Since Covid – how are you getting from the airport to your hotel?

It really depends on the location and the circumstances there. I've done taxis, private transfer services, and trains. I'm still avoiding transport options that are very crowded.

I don't think public transit is off the table. I used trains and the tube before and after the Southern England tour in May. I wore a mask, but otherwise it was normal.

We used public transportation, but wore our masks.

I think it depends on the location of your tour. For my independent travel to France twice since October 2021 I've taken a taxi from CDG in to Paris but that is my norm anyway. Next week I'm traveling to Milan and then on to Varenna for the Best of Italy and will take the train in to Milan and then a few days later Milan to Varenna by train.

What tour are you going on?

We do our best avoid crowded places in general ... and public transportation in particular. Buses and trains are off the table for us.

Hi Pam

Our RS tour is the best of Munich, Salzburg & Vienna – it starts in 3 weeks.

We took a taxi in Paris 2017 and public transportation in Venice 2019 – so though RS says don’t take a taxi because it’s expensive – seems the safest way to get from the airport to the hotel.

I flew to Milan in June and Venice in August.

Milan - took the train from Malpensa to Milano Centrale. Since you can pick your own seat, I selected an area that wasn’t crowded.
Venice - took the Aliguna boat from Venice Marco Polo to the Santa Maria Giglio vaporetto stop. Our boat wasn’t very crowded, and they had the side and back windows open.

We've had 2 overseas trips this year, with a 3rd this fall. I don't avoid public transportation. What's the point after spending 12 hours or so in airports and on planes with a couple hundred total strangers and then another length of time with a different bunch of strangers? But we were diligent with wearing our N95s, sanitizing, etc.

I've not done Munich to city center via cab but a quick and not thorough googlesearch looks like it might be about 80E or so? That sounds good to me, lol!!

I agree Pam and since it’s for two of us, 40 apiece is even better for being at a much lower health risk

Julie,
We returned from a RS tour this week in general masks are not being worn in Europe on our tour the only couple that took public transportation from the airport to the first hotel came down with Covid and had to leave the tour on the second day. Take a taxi whatever the cost it is the best option today.

Hmmmm I traveled to the States from France in May and December in 2021, and again in May 2022. I took cabs to the Paris airport because I had early morning departures, but upon return to Paris, I took the RER and metro home.

When I arrived in the States, my parents picked me up in their car (and my brother picked me up when I took them to visit him and his family). Same for return to the airport - family car.

My flight lands at Heathrow and the tour starts in Bath. I’m stuck with bus or train.

the only couple that took public transportation from the airport to the first hotel came down with Covid and had to leave the tour on the second day. T

Remember, correlation does not imply causation. They could have gotten covid at the airport, at a meal, on the plane, or before they even left home.

I’m planning to use public transit with an N95 mask. I’ve taken the DC metro and NY subway multiple times since covid. I suspect if I get covid, it will be from a restaurant.

Pollyannapax, for that transfer, I’d do the coach. You’ll eliminate going thru some big train stations which to me increases your exposure.

Pam, thanks for the good advice. The coach is what I was leaning towards.

I’ve done both. Recently I splurged on taxis. It was more about convenience than anything else. It was so nice not to wrangle my luggage on public transport when I was tired and be delivered right to the hotel!

It would be very difficult to visit Europe and not use public transport sometime during your trip. Mask up and keep going.

I use the same methods of getting place to place as before the pandemic, except I wear an N95 mask on a bus, train, or airport shuttle. I don't see the larger health risk myself unless I'm not wearing a good mask. (cloth masks are probably useless now. N95 masks are what you need in Europe anyway in some places if going there.)

