Driving to Malta from UK with a small dog

All the information you need is on this post.
https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=349437

This link explains the requirements and forms.

http://vafd.gov.mt/pet-travel-scheme



Terry

Doing the journey now left France now in Italy, taking the ferry from Genoa tho Sicily, then ferry to Malta, no dog, but taken tunnel then stops over 7 days, to ferry, done it mostly with no toils, except tunnel under Monte  Blanc, on my own, limited French & Italian, bit found lots of help, booked everything b4 leaving UK, good luck

Hi Beverley,

We are looking to do this journey later in the year with our 2 dogs. If you pick up any tips on route please could you advise!

Good luck with your trip

Best wishes

Mandy

Hi Mandy,
Yes, will do.  Someone has already told me to give plenty of time at the Channel Tunnel UK side as you have to take your dogs to a pet control place to get them checked out before allowing you through the Channel Tunnel, so it can add time and you might end up missing the one that you've been booked on.  We've found a dog friendly hotel in Folkestone as we'll stop there overnight (we're travelling from the West Midlands), then travel through France the following day. 

When are you planning to travel?

Regards
Bev

Wow thanks Beverley for your quick response. We're not planning to drive til October but have been looking for reviews or advice for a few months to enable us to start planning!!

It's knowing where to stay once the journey starts in France having dogs with us!

When do you plan to travel?

Mandy

Thanks for your message.  How many stops did you make in Italy? We were hoping to get the journey done in 5 days.  I have to say we hadn't considered getting the ferry from Genoa - we were going to drive down to southern Italy and cross over to Sicily there and get the ferry.  How long is the ferry crossing from Genoa?

We were hoping to go before the summer, maybe June if we can get things sorted here by then.

Thanks for your reply Terry, I'll check out the links.  I googled the journey - it's quite a daunting drive, especially the southern Italy / Sicily leg.  Another post on here has mentioned getting a ferry from Genoa, I might look into that as an option too.

, We have done it lots of time and in both directions.
Lots of information in the pets section including pet friendly hotels and ferry companies.

It is important to pre notify Malta using the online form as the vet has to meet you on arrival in Valletta.

Terry

Beverley, I have read a bit on this a while ago out of curiosity as we are planning a move at some point this later year.

We decided the drive through the entire length of Italy made sense as the ferry routes were shorter. There does seem to be conflicting reports from what I have read about dogs being allowed with you on the boats. Some have cages they need to be kept in, some seem to let them into the cabin with you. The low-risk option seemed to be to drive as much as possible, though it is a fair bit of driving and the roads in Italy can be very, very slow. You also need to have your wits about you, and if it rains things often seem to come to a stop on the motorways. Not unusual to see trucks flying down the hard shoulder (around 30mph+) past stationary cars so you need to be patient and very aware of idiots around you.

Five days seemed about right when we looked at, giving plenty of time before ferries in the event things go wrong. The ferry from Genoa is an overnight affair, it takes quite a while, which is something else I didn't fancy - I'd rather drive further and I enjoy driving.

As Terry stated you need to fill a form in so a vet meets you in Valetta to sign your dog off. You need a pet passport, and effectively they need to be wormed the day you leave the UK so the worming treatment is in date when you arrive - get your vet to sign that off so you can evidence it. I started rabies jabs in our dogs a year ago, not sure if this is a requirement or not now (sorry I can't recall) but it seems to make sense as rabies can very occasionally be an issue in Europe - more eastern, though, but better safe than sorry.  [Edit - sorry, was just writing from the top of my head - you covered this in your post, apologies]

The last one is sandfly vaccine - leishmaniasis - as I am sure you are aware this is an issue in Malta, and many parts of the Mediterranean, due to the mosquitos. You can get scarabor collars, which help but are not 100% effective. The vaccine is also not 100% effective but it is up around 90%. Planning to use a collar and vaccination. Our vet locally can provide vaccination, if you haven't read up on it have a look at some internet sites - as with everything there are risks attached to it but IMO the risks seemed worth taking.   

Hope that helps and good luck with the planning!

Cheer, Dan

Thanks Dan,

I looked on DirectFerries for the journey between Genoa and Palermo, and it looks like some ferries have the option to reserve a pet friendly cabin, which would be ideal.  It looks like we could get the ferry in the evening and arrive in Palermo late afternoon/early evening the following day.  Then I think once we arrive in Palermo, we would drive down to Pozzallo, maybe stay overnight near there, as I think I've read somewhere else, and catch the catamaran (Virtuferries) to Malta the following morning.  That takes about 2 hours.   I have to look into it a bit more but at the moment that seems our preferred option.

Thanks for your advice.

i would  strongly advise  you to book the virtu ferry in advance. The service is cancelled because of high wind or bad weather sometimes for days at a time, if you have booked and leave a contact number they will advise you and give you a place on the next ferry. If you do not pre- book you may find yourself on the end of a very long queue!

