Looking for some ideas with the new rules in Bavaria

Bavaria: New restrictions come in place 24 Nov. All Christmas Markets have been canceled. Clubs, Bars, Disco will be closed. Restaurants closed by 10:00 pm. Vaccinated or recovered in most places (2G) and in some cases PCR test (3G+). Masks inside with distance. Unvaccinated have contact restrictions. Sporting and entertainment events at 25% capacity. Schools and Universities (digital only) planned to remain open. In high risk areas over 1000/100,000 almost everything will be closed: gastronomy, hotels, sports, culture, hairdressers for a period of three weeks (thru 15 Dec). Currently this effects southeastern Bavaria the most. Boosters were opened for adults after two jabs over 5 months Tuesday. I stood in line for two hours to get mine. Hard to say what will be 30 Nov. I think you can visit certain areas of Bavaria, just be prepared and flexible with incidence. I enjoyed a nice dinner out tonight. Christmas Deko is going up, but now Christmas market stalls will be coming down. See RKI COVID Dashboard for the over 1000 areas: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/478220a4c454480e823b17327b2bf1d4

Would you consider, if your airline cooperates, flying into Zurich ? If the situation in Germany gets worse, you could have a great time in Switzerland [we did it Dec 2019]. If Germany is better by then, you could add the stops. We found xmas markets in Switzerland to be fun, then we went over to Strasbough, and up to Stuttgart, [Esslingen] and Rothenburg, and flew out of Frankfurt.

So sorry for you, I know how unexpected all of this is and how stressful. We went to Switzerland this past Sept., and it was so much work with the rules changing continually. I'm glad we did it, but it took nerves of steel and a lot of luck, and we couldn't "unplug", as the mandates kept changing.

Good luck and I hope all ends well!

Thank you. This is our second time trying to do our honeymoon. Just looking for the best way to do things. If we go to Switzerland we won’t be getting a car. But will if we go to Frankfurt and travel south. As of right now it seems like most of Germany will stay open and the that Switzerland will remain open. I think I’m playing a risky game by going too Munich or Bavaria in general.

I would go to Switzerland.

From what it sounds like more of Germany will possibly go under lockdown. With venues closing and shops only admitting a few people at a time, it doesn't sound like a good time to travel.
JMO, but this is only the beginning in Germany.

I've been trying to go for the last two years. I'm resigned to go in Fall 2022 now. Hopefully with all the boosters we have and the vaccines, we will get in front of this pandemic.

I think I’m playing a risky game

at this point, I'm afraid, for the trip in general not just Bavaria, I'm afraid you are right.

Things are difficult to a greater or lesser degree all over Europe. I don't think it will improve in the next 11 days. I do think it will get worse, much worse. Not a guess - it is quite clear.

What looks like a possible chance today has 11 whole days to go west...

Sorry.

Note-
The Swiss Travel Passes are on 25% discount right now..........

The night before we left for Switzerland, the CDC made Switzerland a level 4 country. We were all packed and ready to go. After an initial primal scream, a professional medical researcher friend looked at the rates of infection, and determined the risk to be the same as our hometown area. So we went. Once we were there, it was a great trip and except for mask wearing, we weren't too impacted, until it was time to test for returning home. A little stressful thinking about the testing, but we had the Emed BinaxNow proctored tests with us, and it was easy.

Your circumstances are a bit different, as the infection rates in areas of Germany are now higher than they were in Sept for us. Most likely your concerns would center on the country being completely locked down and your not being able to get home, or a breakthrough infection and testing positive??? I do know that resistance to restrictions was very high in Switzerland when we were there, and actually witnessed a peaceful demonstration in Bern.

I guess it comes down to your cancelation dates for hotels, your travel insurance coverage if you're going to a level 4 country, and how well you can handle coming down to the last minutes to make your decision.

I so feel your pain because we lived through the same experiences. Good luck again!

There are two dimensions here - the risk, and the fun. As far as risk goes, people are dying of COVID 2x faster in the US than in Germany right now. There is a lot more testing in Germany than the US (in most areas you can get tested for free and you can buy self-tests for 1 euro) so we have much more visibility into cases over here than you do in the US. That said, there are a TON of cases in Bavaria right now. As a vaccinated person, I wouldn't be afraid to fly into Munich, but I wouldn't linger there. There's a great high speed train to Zurich.

