The summer holidays have started in the first federal states. Many people prefer to vacation in Germany rather than abroad. There are still a few rules to be observed. An overview.
The numbers of new corona infections in Germany are low. This is particularly good news for those whose summer vacation has already started or is about to start. Because traveling in the country is possible again – sometimes with more, sometimes with fewer conditions. The rules in the individual federal states:
BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG: Guesthouses, hotels, holiday apartments and campsites in the southwest are allowed to receive guests. Proof of vaccination, recovery or a negative rapid test is required upon arrival. If the incidence is less than 35 days, this does not apply. Accommodation companies are allowed to open saunas, baths and wellness areas for their overnight guests. Restaurants and cafes are also open. If the incidence is over 35, the number of people is limited and proof of vaccination or equivalent is required. Events such as theater performances or concerts are also allowed. If the incidence is less than ten, up to 1,500 people may gather outdoors and up to 500 indoors. If the incidence is higher, stricter rules apply. The mask requirement continues. Most recently, the incidence for the entire country was 6.5.
BAVARIA: In rural districts and urban districts with an incidence of less than 100 that has remained stable over five days, hotels, guest houses, holiday apartments, campsites, mountain huts and youth hostels are allowed to open. Guests must bring a negative corona test that is no more than 24 hours old. Cable cars and boat trips, restaurants, saunas, baths and amusement parks are also open. City and mountain tours are also possible. Basically, if the incidence remains below 50, guests are not required to test. All Bavarian districts are currently under 50.
BERLIN: Since mid-June, private overnight stays in hotels, guest houses or holiday apartments have been possible in the capital. Guests do not need to present a negative corona test or proof of vaccination. If you want to be served in the interiors of pubs and restaurants, however, you have to present a negative test result or proof of a complete vaccination. Exceptions apply to hotel guests who dine or have a drink in the hotel restaurant. The outdoor catering has been open for a long time, so there is no longer any obligation to test.
Cinemas, theaters, opera and concert halls are also allowed to open with mandatory testing and a hygiene concept. Several museums and memorials are also open; there are city tours and boat trips again. The Senate also agreed that from the beginning of July up to 2000 participants will be allowed at outdoor events. Up to 500 can then take part in indoor events.
BRANDENBURG: Hotels and holiday apartments are open again for tourist overnight stays – a negative corona test or proof of vaccination or recovery is required. The obligation to test does not apply if the seven-day incidence is stable below 20 – this currently applies to all rural districts and urban districts. Visiting restaurants inside is then also possible without a test. In discos and clubs, a test is still mandatory. No more than one guest per ten square meters may be admitted. Sexual services are allowed with a test – the mask must remain on “as long as the sexual service is not provided,” as the country’s ordinance states.
BREMEN: Catering establishments are allowed to open outside and inside if a hygiene concept is in place and the guests’ contact details are collected. No tests are currently necessary because the infection rate in Bremen and Bremerhaven is low. An obligation to test would apply again in the case of an incidence above 35, outside over 50. Hotel stays for tourist purposes are permitted with a current negative test. Those who have recovered and those with full vaccination protection do not need to present a test. The mask requirement applies in outdoor areas only at stops and in train stations. It continues to exist in local traffic and indoors. With the exception of clubs and discos, leisure and cultural facilities are open. An appointment is no longer required in museums.
HAMBURG: Since June, tourists have been able to stay overnight in the Hanseatic city again. Hotels, holiday apartments and campsites are allowed to receive private travelers. The prerequisite here, too, are compliance with strict hygiene requirements and the submission of a negative corona test. Outside catering is allowed, inside guests are only allowed to sit with a negative test. Under the usual hygiene requirements, port and city tours are also permitted, in open vehicles even without a mask. Museums and libraries are open, as are zoological and botanical gardens, theaters, operas and cinemas. Only the clubs will remain closed for the time being. However, as of Friday, up to 250 people will be allowed to dance outdoors, provided they have been tested, vaccinated or recovered.
HESSEN: Hotels, holiday homes, youth hostels and campsites are open subject to certain conditions. Guests have to present a negative corona test upon arrival, among other things, companies with communal facilities are obliged to test once a week for longer stays. For indoor catering, a daily negative test must be submitted, guests and waitresses must wear a medical mask. In outdoor catering there is no longer a requirement to wear a mask. Dancing outside of discos and clubs is allowed again. Swimming pools can reopen under certain conditions, as can zoos, museums and amusement parks.
MECKLENBURG-VORPOMMERN: The holiday country in the northeast has opened its hotels, guest houses and campsites again to guests from other federal states since the beginning of June. However, upon arrival you must present a negative corona test, be fully vaccinated or have recovered. The long deserted beaches of the Baltic Sea fill up at the beginning of the holiday season. Since June 11th, day guests have also been able to return. Restaurants have been open since the end of May. Zoos and museums can be visited again, the theaters and the classical music festivals have started the summer season – with audience limits and a mask requirement. The submission of negative corona tests is no longer required when visiting restaurants or events.