April Paris arrival: RER B into the city
April Berlin departure: car service (mostly because leaving B&B at 4:30 am)

May Munich arrival: Train into the city
May Vienna departure: car service (again, early departure)

(Always with mask on mass transit)

During COVID, I've traveled to Hawaii about 5 times and to Poland and Sicily. We have avoided crowded situations. We have mostly used public transportation with some caveats. In Poland, we switched to 1st class for train rides because they were less crowded, in general we walked within cities. Meaning from the train station and anywhere we went within the cities. We ate outside in 55 degrees. We had a great time. There were a few museums we skipped due to crowds. We did similar in Sicily. We did have a very crowded bus ride in Palermo to Monreale and felt grateful we didn't contract anything.

We wore masks on all flights and public transportation and indoors. In Poland, the locals weren't very diligent with masks. Often the masks were under the chin or nose. We wore N95 masks and did our best. We still wear masks on flights on domestic and international flights. We've yet to contract COVID.

We leave soon on a trip to France and Spain. We just got the new booster (and a flu shot) We plan to use similar strategies. Masks indoors and on transit whether required or not. Eat meals outdoors when possible. Hand sanitizer.

Perhaps we all need to get one of these......

Micrashell

You can socialize, eat, drink, take photos all from the suit.

We did best of France in April. The tour instructions we got gave current “how to get to your hotel” options and pricing. We took the taxi option to save time and energy after the long flight from SAn Francisco.

Also given that the tour, like others, included use of the subway and busses to get around, I wouldn’t worry so much about using public transit for airport transport, though maybe save it for the end of the trip just in case?

That being said we were on the first Best of France tour after RS opened up and 2 days after the tour ended 3 of us tested positive. (The rest as far as we know were fine) What we thought were mild pollen allergies (and everything was blooming!) was Covid. And we were masking, hand sanitizing etc. but restaurants may have done us in. Who knows.

We just came back from Berlin, Prague and Vienna. We took the train from airport to hotel it was about 45 minute ride. From Vienna to airport we took a cab because we had a very early flight. Rick steves tours took us on public transportation. We did not go on it in Dresden or cesky krumolov and only rode it once in Prague. We lucked out our flight to Germany they required masks to be worn but on the way home it was optional. In the two small towns and Prague nobody was wearing masks. Heck even our guide being trained only wore his mask when required. The other guide wore it more often. I think you are gonna be shocked on how little people are wearing them. I believe, they don’t work unless everyone is wearing them. There are many social meals where you will maskless.

The hotel staff and breakfast room workers and room cleaners were not wearing masks either. I hope people are going with the notion that Europeans are being extra careful because that is not true for Germany, Czech Republic or Austria.

Two tours spring/summer this year. For Eastern France we took the train from CDG to Reims and because we got off at the first station (wrong 🥴 should have changed to the local train and walked to hotel) we needed to take a taxi to the hotel. For Heart of Ireland, a car arranged through the hotel picked us up at Shannon airport and took us directly to the hotel’s front door.

Mask (& vaccines) do make a huge difference - but can’t control what other people do. We are flying in to Munich – so glad the German plane is requiring mask.

For us, even before Covid, the taxi was our preferred way to get from the airport to our hotel and from our hotel to the airport – so we plan to take a taxi.

We leave in 18 days!

Andrew summed it up for me:

I use the same methods of getting place to place as before the pandemic, except I wear an N95 mask

I wouldn't really change habits, but just mask up instead!
By the way, I crossed Germany by train yesterday, and even though FFP2/(K)N95 masks are theoretically required, observance is maybe 30% FFP2, 30% surgical, and 40% nothing. I was relieved to switch to surgical mask as I have yet to find an FFP2/KN95 that fits without bruising my ears or making my glasses fall off.
So don't be fooled into a false sense of security by requirements.

In a lot a ways it is a crapshoot. But, we only can have control over ourselves. However, the masks do help. At the beginning of the pandemic people were saying the masks help others more so than the person wearing it. It is different now with the use of the N95 masks.

It was interesting to me when the U.S. mask mandate on flights was lifted, many of the travel guides shared that they would continue with masks when feasible, because they noticed how much less they were contracting viruses, COVID and others. Since their livelihood depends on being able to run tours, they felt it made sense to continue to use them.