Best Dog-Friendly Cities and Hotel Destinations in the UK (2024)
Hotel Places
United Kingdom: most dog-friendly countries
The United Kingdom is well-known for its deep love of dogs, earning it a reputation as one of the most dog-friendly countries in the world. In 2023, an estimated 57% of UK households owned at least one pet, with many considering them members of the family and embracing a pet-centric lifestyle, including when it comes to travel.
To help pet owners plan their trips, the team at Dog-friendlyHotels.com has compiled a list of the top dog-friendly places in the UK for 2024, using Tripadvisor data to analyze hotel availability and quality across various regions.
Key Insights on Dog-Friendly Hotel Destinations in the UK
Cambridge
The most dog-friendly city in the UK with 46.3% of hotels welcoming dogs.
Carlisle
Offers a strong mix of availability and quality, with 31.9% dog-friendly hotels, 28.4% of which are highly rated.
Durham
Another top city in North West England, balancing dog-friendly options with high-quality accommodations.
Exeter and York
The only cities in both the top ten for dog-friendly hotels and the YouGov popularity poll, demonstrating strong appeal to dog-owning tourists.
London
Despite its vast number of hotels, only 4.4% are dog-friendly, presenting a major business opportunity for expanding pet-friendly hospitality services.
Liverpool
Ranked lowest for dog-friendly hotels but has significant potential for improvement, given its popularity in the YouGov poll.
Regional Leaders
East of England
Highest percentage of dog-friendly hotels overall.
North West England
Leading region for the quality of dog-friendly accommodations.
Best Dog-Friendly Cities in the UK for 2024
1. Cambridge: The Leading Dog-Friendly Destination
Cambridge, located in the East of England, stands out as the most dog-friendly city in the UK. With a remarkable 46.3% of its hotels welcoming dogs, Cambridge offers the highest proportion of dog-friendly accommodations among all cities analyzed. While only 6.6% of these hotels are rated 4+ stars, the sheer availability makes Cambridge a top choice for dog owners looking for a variety of options.
2. Carlisle: A Balance of Availability and Quality
In North West England, Carlisle emerges as a strong contender for dog-friendly travel. 31.9% of Carlisle’s hotels are dog-friendly, and impressively, 28.4% of these hotels are rated 4+ stars. This combination of high availability and quality makes Carlisle an ideal destination for dog owners seeking comfort and luxury.
3. Durham: A North West Dog-friendly Gem
Also in North West England, Durham ranks third with 20.4% of its hotels being dog-friendly. 15.1% of these hotels are highly rated, further establishing North West England as a leading region for pet-friendly accommodations. Durham offers a balanced mix of availability and quality, making it a great choice for travellers with dogs.
4. Gloucester: A Strong Contender in the South West
Gloucester, in the South West England region, offers 20.3% of its hotels as dog-friendly, with 12.7% of these accommodations being rated 4+ stars. Gloucester’s consistent ranking across both availability and quality indicators makes it a notable destination for dog owners travelling to the South West.
5. Swansea: Wales’ Top Dog-Friendly City
Swansea, the highest-ranking city in Wales, rounds out the top five. 19.4% of Swansea’s hotels are dog-friendly, and 15.3% of these are highly rated, highlighting Swansea as a key destination for dog owners in Wales.
East of England and North West England: Leading Dog-Friendly Regions
On a regional scale, East of England stands out as the top dog-friendly region in the UK based on the number of dog-friendly hotels, with an average of 24.4% of hotels in this region allowing pets. However, when it comes to the quality of these accommodations, North West England takes the lead, with an average of 11.2% of dog-friendly hotels being rated 4+ stars.
It’s not surprising that North West England excels in hotel quality, particularly given the region’s reputation for being dog-friendly. The Lake District, a popular destination within this region, is well-known for its welcoming attitude towards dogs. According to The Lake District National Park website, many hotels, cafes, and attractions in the Lake District offer amenities and services catering specifically to dog owners, making it an ideal destination for travelers with pets. This strong focus on quality accommodations across the region highlights the North West as a top choice for dog owners seeking high standards during their travels.
London: A Surprising Low Performer
Despite being one of the largest and most diverse cities in the world, London ranks surprisingly low on the list of dog-friendly cities, with only 4.4% of its hotels welcoming dogs. Moreover, just 3.5% of these hotels are rated 4+ stars, which is notably low given the city’s size and diversity of accommodations. This indicates that despite its vast number of hotels, London offers limited high-quality options for dog owners.
The low performance of London in this area, despite being the city with the most hotels overall in the UK, presents a significant business opportunity for the hotel industry. With the increasing number of dog owners and the variety of activities available in and around London that cater to pets, there is substantial potential for growth.