The bigger issue is the fun - when there is a lockdown here all of the restaurants and indoor activities go away, so you might end up eating takeout or buying food at grocery stores. The Christmas markets are all cancelled in Bavaria. And right now, in many places you need a digital vaccination certificate which is difficult to get in Germany if you were vaccinated in the US. (Switzerland has a system set up for visitors to get this digital pass). If you can afford to spend more time in Switzerland, that's a better option (for now).

399.8/100,000 in Bayern today. Some additional restrictions added and clarified. Official notice is tomorrow. Getting very difficult for those not vaccinated.

https://www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/ead3c6475654481ca51c248d52ab9c61

The 7-day "Inzidenz", as of today, is 645 for Bavaria, 400 for all of Germany on the average, and 425 for Switzerland. So take your pick.

Your safest bet would be to go to Northern Germany at this point, we're below 200. :-)

And yes, the situation is definitely worse in the East than in the West. More anti-vaccination fanatics in the East who insist they want their "freedom". The freedom they are getting for everyone at this point is Saxony being closed to tourism entirely, and hospitals having to send patients elsewhere. Imagine having a stroke and the ambulance having to drive from one hospital to the next to find a place in ICU.

Yes 644.9 in Bayern. I was looking at Germany overall mistakenly. 507.8/100,000 here (SK), surrounded with 700.5/100,000 (LK). I'm still planing a dinner out this weekend. I've heard some people requiring hospitalization in Bayern were moved to Südtirol for a bed.

You can always find outdoor hikes to do (weather permitting) or biking in the cities. Though with it being such a fluid situation, and with their close neighbor Austria going on lockdown, I suspect Germany may be next. If that happens there really will be not much you can do. Germany was just moved to the "Do not travel" list (level 4 Advisory) because of the covid rates increasing. If there is a way to reschedule your trip, you should probably consider it. Places are not that fun if all the restaurants and museums are closed. Traveling during covid also takes some extra logistical work (like packing a bunch of masks and sanitary wipes and such).

US gives do not travel warning to Germany:
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/covid-4/coronavirus-germany

German Retailers Brace for the Worst:
https://www.dw.com/en/german-retailers-brace-for-the-worst-as-covid-strikes-again/a-59897409

Possible Lockdown again:
https://www.reuters.com/markets/stocks/germany-not-ruling-out-lockdown-even-vaccinated-2021-11-19/

Hi Sean, from Florida!
We're in the same situation. Our flight to Munich is Nov 28. It gets rather complicated, because our adult kids are meeting up with us in Dresden just before Christmas. Saxony is already in lockdown through Dec 12, but it's risky to think it won't be extended. Since this includes a ban on accommodations, our concern is that we won't have a place to stay. Is our only option to sleep in the airport? How has this been addressed during the previous lockdowns?
Thank you,
Sandra

We ended up canceling. Due to the amount of time before leaving we couldn’t find anything else to work. We were wanting to just go to Switzerland, but it became a logistical nightmare. At this point we are heading to Colorado for a few days. Best of luck on every bodies travels. To many unknowns. Will try to get to Europe this summer.

@Sean: Sorry you ended up having to cancel, but under the given circumstances I think it's the best thing you could do.

Since this includes a ban on accommodations, our concern is that we
won't have a place to stay.

@Sandra: Do your adult kids live in Germany? Could you stay with them?

Is our only option to sleep in the airport?

I have no information on this, but I can't imagine they'll let you sleep in the airport for more than a nap. Crowds are what's dangerous at the moment, so why would they let people sleep in a place where it's much more risky than at a hotel? And why wouldn't you be able to sleep at a hotel in Munich? I can't predict what's to come, but so far, they haven't closed hotels in Bavaria, as far as I am aware.

How has this been addressed during the previous lockdowns?

Lockdown = no tourism.

My son lives in Schöneck, in the state of Saxony. Saxony is already on lockdown until Dec 12 and the date could be extended. We have hotel reservations in Dresden beginning Dec 24. The hotel has advised us that when in full lockdown, there's a "ban on accommodations." My son lives with a family friend, so we wouldn't be able to stay with him. It's looking like we'll be cancelling, too.

Yes, hotels in Saxony are currently closed to all touristic travel. If you can't stay with your son, I certainly wouldn't recommend going to Dresden or any other destination in Saxony at the moment. There is no way of knowing if this is going to get better until Christmas.

Hotels in other states are still open, but who knows how this is going to develop. No one can promise that other states might not follow if this gets worse.