Looking for somewhere to stay with your dog in Derry or Strabane? We checked hotel chains, independent hotels, B&Bs, self-catering cottages and campsites directly on their own websites or official tourism board listings, rather than trusting a generic “pet-friendly” badge. Here’s what we could genuinely verify, with a few honest gaps flagged too.
Hotels
- Holiday Inn Express Derry–Londonderry, 31 Strand Road, Derry, BT48 7BL — pets are allowed, but only in a limited number of pet-friendly rooms, and you need to book by phoning the hotel directly rather than online. There’s a £25-a-night fee, one pet per room. Call +44 2871 162400 to check availability before you travel.
- Da Vinci’s Hotel, 15 Culmore Road, Derry, BT48 8JB — listed as dog-friendly on Visit Derry’s own tourism page, with dogs welcome inside. No fee is confirmed on that listing, so phone ahead to check what, if anything, is charged.
A few well-known chain hotels in the area explicitly don’t take pets, which is worth knowing before you book: the Best Western Plus White Horse Hotel in Londonderry says so plainly in its own FAQ (despite carrying a stray “pet-friendly” filter tag elsewhere), as do the Fir Trees Hotel in Strabane and the City Hotel Derry, both confirmed via their own booking listings. Maldron Hotel Derry, Travelodge Derry, the Everglades Hotel and Bishop’s Gate Hotel had no stated pet policy we could find anywhere — that’s not a yes or a no, so ring and ask before you book any of these four.
Bed and breakfast
- Abbey Bed and Breakfast, 4 Abbey Street, Derry, BT48 9DN — listed as pet-friendly with no charge on its own booking-platform listing, which also recommends contacting the property directly to confirm. Worth a quick call before you arrive with your dog.
Self-catering and cottages
- The Corner House, Creggan, Derry City and Strabane — sleeps six across three bedrooms, one pet allowed, no pet fee stated. Listed on selfcatering.co.uk’s own dog-friendly Derry City and Strabane page.
- Derg Cottage at Finn Valley Cottages, rural Strabane — welcomes dogs only, one pet per booking, with a 20lb (roughly 9kg) weight limit, so this one suits smaller dogs rather than larger breeds. No fee stated beyond the weight restriction.
Camping and touring parks
We couldn’t verify a genuine dog-friendly campsite or touring caravan park actually inside the Derry City and Strabane council area. The nearest confirmed options — sites in Swatragh and Upperlands — sit over the boundary in Mid Ulster, and a glamping site in Ballykelly is in Causeway Coast and Glens. If camping with your dog is the plan, it’s worth widening your search to those neighbouring areas rather than assuming local coverage.
Before you book
Pet policies and fees change, and several of the listings above rest on tourism-board or booking-platform data rather than the hotel’s own confirmation, so a quick phone call before you travel is always worth it — ask about room location, any weight or breed limits, and whether your dog can be left alone in the room if you want to eat out. If your dog gets unsettled away from home, a Calmdogs calming collar from Calmshops is one option to use alongside settling-in time, though it isn’t a substitute for proper training, and it’s always worth asking your vet if your dog’s anxiety concerns you.
For the rest of what’s local, see our Derry and Strabane dog services hub, our guide to vets in the area, and dog trainers in Derry and Strabane.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Derry hotels actually allow dogs?
Holiday Inn Express Derry–Londonderry has a limited number of pet rooms (book by phone, £25 a night), and Da Vinci’s Hotel is listed as dog-friendly by Visit Derry. Several other chains, including Best Western Plus White Horse Hotel, City Hotel Derry and the Fir Trees Hotel in Strabane, explicitly don’t allow pets.
Is there a dog-friendly campsite in Derry and Strabane?
We couldn’t verify one inside the council area itself. The nearest confirmed dog-friendly sites sit just over the boundary in Mid Ulster and Causeway Coast and Glens.
Does Strabane have dog-friendly accommodation?
Yes, though options are limited: Derg Cottage at Finn Valley Cottages takes one dog under 20lb, and it’s worth phoning ahead to any other local property to check their policy directly.
Written by Georgiana & Figo.
