My wife and I are planning to travel to Germany and Austria in late September for 3 weeks before visiting our Son's family in England. We are both fully vaccinated. I have read numerous EU articles on testing requirements. We plan to arrive in Munich, rent a car, travel to Hallstatt in Austria. We will go between both countries several times before moving on to England. It looks like we will have to covid test each time we cross a border. Where do we get the testing done? I am very confused about what to do. Most of the towns we visit will be small. Help would be appreciated. Earl
Posted by
Los Angeles
4366 posts
perhaps buy some of those kits where you DIY and someone monitors you
Posted by
98 posts
I have a similar trip planned. If you are vaccinated and have proof of that, I don't think you need to test except to leave the US for your plane and the return flight home. Can you provide the sites which mentioned tests for vaccinated people in Germany and Austria?
Thanks so much.
Posted by
11 posts
I am no expert but have been researching a trip to Germany, Switzerland, and France that we will be taking later this month. Just by googling, I've found that there are many testing centers located throughout Europe, like everywhere, in pharmacies, pop up places, hospitals, health centers. Someone from Austria just told me today that because vaccinations are not as widely available in Europe as the US, they have testing centers everywhere and people just get tested all the time. The upside to this is that they are able to track the areas where covid rates are high. At any rate, if there is a pharmacy in your small town, I am sure you will be able to get tested there or they can direct you to a test site. Testing is also available at all the airports. I am not sure, but I'd also think there are testing sites at all the border crossings also. If you know the names of towns where you are crossing, just google the town name plus covid test. Good luck. Edit, I wanted to add that I have also purchased the Binax home test kit to bring with me just in case. You do the test over a video link and they read the results and give you a qr code. This test is accepted by airlines for reentry to the US. https://www.emed.com/products/covid-at-home-testkit-six-pack
Posted by
1890 posts
If you are fully vaccinated it is very unlikely that you have to provide tests additionally. I can't say it for all European countries, but there is a strong tendency now to loose restrictions for vaccinated people to incite the unvaccinated to get their shot.
For sure you do not need any tests in Austria anymore if fully vaccinated.
Posted by
Oberpfalz, Germany
1285 posts
1 August Germany started random checks at the boarders for cars crossing into Germany again. You need to show prof of vaccine, test or recovery. I returned to Germany on secondary roads near Kufstein/Kiefersfelden last Sunday morning around 09:00. One Germany Police car parked there and no attempt to stop us. German news reported 100s turned away at the Austrian German border. Apparently Austria has also reinstated the requirement for vaccine, test or recovery for entry. In Austria we saw people turned away from Restaurants and Cafés when they could not show proof. The United Kingdom looks to be a virus variant area in Austria and a high risk area in Germany.
https://www.austria.info/en/service-and-facts/coronavirus-information/entry-regulations
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32683 posts
You're off to the UK after Austria and Germany? At the moment Germany is on the UK Green list (from tomorrow, moving up from Amber), and Austria is on the UK Amber list.
For fully vaccinated people arriving from either Amber or Green you need a test provided locally in the country you are leaving from 72 hours prior to arrival in the UK, and you need to have booked and paid for a Day 2 Test from a UK approved provider before you complete your PLF Passenger Locator Form. You are required to notify if either are positive.
We have been told that changes (if any) will be announced on 3 weekly cycles so since the most current one is this weekend you may have 2 cycles of change before you arrive here.
I guess your Son is keeping you up to date on the UK requirements.
Are you planning to drive or ferry or fly to the UK?? The rules are that each country you travel through (even if only transit) enters onto your decisions, and you are governed by the most restrictive country. For example, until this weekend if you had transited or visited France on your way to the UK you would have had to have quarantined, even if you only drove through from Oostende to Calais (less than an hour).
Posted by
7 posts
We just returned from Germany last night. There are testing centers all over the place in towns and also at the airport and in Apotheken. The German news was reporting 2 d ago that they are planning to shut down a lot of the free testing centers in the next few weeks however (costs are very high). We had planned to get our tests to return to US at an Apotheke for 25 euros a piece and made appointments but then happened upon a testing center that was directly next to a museum we were visiting and got tested for free (they didn't care that we were US citizens, although we do have a house in Germany but were only there on a tourist visa). We flew home via Iceland and these free antigen tests were accepted. We are all vaccinated. Perhaps you can google the Apotheken in towns you will be visiting to see if you can book covid tests as needed. A lot of the sites, particularly from larger cities, are also in English.
Also, side note: we were told to fill out US entry attestation forms. No one looked at them. In fact, I just put them in the shredder a minute ago!