Liverpool: The Least Dog-Friendly City
At the bottom of our rankings is Liverpool, also in North West England. Only 3.0% of Liverpool’s hotels are dog-friendly, and a mere 1.7% of these hotels are rated 4+ stars. This positions Liverpool as the least accommodating city for dog owners among those analyzed, highlighting a significant gap in pet-friendly hospitality.
Despite its poor ranking in terms of dog-friendly accommodations, Liverpool remains one of the most popular cities in the UK, featuring prominently in the YouGov Q2 2024 ratings for travel, with a high percentage of people holding a positive opinion of the city. Given this popularity, there is significant potential for growth in the dog-friendly hotel sector.
Methodology
To determine the most dog-friendly cities in the UK, we started with a seed list based on a YouGov poll of the most popular cities in the UK in the travel category (in Q2 2024). We analyzed the top 36 cities from this list, gathering data from Tripadvisor to assess the number of dog-friendly hotels in each city. We then focused on hotels with a 4+ star rating to establish a quality percentage.
By comparing the overall number of hotels to those that allowed dogs, we calculated the percentage of dog-friendly accommodations in each city. We further refined our analysis by examining the percentage of 4+ star rated dog-friendly hotels, ranking the cities that best cater to dog owners based on availability and quality of amenities.
All data is accurate as of 22/08/24.
Data sources: Tripadvisor (available at:Tripadvisor.co.uk) and Yougov (available at: Yougov.co.uk/ratings/travel/popularity/cities/all).
Below is the complete ranking of the top dog-friendly cities in the UK for 2024.
| Rank | Cities | Regions | 4/5* Hotel Ratings | % Dog-Friendly Hotels | % 4/5* Ratings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Carlisle |
North West England |
33 |
31.9 |
28.4 |
|
2 |
Swansea |
Wales |
19 |
19.4 |
15.3 |
|
3 |
Durham |
North West England |
14 |
20.4 |
15.1 |
|
4 |
Peterborough |
East of England |
14 |
14.2 |
13.2 |
|
5 |
Gloucester |
South West England |
10 |
20.3 |
12.7 |
|
6 |
Dundee |
Scotland |
9 |
16.7 |
12.5 |
|
7 |
Norwich |
East of England |
25 |
12.6 |
11.7 |
|
8 |
York |
Yorkshire and the Humber |
40 |
13.6 |
10.8 |
|
9 |
Portsmouth |
South East England |
12 |
11.5 |
9.2 |
|
10 |
Exeter |
South West England |
8 |
10.2 |
9.1 |
|
11 |
Sheffield |
Yorkshire and the Humber |
15 |
11.2 |
8.4 |
|
12 |
Kingston upon Hull |
Yorkshire and the Humber |
7 |
10.5 |
8.1 |
|
13 |
Nottingham |
East Midlands |
10 |
7.6 |
6.9 |
|
14 |
Leeds |
Yorkshire and the Humber |
17 |
10.2 |
6.7 |
|
15 |
Coventry |
West Midlands |
9 |
10.2 |
6.6 |
|
16 |
Cambridge |
East of England |
16 |
46.3 |
6.6 |
|
17 |
Bolton |
North West England |
3 |
10.9 |
6.5 |
|
18 |
Milton Keynes |
South East England |
9 |
9.4 |
6.0 |
|
19 |
Glasgow |
Scotland |
14 |
7.5 |
5.6 |
|
20 |
Bradford |
Yorkshire and the Humber |
5 |
11.0 |
5.5 |
|
21 |
Oxford |
South East England |
12 |
7.8 |
5.2 |
|
22 |
Cardiff |
Wales |
13 |
5.0 |
5.0 |
|
23 |
Bristol |
South West England |
10 |
9.0 |
4.8 |
|
24 |
Edinburgh |
Scotland |
44 |
6.2 |
4.7 |
|
25 |
Leicester |
East Midlands |
7 |
6.5 |
4.6 |
|
26 |
Manchester |
North West England |
18 |
6.0 |
4.5 |
|
27 |
Middlesbrough |
North East England |
2 |
10.9 |
4.3 |
|
28 |
Derby |
East Midlands |
4 |
14.7 |
4.2 |
|
29 |
Belfast |
Northern Ireland |
11 |
4.5 |
4.1 |
|
30 |
Wolverhampton |
West Midlands |
2 |
5.8 |
3.8 |
|
31 |
Newcastle upon Tyne |
North East England |
7 |
4.0 |
3.5 |
|
32 |
Brighton & Hove |
South East England |
9 |
10.9 |
4.5 |
|
33 |
London |
Greater London |
164 |
4.4 |
3.5 |
|
34 |
Birmingham |
West Midland |
11 |
6.2 |
2.7 |
|
35 |
Liverpool |
North West England |
10 |
3.0 |
1.7 |
|
36 |
Plymouth |
South West England |
2 |
17.1 |
1.3 |