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Anyone planning a summer vacation abroad needs to be well informed. Many borders and hotels are still tight. But that will change soon - an overview of the regulations in popular holiday countries.
By Dominik Lauck, tagesschau.de
For a total of 31 countries, the travel warning due to the corona pandemic will be lifted again from June 15th . This applies to most EU countries as well as to Great Britain, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. A summer vacation abroad is possible again, but there are still restrictions in many travel countries.
After three months with corona restrictions, Italy is now largely free of travel. The borders are open to vacationers from the other 26 EU countries as well as Great Britain and Switzerland. The two-week quarantine was also lifted. However, initially only the airports in Rome, Milan and Naples will be opened for international flights. Hotel operations are also only gradually starting up again. According to "Corriere della Sera", only 40 of the 1200 hotels in Rome were open on Monday.
Museums, bars and restaurants are already welcoming guests, swimming pools and sports facilities are to follow in mid-June. At airports, train stations, museums and many other public places, travelers can expect a scanner to measure fever. Strict distance and hygiene regulations apply everywhere, for example on the beach, in restaurants and in hotels.
Entry via Austria is possible. Because the Alpine Republic, which actually keeps the border to Italy closed, lets tourists through to the Brenner Pass if they can cross Tyrol without a stay and prove that they are traveling to Italy - for example by booking a hotel.
In Italy, only the airports in Rome, Milan and Naples will initially be opened for international flights.
Austria will lift all border and health controls on neighboring countries with the exception of Italy as of Thursday. For Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Hungary there will be no quarantine or test requirements when entering Austria.
Hotels, accommodation facilities, restaurants and museums are already open. Restrictions are small, no safety distance is required within a group of guests, buffets and a visit to the hotel's wellness area should also be possible.
In addition, all leisure facilities are allowed to open again and cultural events are allowed again - the guest limit will be raised steadily in the coming weeks. That is why the Salzburg Festival has decided to show in the anniversary year - albeit significantly less than originally planned.
The entry ban for foreign tourists is - according to the official status - to be lifted on July 1st, as is the still valid quarantine regulation. Under what conditions tourists can then go on vacation in Spain is still unclear.
However, Mallorca and other holiday islands hope to receive a limited number of domestic and foreign visitors a little earlier. Plans are currently being discussed with the government in Madrid.
Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas expects Spain to lift the entry ban on June 21. Immediately afterwards he also wants to cancel the travel warning for the number one holiday destination for Germans - this is currently not the case for Spain.
Lifeguards are already taking care of bathers on the beach in Alicante. Germans, however, have to wait a little longer before they can go back to Spain. We are currently talking about June 21, officially July 1 is still mentioned.
France will reopen the border from June 15th without restrictions for travelers from Germany. In large parts of the country, tourist accommodations such as campsites or holiday homes are already open again - but only in Paris from the end of June. Restaurants and cafes can open all over the country. Because Paris was hit very hard by the virus, you can only drink and eat there on the terraces.
Leisure activities are also possible again. Theaters are allowed to open almost all over the country and the beaches are accessible again, but there are still regional regulations. While most museums and monuments can also receive visitors again, cinemas will follow later.
The Paris Louvre will reopen to museum visitors on July 6, Versailles Palace on June 6, the Musée d'Orsay on June 23 and the Center Pompidou on July 1. Wearing a mask is mandatory for all museum visits throughout France. In addition, some cultural sites have to introduce reservation systems in order to avoid too many visitors. Online reservations for the Louvre will be available from mid-June.
The Louvre in Paris will only reopen on July 6th - a reservation is mandatory in the future.
Entry restrictions for Germans never existed in the Netherlands, even in the Corona crisis. From July 1, campsites and holiday parks will be open to holidaymakers again without restrictions - previously under certain hygiene requirements. Since June 1, restaurants and cafés have been able to welcome at least a few guests again, and museums and theaters are also open again.
Belgium opens its borders to holidaymakers from Germany and 30 other European countries in mid-June. From June 8, restaurants, cafés and bars will be allowed to reopen after a compulsory break of almost three months - but subject to strict rules and only until 1 a.m. Then the cultural life should start up again. Initially, only events without an audience will be allowed, from July 1st up to 200 people will be allowed. Cinemas can also open again.
Tourists and travelers from 29 countries can come to Greece without a quarantine requirement from June 15th - including Germany, Austria and Switzerland. On July 1, the Greek government plans to review the corona situation in other countries to complete the list of countries. Great Britain, Italy and France are not included for the time being.
Flight operations are also scheduled to resume on June 15 - initially only to Athens and Thessaloniki, with the remaining airports to follow on July 1. The few passengers who have been traveling to Greece from abroad in the past few weeks have to undergo a corona test and stay in a hotel for one night until the result. After the opening, there will only be random samples for flights from the 29 countries.
Sights such as the Athens Acropolis and numerous beaches are already open again, and by the end of June, residents and hotels and holiday apartments should also be open again. Regular ferry traffic to the islands has already resumed, but with a limited number of passengers - in order to be able to maintain the prescribed safety distance. Restaurants and bars are also allowed to open again - even with a corresponding minimum distance.
The Acropolis, like most sights in Greece, is open again. German tourists are also allowed to enter the country from mid-June.
Denmark wants to reopen its borders to travelers from Germany, Norway and Iceland in mid-June . People from other countries, on the other hand, have to wait until the end of summer to enter. However, there are also conditions and restrictions for the entry from June 15 for tourists from the three countries. So you can not stay in Copenhagen.
