Over the course of our travels we have met so many people who would love to travel with their pets but just don't know how to get started. The purpose of this blog is to create a forum to share and build on peoples' experiences with pet travel across the globe to provide a clearer picture of actual pet friendly locations and amenities. We would love for you to contribute your experiences as well!

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Stockholm, Sweden


The City
Situated on the Baltic Sea, this 700 year old city spans over 14 islands and encompasses both modern and historic European architecture.  By day, walking through the city you get a sense of a the city's age combined with all the amenities of a larger sized city and by night, the city provides ample entertainment from theatres to restaurants to night clubs.





Hotels
We stayed at the pet friendly Clarion Hotel Sign, which is part of the Comfort, Quality, Clarion Hotel chain.  This 4-star hotel has a very good restaurant and bar, a decent exercise area, an excellent sauna where you can get an authentic Swedish massage among other services.  There is also parking, a business center, and other amenities that you would expect of a top-end hotel.  The architecture and style of the hotel and rooms is in a modern theme with cool designs and colours.  This hotel is also completely non-smoking.  The breakfast buffet is definitely worth trying.  It was a little pricey (about 10 euros per person) however this was not your usual european breakfast buffet with a few stale croissants, some slices of cheese, and coffee that has been sitting for several hours.  This buffet was equipped with a lot of choice and everything was very fresh and constantly being refilled by a very courteous and professional staff.

If you don't feel like hitting the buffet, there is an excellent pastry shop down the street from the Clarion called The Muffin Bakery.  This is a chain store so there are several in Stockholm; the one we visited was on Drottninggatan 73, a five minute walk from the hotel.


View Stockholm in a larger map

Here you'll find excellent coffee and tea options as well as various muffin and pastry concoctions that are very interesting and tasty.  Unfortunately, pets aren't allowed inside however they have a nice patio if the weather is good.

Pets in Restaurants
Unfortunately, many restaurants and cafes were not so happy to accept pets however, in general, patios are pet-friendly so if you get stuck, look for restaurants with out-door sections such as patios or beer gardens.

Parks and Parkettes
Within the city of Stockholm there are several parks and many little parkettes however most of them are manicured and well maintained and therefore are not meant for dogs to be running around in.  It is also expected that your pet is on-leash at all times and needless to say, that you pick up after them.


Cool Swedish Links:

2 comments:

  1. How did the customs go with your pet? I know Sweden has strict blood test requirements among other things (we will be travelling there in five weeks). Just curious about customs. I will be arriving via Copenhagen, not directly through Arlanda, Stockholm's airport.

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  2. It's no problem bringing your pet through customs, you just need to do a bit of prep work. We had out little guy at the vet for vaccinations, deworming, etc., had his passport filled out properly and signed by our vet, and had a copy of his rabies antibody test. Make sure to be carrying all that info with you when you see customs. You can check out the requirements here: http://www.jordbruksverket.se/swedishboardofagriculture/engelskasidor/animals/import/dogsandcats/fromothereucountries.4.6621c2fb1231eb917e680002998.html
    Hopefully you've already had the rabies vaccinations done and the antibody test because there is usually a waiting period between the two that can take several weeks.
    It might also be a good idea to go to a vet just before you travel (withing 48-72 hours) and get a quick checkup. The vet can then sign the passport stating that the animal is safe for travel. Makes the process go a little smoother. Good luck in your travels!

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