LOWER SAXONY: With the current low incidence in Lower Saxony, tourism and gastronomy are possible with a hygiene concept without major restrictions. In gastronomy, a mask is required inside as long as you are not seated. Overnight guests must present a negative corona test on arrival. Zoological and botanical gardens have opened with a hygiene concept. Visiting museums and other cultural institutions is possible up to an incidence of ten with a hygiene concept and mask without further restrictions.
NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA: With a seven-day incidence below 35 – i.e. everywhere in North Rhine-Westphalia – hotels are allowed to open without capacity restrictions for overnight stays as well as the complete gastronomic offer. Guests must be vaccinated, recovered, or present a test upon arrival. This also applies to holiday apartments and campsites. You can now visit gastronomy all over North Rhine-Westphalia inside and outside without a test.
RHINELAND-PALATINATE: In Rhineland-Palatinate, further easing will come into effect on Friday (July 2nd) if the incidence remains low. For example, employees in the hotel and catering industry no longer have to wear masks if they are tested on a daily basis. Guests in restaurants or cafés no longer have to reserve in advance and no longer have to show a negative test.
Hotel guests only have to show this on arrival, but no longer every 48 hours. Concerts, sports events and folk festivals are then also possible again subject to certain conditions – outdoors on a fairground or a park without seats with up to 5000 tested, vaccinated or recovered spectators. Clubs and discos are also allowed to reopen under certain conditions, they need appropriate ventilation systems, for example, a maximum of 350 people are allowed at the same time. Zoos, museums and outdoor pools have been open again for a few weeks.
SAARLAND: Guests are allowed to sit outside in the café or restaurant without having to test. Inside, a negative test or a complete proof of vaccination or recovery must still be presented, and groups of a maximum of ten people are allowed. This also applies to tourists arriving at hotels or other accommodation providers. It must then be tested again every two days. Swimming pools, thermal baths and saunas are reopened under certain conditions, as are restaurants, zoos and amusement parks.
SAXONY: With a stable incidence of less than ten, as is currently the case in Saxony, there are hardly any restrictions from July 1: contact restrictions are no longer applicable, friends and family can meet without conditions. Large events such as concerts with more than 1000 participants are also allowed – albeit with conditions such as recording contacts and compulsory testing. A mask no longer has to be worn outdoors, only when shopping, on buses and trains, mouth and nose protection is mandatory. Cafés and restaurants in Saxony are open – without registration or testing. Overnight stays in hotels, guesthouses and campsites are again possible without restrictions. If the numbers rise, tightening will apply in stages.
SACHSEN-ANHALT: In Saxony-Anhalt, hotels, guesthouses and other accommodation providers are allowed to reopen. Overnight guests need a current test on arrival and every 72 hours thereafter. At campsites and in holiday apartments, the test only applies upon arrival. Coach tours, river cruises, city tours and comparable tourist offers are also possible again. Business travelers, long-term campers as well as minors, convalescents and vaccinated people in general are exempt from the test requirement. When traveling by bus or boat, travelers must wear medical mouth and nose protection. Restaurants are allowed to serve guests indoors and outdoors without tests, and no tests are currently required for cultural events.
SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN: Schleswig-Holstein is open to tourists from all over Germany. Overnight guests must bring a negative corona test that is no more than 48 hours old. 72 hours after arrival, only one further test is necessary. Outside catering has been allowed in the north for a long time, and now indoor catering has also been allowed. There, guests must submit a negative test, with the exception of overnight guests in the respective hotel. The clubs and discos are also allowed to reopen: for a maximum of 125 people and with a hygiene concept, contact data collection, mask and test obligation.
THURINGIA: In Thuringia, the seven-day incidence was recently in the single-digit range, so that there are hardly any restrictions in tourism. Campsites and holiday apartments can be booked if the incidence is stable below 100. Coach events are then allowed for day tourist offers, and trips lasting several days if the incidence is below 50, and if the incidence is below 35, the obligation to test is not applicable, but the obligation to wear a mask remains.
Hotels and guesthouses are allowed to accommodate less than 35 guests – almost everywhere. There is also no test obligation and a utilization limit of 60 percent. Contact tracking must still be possible. In the catering industry, with incidences below 35, there is no longer any obligation for guests to test indoors, even indoors. On Thursday (June 1), new rules are to come into force, which, according to a draft, provide for openings in all areas and no longer differentiation between incidences of 35 and 50. Instead, the municipalities should then tighten the rules themselves, if necessary.
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