Travelling with your dog is a wonderful experience, visiting places with your four-legged friend is a different and wonderful adventure every time. When we go to the seaside, it is not always easy to find a place where we can take our furry friend to cool off with a bath, to play on the beach or to rest in the shade and enjoy a healthy moment of relaxation together.
Always remember to pack everything you need for your pet, from the water bowl, to food supplies, to the health booklet and various documents, and… a few toys that may prove useful at the beach, and always carry a hygiene kit.
There are no universal rules for those travelling by plane or boat, but each company has its own policy. In Tuscany, a lot has been done in recent years to welcome animals, and there are now many beaches where it is possible to bring your friend.
Dogbeach province Livorno
Inside the Tombolo di Cecina Mare Nature Reserve there is a free beach for dogs that is Dog Friendly, very wide, it is a mix of sand and gravel, and a few years ago it was equipped with an area for renting sunbeds and umbrellas; behind it there is a wonderful pine forest for relaxing or walking in the shade. The Bau Beach delle Gorette near Cecina Mare offers a few more services, with a section of sea that is supervised and dedicated to dogs where they can swim.
Near Livorno, in Antignano, there is a free beach for dogs called Le Tamerici, which also accepts large dogs. It is not equipped, so the education and behaviour of pets is very important for the respect of those who frequent the beach; a regulation posted at the entrance reminds you of the main rules.
At San Vincenzo, you will find the Perelli 1 dog beach, which is very popular with dog lovers because there are no rules on opening hours or the number of dogs. The 200 metres of free beach are accessible to your four-legged friends, and the main services, such as water bowls, shovels and hygiene bags, are guaranteed.
Dogbeach province Grosseto
Surrounded by pinewoods and Mediterranean scrub is the beautiful private beach of Fuorirotta, an ethnic-style bathing establishment in Marina di Grosseto, which for years has paid special attention to pets of all sizes with areas dedicated to them. The hospitality of this establishment, in a unique and uncontaminated location, has for years been a guarantee for customers who love to take their four-legged friends on holiday, but they must be kept on a leash.
With its captivating and amusing name, the Playa del Can beach in Orbetello is open from June to September, and allows a maximum of two dogs per person, is equipped with umbrellas and sunbeds and allows dogs to swim in the waters marked off by buoys.
Bau Beach della Maremma, near Principina a Mare, is totally free. On this 150-metre stretch of beach, four-legged friends are free to run and play without a leash or muzzle, with their owners’ attention, of course.
Dogbeach province Lucca
Between Torre del Lago and Viareggio, you will find the Della Lecciona beach, one of the few beaches that preserves its totally free and unequipped status in a protected natural area. Sand dunes and typical marine vegetation are the ideal place to let your dogs run freely and have fun, always following the rules of common sense and mutual respect.
A good alternative for those seeking comfort is to visit the Bagno Marechiaro beach establishment in Viareggio, which has a stretch of beach completely equipped for dogs and their humans with fenced-in areas equipped with umbrellas, sunbeds, water and bowls, in total privacy if you also want to relax.
“Be my dog’s friend and you’ll be my friend too‘. Native American proverb
