We nearly gave up the idea of travelling along the shores of Baltic Sea… Why? Because while browsing through travel-services & booking websites, we found that most hostels and campings in Lithuania and Latvia did not accept dogs…
We started “googling” outside services, step by step in their language, too. After hours of searching, we had some dogfriendly hits. We were a bit afraid, that there might be problems with the dog, but we were positively surprised. There are generally not problems in big cities. We visited Vilnius, Kaunas and Riga. 50% of hotels are OK with dogs. The problem begins in smaller towns.
We set off from Poland towards the Eastern border and, after several hours, we arrived in beautiful Vilnius. Three nights at Ratonda Hotel in the very heart of the city. Mr.Dog was accepted and not charged extra (visit 08.2015) but he could not enter the canteen. Behind the hotel there is a yard, perfect for “pee-poo things”, which is of great importance in a concrete-covered-city. We were just a few metres to the main avenue Giedyminas Prospektu, close to the Cathedral and Giedimin Tower, etc.
In the evening the fluffy visited the town with us. Generally, there were lots of man-dog couples in the streets and we felt the dog-attitude was positive. Vilnius really feels cosmopolitan & European city, although is not crowded. On the MAP you will find the places. Alas, we came across a few non-dog-frindly, where dogs couldn’t even stay outside! There is Forto Dvaras a restaurant recommended in torurist-guides, but they were extremely anti-dogs. We were kicked out from the open-air space after they had seen Rizo. But in open-air La Crepe was nice. We had delicious Didžkukuliai (Cepelinai) and Mr.Dog got water. They accept dogs at the outside tables. (Inside it’s possible, but only if there are not too many customers).
It was very nice to walk around the city. There were many fountains, lawns and poo-bins. 00
On the day of our departure, we went to Kalny Park upon river Vilnia. That, probably, was the most exciting moment in Vilnius for Mr.Dog, as he could get wet up to his belly 🙂
From Vilnius, we set straight across the country for Latvian capital – Riga. We stayed in Radisson Blu. No problem with Mr.Dog.
There was huge green area opposite the hotel at the river Daugava. To eter a restaurant was risky: many of them do not accept dogs, but it was OK in the open air. For sure, a dog can sit with you at Ezitis Migla, a nice bar in the heart of Old Riga. Delicious soljanka (soup) and… local beer!
We left Riga the next day and along the Gulf of Riga shore we got to a picturesque, but a bit overrated, Kolka Peninsula, where the waters of Gulf of Riga collide with waves of The Baltic Sea (just like Polish Hel Penninsula). There is a dogfriendly open bar (the only in the area and seasonal).
But we were definitely enchanted with unique “Barrel Sleep Capsules”. Unfortunately stay with a dog is not allowed. Strange, hotels accept dogs, but barrels not.
We headed to our destiny: vilage of Jurkalne. Empty roads, scattered cottages every few kilometeres…NO STREETS – NO ADDRESSES only the owners NAMES on wooden boards in front of houses… the doubts started to arise: will we find ours? But we recognized the wooden house. The place is on a cliff with a sea-view from the terrace. Perfect place to recharge batteries and take a break from reality: just the two + dog. In the middle of summer there were hardly any people, so Rizo was non-stop off-the-leash, which he loved! <3
Not far from our place (5 mins.by car) we found a restaurant (one of two there). In a spacious garden we ate delicious dinner at a roofed table. Rizo got water and (but keep it secret) some meat on a plate, as the nice waitress had some.
Way back home – direction On the way along the shore, on nearly empty road, it’s worth turning into a side road towards the sea! You will find awesome, deserted sandy beaches with nudists or unusual “decorations”. #DogParadise!
After a few stops at wild beaches we arrived at Kaunas. Night at Daugirdas Hotel. A fantastic, stylish hotel at the bank of River Nemunas. Dog-friendly, big lawn just in front of it for morning pee-poo (important!). In the heart of the old town there are many open-air cafes and restaurants, where (to most of them) you can go with Mr Dog.
100% APPROVED FOR A DOG-HOLIDAY !!
Hello there! Could you tell me the exact name of the place in Jurkalne? We are desperately looking for some place to visit with our doggy. Thank you!
Hello Eva! Just take a look at our MAP (http://www.dogintravel.com/en/map-locations/) and you'll find the places there :)
Top to bottom, left to right: Kaunas Castle, House of Perkūnas, Kaunas Town Hall, Kaunas Reservoir, Our Lord Jesus Christ's Resurrection Basilica and Church of Saint ...