Hello. I am currently in Florence right now, and we have a party of three, Me (20), my mother (50), and our 33Kilo dog (3). We would like to go somewhere very warm for about a month, and noticed that the Canary Islands have quite a lovely temperature year round. We noticed flights were very cheap from Madrid to the Islands, but we're in Florence. Would it be best to train to Madrid, or fly there? And our dog create is a X large crate and those dimensions are 40L x 27W x 30H. So some airlines don't even take dogs that cant fit in the passenger part of the airplane. My mum is a single mum, and we're running out of money fast, this is her one and only vacation. HELP!
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
First, you need to check the airlines' requirements for carrying dogs. I think that some of the budget airlines don't even do this, so you may be restricted to Iberia. A dog as large as yours will have to be carried as "checked baggage" rather than in the cabin. And there are fees (sometimes high) for this, as well as various requirements. For instance, your dog will probably need a recent rabies shot, and to have the right kind of microchip (the US uses a different one from Europe). You must have the "right" carrier type and size. And there is a limit on how many dogs can be carried per plane, so you want to get your reservation in early. As I said, look into these issues first, as this may be a deal-breaker for any other plans. (I don't have dogs, but my sister does, and from helping her, I've learned about some of the issues above). A quick look on the Bahn website shows that a train from Florence to Madrid would take 27 to 29 hours, and involve 3 to 5 changes. I don't know the cost, but I assume a flight would be cheaper (if you can find one that will take your dog). I don't mean to be discouraging, and I do hope you can have your warm weather excursion!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16061 posts
From Florence you can fly to Madrid on Mon, Wed and Fri (Vueling) From Pisa you can fly to Madrid on Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun (Ryanair) From Bologna you can fly to Madrid every day (Ryanair or Iberia) From Bologna you can also fly DIRECTLY to Tenerife on the Canary Islands on Mon and Fri only (Ryanair), next flight is this Friday, Feb. 1 at 2:05pm. That's your best bet. Ryanair is cheap too, but watch out for baggage restrictions and fees. Bologna airport is about one hour drive north of Florence. You can take a bus in Florence at the Fortezza da Basso (Appennino Shuttle bus). You can also take a high speed Freccia train then a shuttle from the Bologna station, but it's more expensive and the Appennino shuttle bus is just as fast because it takes you straight from Florence to the Bologna airport. http://www.appenninoshuttle.it/corse_linea_autobus_firenze_bologna_aeroporto_navetta.asp I don't know about the dog crate with Ryanair though.