Embarking on a weekend adventure to Paris with our four furry friends – George, Lulu, Ivy, and Jet – Alison and I knew we were in for a challenge. Nevertheless, we were excited to explore the city and see just how far and how much we could do with our dogs.
Our journey kicked off early Friday morning with a crossing through the Eurotunnel with Folkestone Taxi – we have used them for every crossing. Despite the long drive, all travellers handled it well, with the exception of George, who as usual panted throughout most of the journey. Thankfully, as soon as we arrived, he was completely fine.
Opting to stay at The Hoxton (30-32 Rue du Sentier, 75002 Paris) for its convenience and pet-friendly accommodations. We settled in before embarking on our main mission for the weekend: to eat well and to obtain EU Pet Passports for Lulu, Jet, and Ivy early next morning.
Early next morning, we took advantage of the Spring sunshine and we strolled through the picturesque streets of Paris, capturing iconic moments along the way.
We crossed the Seine River and walked past Notre Dame.
And on our way to lunch we walked past The Louvre.
And each time they posed, we drew a crowd!
Most of the iconic sights were explored on foot, with the exception of the Eiffel Tower. It was too far to walk so we had our first experience of taking a taxi with four dogs!
In general, most taxi Parisian drivers refuse to take pets. It was always a problem when I travelled with Darcy. They would only consider taking us if she was in a bag, so I always had a tote bag for her to sit in.
The most reliable was G7 Taxis – they have cars that take dogs but you need to tell them. Since then, Uber Pets now exists. But with four dogs, it was a hit or miss. We had one turning up and refused to take us because we had four dogs. We had to bribe him to take us as we were already late for our dinner. And in the end, it turned out to be one of his most memorable rides. He kept looking back at us in the back seat and laughed at the incredibility of the situation! At the end of the ride, he said – very good dogs! LOL!
Booking restaurants ahead of time was essential, with a specific warning that three humans would be accompanied by four “small” dogs. My friend, Sylvia from Dusseldorf had come to join us for the weekend, so we thought the ratio of dogs to humans was better – and besides, Lulu was either in my arms or in my bag. Despite repeated forewarning, it was always unnerving when we entered each venue.
At Chez Georges, a classic Parisian bistro, the maitre’d was initially taken aback by the unexpected guests, but they were accommodated nonetheless.
It was a bit crammed but we thoroughly enjoyed the classic French cuisine amid cozy surroundings.
Similarly, at Le Grand Colbert, an iconic Parisian brasserie, we faced initial skepticism upon arrival.
After a bit of shuffling around their table allocation, they seated us at a spacious table by the entrance. The dogs sat under the table, while Lulu fell asleep in my handbag on the banquette.
They brought water bowls for the dogs and they never heard another peep from any of them. The waiters were so impressed by how well they behaved.
The culinary adventure continued at Hotel Costes and the place to be seen is in the courtyard. We’ve been there quite a few times with Darcy and sat in the courtyard alongside the fashionable people.
However, with four dogs they showed us to one of the side rooms, which in my opinion was better. The floors were carpeted so the dogs were more comfortable and for us humans, quieter.
François and Susan, our Parisian friends came to join us for my birthday celebration at Benoit Paris, a renowned Michelin-starred restaurant by Alain Ducasse. Despite prior confirmation of the number of dogs in their party, we still encountered some raised eyebrows. They had already allocated us to sit in the back room and it was perfect for us and the dogs.
As the throng of us left the restaurant, parading past the main dining room with four dogs, François overheard one of the customers comment, “That is so French.” He turned to them and said, “They’re actually not French. They’re English.” LOL!
Introduced to us by Margaret McSweeney of Kitchen Chat, we had to stop at Nina’s Marie Antoinette, an elegant tea salon near Place Vendome. Here, one stops for a cup of the original tea that was first produced in 1776 by infusing rose petals with apples by Nina Diaz the daughter of the perfumer, Pierre Diaz. Aand a slice of Marie Antoinette’s favourite cake. Here, they were expecting us after having received permission from the manager days prior to travelling.
It was truly a very busy three-day weekend in Paris but we achieved our goal to get EU Pet Passports for Ivy, Jet and Lulu while George had his rabies vaccination topped-up.
Our adventures didn’t end in Paris – we decided to explore the tulip fields in the Netherlands.
And what a glorious sight it was – seas of vivid yellow and deep red tulips. And the next field was purple, pink and orange. That was defo on the bucket list. We will share the pictures taken when we get them.
From there, we made our way back to the UK via the Stenaline ferry from Hoek van Holland to Harwich.
The pet-friendly cabins made for a comfortable journey, allowing us to unwind after a very busy weekend. The sailing time was about 6 hours but it was very comfortable. As only three dogs were allowed in each cabin, Alison and I took a cabin each, next to each other.
Our passports were checked and we passed! We arrived at Harwich International and then caught a train to Liverpool Street train station, and finally a taxi home.
It was a first time abroad for Jet and Ivy. For Lulu, it was a return to the European city where she first landed after leaving Beijing. Now she is truly a French poodle (without the poodle cut). George is a seasoned traveller and aside from car rides, he is a brilliant traveller.
For a more thorough guide on preparing your dogs for travel to Europe read James & Ella’s blog – How to Travel with Your Dog from UK to Europe.
