo
What makes a hotel truly dog friendly in Italy
A hotel that truly welcomes dogs lets them into the common areas, not just the room. The best ones on this list go further with a dog bed and bowls in the room, a pet menu, a welcome gift, and a concierge who treats your dog as a guest. Before you book, I always confirm three things directly with the hotel: the size limit, whether dogs can be left alone in the room (many Italian hotels say no), and whether there is green space within an easy walk.
For everything to bring, see my packing list for traveling with a dog.
Getting around Italy with your dog
Once you are checked in, Italy makes it easy to explore. On Trenitalia trains, small dogs that fit in a carrier no larger than 70 by 30 by 50 cm travel free, while larger dogs travel with a leash and muzzle plus a small ticket, around 5 euros Sunday through Friday and 1 euro on Saturday, and you should carry your dog’s registry certificate and health booklet. You can confirm the current rules on the official Trenitalia pet travel page.
If you are still sorting out the flight over, my guides to taking your dog to Europe, traveling to Europe with a dog, and the European airlines that allow dogs in the cabin walk through the whole process.
What to pack for a dog friendly hotel stay
Even at hotels that provide bowls and beds, a few of my own items make every stay smoother: a familiar blanket so Puglo settles fast in a new room, a portable water bottle for hot afternoons, and poop bags, which are expected everywhere in Italy. I keep a collapsible travel bowl in my day bag.
Flying With Your Dog: The Cabin Guide
Before you can check into any of these hotels, you have to get your dog there. My step by step guide walks you through carriers, airline rules, and boarding day so you can fly with your dog in the cabin without stress. Get the Cabin Guide here.
More dog travel guides
Heading elsewhere in Europe? See my guides to taking a dog to Spain and whether Barcelona is dog friendly.
More dog travel guides you might like: Taking a Dog to Italy, Taking a Dog to Spain, my 9 tips for taking your dog to Europe.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most dog friendly luxury hotel in Italy?
Portrait Roma in Rome and Grand Hotel Tremezzo on Lake Como stand out. Portrait Roma greets dogs with a personalized medal, a toy, a bespoke dog menu, and a cashmere-lined kennel, while Grand Hotel Tremezzo offers a personalized bone biscuit, a pet menu, dog walking, and five hectares of gardens.
How much is the pet fee at luxury hotels in Italy?
It ranges widely. Grand Hotel Tremezzo and L’Orologio Venezia charge no pet fee, the Lungarno hotels Portrait Roma and Portrait Firenze charge 50 euros per stay including a welcome kit, Rocco Forte’s Hotel de Russie charges a 150 euro cleaning fee, and Hotel Danieli in Venice is the highest at around 350 euros per stay.
Are there weight limits for dogs at Italian hotels?
Often yes. Portrait Roma, Portrait Firenze, and Hotel de Russie allow dogs up to 20 kg, while Hotel Danieli in Venice caps dogs at 8 kg. Grand Hotel Tremezzo and L’Orologio focus on small and medium dogs, so confirm the limit directly if you have a larger dog.
Are dogs allowed in all areas of these hotels?
At the most dog friendly hotels, dogs are welcome throughout the common areas on a lead. Most still keep dogs out of restaurants, pools, and spas, and many do not allow dogs to be left alone in the room, so always confirm the specific rules when you book.
Where should I stay in Florence with a dog?
Villa Agape is a peaceful former convent on a hillside above the center with a quiet garden and a warm welcome, ideal if you want somewhere restful and affordable. For Arno-front luxury with Lungarno Collection pet care, choose Portrait Firenze.
Related reading: pair this with my full guide to taking a dog to Italy and my overview of why Italy is so dog friendly.
More Dog Travel Guides
If Italy is part of a bigger European trip, these guides help you plan the rest: tips for taking your dog to Europe, how to travel to Europe with a dog, airlines that allow large dogs in cabin, my dog travel packing list.
