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Groningen is one of the most painlessly dog-friendly bases you can pick in the Dutch north: smaller and calmer than Amsterdam, with the Wadden Sea UNESCO coast and the Schiermonnikoog dog beach 1h15 by Qbuzz bus + ferry, dogs free on all NS trains in a carrier (€3.30 Dagkaart Hond for larger dogs), and a generous urban green network (Noorderplantsoen, Stadspark, Reitdiep). A handful of local rules and habits will make the trip smoother. The Vismarkt, the Grote Markt and the Hoge der A canal quays are leash-only zones; off-leash freedom starts in the marked losloopgebieden of Noorderplantsoen and Stadspark. The city is the unofficial cycling capital of the Netherlands with over 50% of trips by bike, dogs in cargo-bike baskets (bakfiets) are a common sight.