What travelers know now is the lack of tourists in Europe. It was wonderful. Austria and Germany fully open. CDC cards checked everywhere. Airlines are responsible for checking vaccine and testing status.
Mask wearing indoors everywhere in both countries. No one wears them outside unless you want to eat in a restaurant. Then cards checked outside too. Absolutely no problems with American cards. Just put them in a convienient place because you will show them everywhere. The trains as easy as ever. They just checked tickets.
Tests for sale or free right now with testing centers everywhere. Tests available in all pharmacies for €39. Masks in pharmacies and drugstores. Munich airport has several testing stations.
Hotels check vacinnation status.
If you have a desire to visit Europe without the tourists go now. We saw a few tour groups from Viking but very few.
Wonderful, wonderful trip.
Posted by
Bay Area, California
1406 posts
Thank you.
Posted by
San Francisco
14500 posts
Thanks for the very useful and positive information.
Very good and encouraging to know that masks are on everywhere indoors, just they are here in SF, including the train, subway, ferry bus. Checking CDC cards to enter restaurants, bars is the same here, mandated...good, no problem. Here sometimes your ID is not asked for when showing the CDC card, then I ask, "do you want to see ID with that?"
Your information will be helpful for the trip I prefer to do next summer to France, to be sure, and Austria and Germany .
Posted by
Los Angeles
4385 posts
nice name there Fred, just realize that all this information is like fish. Only good for a few days. Everything will be several times different next year.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6487 posts
Thanks, Nonnie. I leave in two weeks for Berlin and looks like I'll be good to go. Getting tested a few days before leaving just for my own peace of mind (or cancellation if necessary).
Posted by
5 posts
Is the free test for German citizen only? We are leaving next week for Austria and Germany. We will fly home from Munich. We are vaccinated, so it is good that we don’t have to have a Covid test before we fly to Europe only a test to come home.
Posted by
OP
98 posts
Travelbug, make sure your airline doesn't require a test. We returned Sept. 25 and at that time testing was free in Germany and Austria for everyone. However, if that has changed there are still testing sites at the Munich airport. I don't know if they are free now.
Posted by
Karlsruhe, Germany
293 posts
Is the free test for German citizen only? We are leaving next week for
Austria and Germany. We will fly home from Munich. We are vaccinated,
so it is good that we don’t have to have a Covid test before we fly to
Europe only a test to come home.
As of 11. October, the tests are no longer free (for residents or otherwise) in Germany. There will of course still be testing centres, but everyone (with some narrow exceptions) will have to pay for them.