Terry

Hi Terry,
It looks like we will be moving early June now - I'm still considering whether to get the ferry from Genoa to Palermo or do the drive down to the bottom of Italy and catch the ferry there. The Direct Ferries website says you can book a pet friendly cabin on board so keep your pet with you, as I didn't like the sound of the cages they have to be kept in.  We were told that Genoa ferry terminal is a nightmare to get to and if you miss the sign you could be driving hours to get back to where you need to be. Have you done this journey, or have you always driven down to the south of Italy and crossed that way?   I would be interested in which you thought would be simpler?  My husband hates boats, but I was just trying to save him several hours driving time by going from Genoa!  Also, we have to bear in mind we have to be in Malta within 5 days of leaving the UK due to the dogs vaccinations/tapeworm treatment.  Otherwise it wouldn't have been a problem and we could have taken our time!!
Do you think we could drive through the France part of the journey in one day? Sorry - I hope it's not too many questions!!

Thank you for posting that question Bev, you have been doing the exact same research as me and have the same dilemmas! Have you spoken to the ferrys to confirm they do have cabins you can allow 1 dog (in your case) or 2. My dogs are whippet size and couldn't seem to find a definite answer re that size dog being in the cabin. I've even looked into flying (not our preferable choice) but very expensive when not an ideal situation and read bad reviews on how the dogs were treated! Wish we could wave a magic wound to get them there with much less hassle! Please keep me updated with your findings, glad you have a date confirmed, how exciting 😊
Mandy

Are you travelling later in the year Mandy? Our dog is only small (a shih tzu) and I know he'd be terrified in a cage, and we would be upset too. I haven't emailed the ferry company direct but it gives you the option of booking pet friendly cabins so I'm assuming he can be in there with us. I just can't wait to set foot in Valletta and have that journey behind us. As I said, we could take our time and enjoy it more if we hadn't got those time restraints!

BeverleyB wrote:

Are you travelling later in the year Mandy? Our dog is only small (a shih tzu) and I know he'd be terrified in a cage, and we would be upset too. I haven't emailed the ferry company direct but it gives you the option of booking pet friendly cabins so I'm assuming he can be in there with us. I just can't wait to set foot in Valletta and have that journey behind us. As I said, we could take our time and enjoy it more if we hadn't got those time restraints!

I don't know about your particular case, as we don't have dogs and have thus never really thought about how to travel with dogs, but just generally, I'd most definitely confirm with the ferry company (not with an agent such as directferries) if you can / cannot bring the dogs into the cabin! I've had two other instances where I didn't book directly with the transport company (once an airline, once a coach company; both times in spain - but still) and the agent said something was possible (in my case, taking a bicycle along), but then when I actually got there, the transport company refused to accept the bicycle, told me the agent had provided wrong information, and referred to their own Ts&Cs.

Long story short - do check with the ferry company BEFORE booking, and make sure you get a written confirmation!

Best of luck with your move!

And btw, we missed our ferry from Sicily to Livorno last autumn, so had to drive all the way (to Austria) -  not with a dog, but with a toddler and a 5-year-old. No problem at all (except that we had to hurry, as I knew I had to be at work the next day, since we had left one day later than planned), the motorways were great, especially further south they're all new, more traffic around Rome, but in all, we managed to make the journey (about 1600 kilometres) in one and a half days (one stopover for the night; driving time with some short stops and lunch break, if you don't count the nightly stopover, approx. 18 hours). So it's managable, but doing the trip by ferry is a lot more relaxed.

We have done both, ie ferry  and drive down to toe of Italy, both with our large dog.

Ferry company will allow small dogs in cabins but not large dogs, kennels on board are disgusting and we would never do that route again with a large dog.

The drive down is easy and fast but more expensive on tolls.

Plenty of places to stop and overnight if you wish.

Dont stress about the worming as you can get it done in Italy on the way down.
Most medium to large size towns will have vets and if you take a tablet with you they are happy to sign the passport for a cash fee around €10.

Terry

Yes but we're not travelling until December but keep looking into the options that are open to us.

Thanks for your post Terry, that's reassuring to know about worming in Italy if need be!

I thought that may be the case that large dogs not allowed in cabin, although mine are whippet size I have two and wouldn't want to get there and they refuse on size! So I will rule that option out -I think driving all the way is our only option. May get in touch nearer to when we drive.

Appreciate your feedback

Mandy

Happy to help.

Terry

Hi Terry,
I was looking (on Google maps!) at the drive down to the toe of Italy - did you get the ferry from Villa San Giovanni to Messina? It looks as if there are quite a few ferries throughout the day - maybe we wouldn't have to book that in advance, but just turn up and get on there?  It gives us more choice rather than the 11pm ferry we would have to catch in Genoa in June.
Was your route A26 A4 E35, A30, A3 - it seemed to suggest that was the quickest route from Calais to Villa San Giovanni - but going top to bottom through Switzerland?! With lots of tolls by the look of it.   We have got  a toll tag which allows us to go through the fast lanes of the tolls rather than queue in the slow lanes - and we've also got a Switzerland vignette(?) sticker to put on the car,as we heard a lot of people get caught out by the cameras in Switzerland when they cross the border if they don't have that sticker!  We're finding out more things every day....!

