Traveller with a dog beside a trainThe Dog Friendly Route

Germany · Verbund tariffs

Where can my dog travel on buses and trains in Germany?

In Germany the rule isn’t set by the bus or the train; it’s set by the Verbund, the tariff area, and it covers every local mode at once. Every Verbund below takes a big dog. What changes is whether it needs a muzzle, whether your Deutschlandticket covers the dog, and how much the driver gets to decide.

  • 20of 20 Verbünde take a dog
    over 10 kg outside a carrier
  • 0of 20 Verbünde refuse a dog
    over 10 kg outside a carrier
  • 0of 20 Verbünde are
    not yet confirmed

Each Verbund page links the tariff source it rests on and its recorded check date. The Verbund rule is the floor; individual operators can add stricter terms, on-demand taxi-buses often refuse dogs, and the moment you cross into the next tariff area the rule can change. Trains, ferries and the rest of the country: the Germany guide.

Choose a Verbund

The large-dog table

Can a dog over 10 kg travelling outside a carrier board? Choose a Verbund for its published rule.

Verbund rules at a glance · select a Verbund for conditions and sources.
VerbundProviderOver 10 kg, outside a carrier
Berlin and BrandenburgVBBVBB buses and trainsOfficial guidance Yes, with a catchLead, muzzleMuzzle mandatory, always — not “if dangerous”.
HamburghvvHVV buses and trainsOfficial guidance Yes, with a catchLead, muzzle if dangerousFour listed fighting breeds and their crosses are banned outright.
MunichMVVMVV buses and trainsOfficial guidance Allowed with conditionsLead, muzzle if dangerous
Rhein-RuhrVRRVRR buses and trainsOfficial guidance Allowed with conditionsLead, muzzle if dangerous
Cologne and BonnVRSVRS buses and trainsOfficial guidance Yes, with a catchLeadNo dogs on the on-demand AST taxi-buses.
Frankfurt and Rhine-MainRMVRMV buses and trainsOfficial guidance Allowed with conditionsLead, muzzle if dangerous
StuttgartVVSVVS buses and trainsOfficial guidance Allowed with conditionsLead, muzzle if dangerous, ticket
Rhine-NeckarVRNVRN buses and trainsOfficial guidance Yes, with a catchLead, muzzle if dangerous, ticketChild ticket per trip; Deutschlandticket doesn’t cover the dog.
Dresden and the Upper ElbeVVOVVO buses and trainsOfficial guidance Yes, with a catchLead, muzzle (€20 fine), ticketMuzzle mandatory, €20 fine without it. Deutschlandticket doesn’t cover the dog.
Schleswig-HolsteinSH-TarifSH-Tarif buses and trainsOfficial guidance Yes, with a catchLead, muzzle on trains, ticketMuzzle mandatory on trains for any dog bigger than a cat. Child ticket; no Deutschlandticket cover.
HannoverGVHÜSTRA and GVH buses and trainsOfficial guidance Yes, with a catchLead, muzzle on rail, ticketMuzzle mandatory on the S-Bahn. Child ticket unless you add D-Ticket Plus.
Kassel and North HesseNVVNVV buses and trainsOfficial guidance Yes, with a catchLead; staff decide; freeFree — but the bus or train staff decide. Call-taxis take only a cat-sized dog in a box.
SchwerinNVSNahverkehr Schwerin trams and busesOfficial guidance Allowed with conditionsLead, muzzle if dangerous, ticket
Bremen and BremerhavenVBNVBN buses and trainsOfficial guidance Yes, with a catchLead, muzzle if dangerous, ticketChild ticket; Deutschlandticket doesn’t cover the dog.
KarlsruheKVVKVV buses and trainsOfficial guidance Allowed with conditionsLead, muzzle if dangerous
Nuremberg and FranconiaVGNVGN buses and trainsOfficial guidance Yes, with a catchLead, muzzle if dangerous, ticketChild single ticket per trip; Deutschlandticket doesn’t cover the dog.
AachenAVVAVV buses and trainsOfficial guidance Allowed with conditionsLead, muzzle if dangerous
WestphaliaWestfalenTarifWestfalenTarif buses and trainsOfficial guidance Allowed with conditionsLead, muzzle if dangerous
Lower Saxony regional trainsNiedersachsentarifNiedersachsentarif regional trainsOfficial guidance Yes, with a catchLead, ticketChild-rate ticket; operators on these lines add their own muzzle wording.
Göttingen and southern Lower SaxonyVSNVSN buses and trainsOfficial guidance Allowed with conditionsLead

Recognised assistance dogs are exempt from these pet restrictions. Each page says what that network asks for — a card, a jacket, sometimes a muzzle.

What this changes

One ticket area, one rule.
Cross the line, check again.

  1. Pack a muzzle even where it’s “only if dangerous” — the driver decides what that means.
  2. Check whether your Deutschlandticket covers the dog in this Verbund; in several it doesn’t.
  3. Treat on-demand taxi-buses (AST, Rufbus) as a separate rule — many refuse dogs.
  4. Recheck the tariff a fortnight before you travel.
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