For entry, Germans, Norwegians and Icelanders need proof of accommodation for at least six consecutive nights - either in a hotel, an apartment or at a campsite. Copenhagen can only be visited during the day. A corona test should be offered to all travelers.
The Swedish borders are not closed to Germans - the entry ban only applies to countries outside the EU and the European Free Trade Association. Only a few planes continue to fly from Germany to Stockholm or Gothenburg. For this, the ferry connections from Kiel, Rostock or Travemünde will continue to be used.
If you want to travel north over Denmark by car or train, you should also keep an eye on the Danish regulations: On the website of the Danish police, it is currently stated that a trip to Sweden, for example for people with a permanent residence in Germany, is "more worthy of recognition Purpose "applies to a permit for transit in Denmark.
The Norwegian borders have been tight for foreigners without a specific entry reason since mid-March. According to the government, the entry ban should last until August 20. Only Danes can travel to Norway from June 15th. Until July 20, Oslo wants to see whether the borders could be opened to travelers from other nearby European countries.
Britain is also a non-EU member of the countries for which the travel warning will be lifted on June 15th. However, the British government plans to introduce a two-week quarantine for all travelers from June 8 . In future, they will have to leave their address and contact details at the border. Anyone who does not adhere to self-isolation must face a heavy fine. Only a few professional groups are exempt from quarantine: truck drivers, harvest workers and medical personnel, as well as travelers from Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.
However, the final word does not seem to have been spoken yet. According to British media reports, the government in London wants to use so-called airlifts to circumvent the quarantine measures for many air travelers. Accordingly, flight passengers who come from a country with a low risk of infection should not be in quarantine. Downing Street has not commented on these reports.
The borders with Switzerland are to be reopened on June 15th. Many hotels weren't closed all the time anyway. Campsites, zoos, swimming pools, cinemas and theaters must adhere to hygiene and protection concepts. Hiking and wellness go, festivals and concerts don't. But that could change: On June 24th it will be decided when events with up to 1000 people are allowed again. The festival of classical music in Lucerne, the jazz festival in Montreux and the film festival in Locarno were canceled.
Tickets for cable cars, buses or trains should be obtained online if possible to avoid queues at the counter. Mouth and nose protection is recommended there, but not mandatory. The tables are spaced apart in restaurants. Hotels may offer wellness, but the following applies in swimming pools, saunas and steam rooms: one person per four square meters.
There are currently no entry restrictions for German citizens at airports in mainland Portugal, but for Madeira and the Azores. A 14-day hotel quarantine is mandatory there. The country wants to gradually open up to foreign tourism again. Most hotels are expected to reopen in mid-July.
Croatia is now allowing citizens to enter again without justification. Previously, travelers on the border had to provide accommodation or confirmation of property or boat ownership in Croatia. The easing also affects the citizens of nine other EU countries, including Austria. Travelers only have to explain at the border where they will be and how they can be reached. This should enable them to be found when there are new corona infections in their environment. To avoid long waiting times, holidaymakers can download a form from the entercroatia.mup.hr website.
Slovenia has allowed EU citizens to enter with a booking confirmation without corona tests and quarantine requirements since May 26th. Business travelers and property owners from the EU are also welcome. In addition, Europeans can travel through the small country in transit - such as German vacationers who want to drive their own car to Croatia.
All hotels can now open again. Previously, this only applied to hostels with fewer than 30 rooms. There are still restrictions for the beach operation: You can swim and surf, but not lie in the sun on the beach.
The Czech Republic will return tourists from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and other countries to the country from June 15 without the need for a negative corona test. Czechs and Slovaks can travel freely to the other country from Thursday. So far, this was only possible for 48 hours. Slovakia is currently somewhat more reluctant to relax the border regime.
The summer season for foreign tourists should start this month or at the latest on July 1st. The hotels are already accepting domestic tourists. EU citizens have been allowed to enter the country again since May 22nd - however, temperature measurements and 14-day quarantine are mandatory.
On the long bathing beaches, the deck chairs are already spaced apart. But Bulgaria's tourism is heavily dependent on international flights, about which there is still no clarity. That is why there is great uncertainty for the large hotels, which mainly accommodate holiday guests from abroad.
Iceland is also one of the five non-EU countries for which the travel warning is to be lifted on June 15. Iceland also wants to relax its restrictions on international travelers. So far, everyone has been quarantined for two weeks. As of June 15th, there is an alternative to get tested directly on entry into Corona. Icelandic travelers can also show that they are corona free by presenting health documents at the airport. Children are exempt from the tests. It is also planned that tourists will have to download and use a tracing app that can be used to better track infection chains.
For Turkey, the lifting of the travel warning is not yet planned. The Federal Government is waiting to see whether the EU Commission extends entry restrictions for citizens of third countries or not.
Nevertheless, Turkey hopes to be able to receive tourists again from mid-June and is preparing airports, beaches and hotels accordingly. For example, the semi-national airline Turkish Airlines now uses so-called hygiene experts on its flights. As a "health inspector", one member of the crew is responsible for ensuring that cleanliness measures and distance rules are observed. The flight attendants should, for example, make sure that there are no queues in front of the toilets, that all passengers wear their masks or that they do not remove them all at once during the meal distribution. Turkish Airlines plans to resume international connections on June 10. Corona tests are carried out at airports.
The borders are still tight for vacationers from abroad. It is still unclear when normality will return to resorts such as Hurghada and Sharm el Sheikh. Hotels are now allowed to reopen for local vacationers with 50 percent occupancy.
Foreigners from Europe entering the USA have been banned since mid-March . An end to the ban is currently not in sight.