We never went via Switzerland, just France and Italy but we have family and friends in both, so it was a stop and visit type of journey.
Mainly on the motorways and toll roads, its the best way if you are going direct.

Yes we went via San Giovanni, the ferry runs about every 20 min and you can get your ticket on the way in to the town. The signs direct you to the drive through ticket office.
The ferry is a drive on drive off and you leave the dogs in the car, it only takes about 20min for the crossing.
The run through Sicily is also mainly motorway but they are free (or not manned).
and takes about 4 hours to pozzalo.
As you drive off the ferry in Malta the vet will be waiting to check the paperwork and will want to see the approved prior notification form.

Terry

Hi Beverley

How many hours are you planning to drive per day? As like me I think your Husband is mainly driving (mine keeps persuading me I could drive part of the journey to speed it up!)  but we may not be married by the time we make it to Malta if that was the case! 
😉

Mandy

For the ferry from San Giovanni, we booked the ticket via the website on the same day (a few hours before taking the ferry), the booking is valid for any ferry on the selected day.

http://www.carontetourist.it/v2.6_en/

The pros of booking online are it's 5% cheaper, and more importantly, you can drive directly to the ferry port, there you enter your booking number in the ticket machine, get your ticket and drive onto the next ferry. You leave everything (so dogs, too) in the car - some people even stayed in their cars for the crossing, though I don't know if that's actually allowed?!

For the motorways in Italy there is an online toll calculator available here:

http://www.autostrade.it/autostrade_en-gis/percorso.do


Bernie

Hi Mandy,
I'll let you know when we've worked the route out for definite.  I was hoping to have only 2 overnight stops if we could get away with it, but we might stretch to 3, depending on how tired he is.  Yes, my husband will be doing all of the driving - it's my job to keep track of directions and make sure the dog is ok!!

Bev
x

Ditto  Bev, I think I will be in charge of those two jobs too!! I look forward to tracking your route with you!

Mandy x

Hi Terry,

As time is getting near for our departure to Malta I have been exploring our options again - we don't mind the drive down to Villa San Giovanni - as I have said previously, our only worry was getting there within the five days because of the tapeworm treatment regulation.  However, I may take your advice and just bring the tablet with us and ask an Italian vet to sign off the Pet Passport en route, as we then can take it easy and enjoy a few stops along the way.  Are there any vets / towns in particular that you can remember using?

Greetings all,

This seems to be a popular subject.

Have any of you thought about writing a blog about your experiences?

You can create it one here

SimCityAT
Expat.com Expert Team

We used any vet depending on the time we planned to arrive in Malta.
When you are a couple of days away from the ferry in Sicily just ask at the hotel reception for the nearest vet.
We found that most vets will put down any date you ask them, the cost is around €10 cash.
You dont need the "fit to travel" bit filled in.
Don,t forget to pre notify the government vet in Malta.

We have now moved to Cyprus with our dog (long story).

Good luck,
               Terry

Hi Beverley

I'm so glad I found your post.  I am looking to move to Malta at the end of June.  My eldest daughter is currently living in my property there but she will be moving out soon.  I shall be travelling with my small dog too and have just tried finding a route plan to get there.  I was hoping to make a holiday out of the journey but didn't realise about the tapeworm treatment so glad I have seen that. 
My understanding was that Eurotunnel didn't accept animals and the only way to cross to France was by ferry?  The journey plan is not as easy as I had thought it would be.  I don't think there would be a ferry problem from Italy to Malta where animals are concerned as they are part and parcel of family life although I understand clarification is peace of mind!  I also think that Booking.com will be invaluable in finding pet friendly places to stay en route. 
Any further insights gleaned would be appreciated and anything I discover in my research, I will share.  You should think of writing a blog on this as there is definitely the interest and need out there.

Best regards, Sharon

Hi Sharon, you can take dogs via the Channel tunnel, you need them to have a Pet Passport and have had the rabies jab at least 21 days before you travel and the tapeworm treatment within 5 days of entering Malta, which is the bit we're fretting about most!
Send me a friend request and we can keep in touch with our relevant moves! What part are you moving to?
Regards
Bev

I've sent you a contact request, I presume that's right although fb might be easier!
I knew about the pet passport but not the tapeworm treatment. I didn't know pets could go through the tunnel as last time I checked, when my daughter wanted to bring her chihuahua, they couldn't or not with a foot passenger, maybe?!
We're moving to St Julians. It's all very exciting but scary too.
Keep in touch 😊
Sharon