Nature, walks, and shared excursions: Camping offers ideal conditions for a vacation with a dog. Which campsites are particularly impressive is shown by an analysis of guest reviews on PiNCAMP, the camping portal of ADAC, ANWB and TCS. Around seven out of ten dog-relevant guest reviews from Europe are positive.
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Camping with dogs: The key is the shared experience
A look at guest reviews for campsites across Europe shows: The friendly treatment of dogs as well as opportunities for walks and running around are praised particularly often. However, a warm welcome alone does not make for a successful holiday with a four-legged friend. Experiences vary widely, especially regarding access to beaches, lakes, and rivers.
Practical amenities on the campsite itself are also crucial. Dog showers, waste bag dispensers, and similar facilities receive almost as much criticism as praise. A lack of such services is also criticized.
“For dog owners, what matters is how well the dog can be integrated into the vacation,” says Uwe Frers, camping expert and Managing Director of PiNCAMP. “Whether beach, lake, or restaurant: The four-legged friend should ideally be able to join in. But practical things like a sufficient number of waste bag stations also make the stay more straightforward. If they are missing, small details quickly turn into annoyances.”
Camping with dogs: How guests rate individual aspects of their stay
- Interaction with dogs on site: 96% positive
- Nature and walking opportunities: 80% positive
- Dog-friendly accommodation: 71% positive
- Dog exercise areas: 69% positive
- Fenced pitches: 57% positive
- Facilities and offers for dogs: 48% positive
- Access to beaches and bodies of water: 30% positive
- Restaurant visits with dogs: 28% positive
- Dog safety and health: 15% positive
- Dog fees: 9% positive
- Overall assessment of dog-friendliness: 95% positive
Note: Not all topics are addressed in every guest review. The percentage values are therefore based on varying numbers of statements depending on the topic. The complete evaluation with sample sizes is included in the digital press kit.
ALL RANKINGS: Europe’s most dog-friendly campsites
Germany
- Campingplatz Erlensee
- Naturpark-Camping Prinzenholz
- Camping Harfenmühle
Austria
- Euro-Camp Wilder Kaiser
- Sportcamp Woferlgut
- Pielachtal Camping
Switzerland
- TCS Camping Gordevio Valle Maggia
- TCS Camping Salavaux Plage
- Camping Lac des Brenets
Italy
- Alpinfitness Waldcamping Völlan
- Fornella Camping & Wellness Resort
- Camping Oasi
Croatia
- Koversada Uncovered Naturist Campsite
- Camping Stobreč Split
- Aminess Style Camping Atea Resort
France
- Camping Château du Gandspette
- Sites et Paysages Le Ventoulou
- Camping Domaine du Haut des Bluches
Netherlands
- Strandcamping Groede
- Camping De Pallegarste
- Camping De Kienehoef
Denmark
- Ballum Camping
- Drejby Strand Camping
- Feriepark Langeland – Emmerbølle Strand Camping
Spain
- Camping Caravaning Oyambre
- Camping Amfora
- Camping Playa de Poniente
Methodology
The analysis is based on around 500,000 online reviews from camping guests on PiNCAMP across Europe. Using AI-assisted content analysis, around 12,500 statements regarding camping with dogs were identified and assigned to different areas of the holiday experience – including welcome culture, nature and exercise opportunities, access to water, dog-specific infrastructure and fees, and aspects relating to safety and health. The statements were rated as positive, neutral, or negative.
For the Germany ranking, a Dog Experience Score was calculated for each included campsite on a scale from 1 (very negative) to 5 (very positive). Three factors are included in the evaluation: concrete experiences of guests camping with dogs (45%), explicit overall judgments on the dog-friendliness of the site (45%), and the enthusiasm rate (10%). The latter indicates the proportion of relevant guest reviews in which a campsite is highlighted as particularly good for a holiday with a dog.
Only campsites that generally allow dogs and have at least ten relevant reviews from the past three years were considered for the ranking. The investigation period ranges from September 1, 2023, to August 31, 2026. For the country rankings in Croatia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland, a lower threshold of five dog-relevant guest reviews applies.
