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After two years of Covid, Europe as a whole is finally reopening to travel. While some European countries are ahead of others in removing restrictions altogether, virtually all report that strict travel rules are a thing of the past. This week there was 5 more countries relax entry rules and internal restrictions.

From April, visit the popular tourist hotspots of Spain, Croatia, Cyprus, Bulgariaand even Germany becomes much easier as all five drop some of the existing mandates and begin to align with their European partners.

Here you will find a full list of restrictions lifted in these countries and whether further easing of measures can be expected:

Spain

Spain, one of the strictest countries in Europe when it comes to managing Covid, recently changed its strategy and is slowly moving into a phase where the disease is treated as endemic. Now that Covid cases represent only 3.5% of hospital occupants and the country seems unaffected by the new BA.2 variant, more rules are relaxed.

While indoor masks will continue to be an official requirement at Easter, April 20 will see the long-awaited lifting of the mask mandate ahead of the busy summer months.

This means that tourists will no longer be required to cover their faces inside restaurants, bars, clubs, museums and most indoor venues.

Face masks will continue to be mandatory on public transport and some facilities, including hospitals, although Covid-wary travelers to and from Spain will be glad to know they can again move around without a mask in most spaces. As for border restrictions, Spain is still reluctant to let its guard down, continuing to demand Covid proof of entry.

Croatia

Like other European countries, Croatia has abolished almost all Covid protocols internally, including the mandatory use of face masks indoors and restrictions affecting arrivals into the EU. Even though it has already been open to tourism for most of the pandemic, traveling in Croatia has just become extremely seamless.

In addition to dropping the indoor mask rule on April 4, Croatian authorities announced arrivals coming directly from other countries of the European Union or Schengen States will not be required to show Covid proof of entry. This means vaccination certificates, recovery letters and negative test requirements no longer applies to this specific category of travellers.

As for those arriving from outside the European Unionincluding Americans, Canadians and Brits from their own country, they must continue to exhibit at least one of the following:

• A vaccination certificate dated less than 270 days;
• Evidence of a booster dose, which extends their vaccination status indefinitely;
• A positive test or recovery letter issued within the previous 180 days and at least a few days before travel to Croatia;
• A negative PCR test carried out 72 hours before crossing the border;
• A negative Rapid Antigen test performed within 24 hours of arrival.

Cyprus

The small eastern Mediterranean nation of Cyprus is also easing some of its entry restrictions from April 18. As announced by the Cypriot authorities, their categorization of countries by color codewhich made travel much more difficult from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom on the red list, will be permanently deleted.

In summary, when arriving from any Red List destination, unvaccinated visitors are currently subject to testing, testing on arrival and isolation. Although being removed from the list is a strong indicator, this could change in the near future, it should be noted unvaccinated tourists must always present a negative test.

In summary, US, Canadian and UK citizens will soon be able to visit Cyprus with either of these:

• A vaccination certificate issued up to 270 days before arrival;
• Evidence of a booster dose, which extends the validity of the vaccination without expiry date;
• A negative PCR in less than 72 hours;
• A negative Rapid Antigen within 24 hours of arrival.

Recovery certificates do not appear to exempt unvaccinated travelers from testing.

Additionally, from April 11, masks will no longer be mandatory outdoors, allowing visitors to enjoy their sunny breaks at Nissi Beach or Ayia Napa without restriction. Finally, the Cyprus Safe Pass, which provided entry to certain places and is generally held by those vaccinated, will also be abolished on this date.

Bulgaria

Eastern European nation Bulgaria joins others in easing Covid mandates. Since April 1, travelers are no longer required to wear face masks either outside or inside, and Covid passes, which are known to restrict entry to cultural venues for the unvaccinated, have also been deleted.

At their external borders, The Bulgarian authorities have also simplified entry requirementsallowing visitors to enter the country regardless of their place of departure, provided they present a valid Covid certificate.

Previously, those who came from red list of extinct countries had to clear other hurdles to visit, while Green List arrivals enjoyed unrestricted entry, especially if they came from other EU member states.

Now, travelers can choose between the usual 9-month travel pass, which applies to fully vaccinated people with one or two doses, a booster dose, which extends the pass indefinitely, or proof of recovery and/or negative tests, a bit like Croatia and Cyprus.

Germany

A favorite among Americans, Germany is also easing several restrictions from April 4. From this date, travelers are no longer required to present Covid certificates at the entrance to restaurants, museums, shopping centers or other cultural places and public spaces where the requirement applied, with the exception of public transport. community and health facilities.

In addition to ending the vaccination mandate, the The German government has also relaxed mask requirements across the country., although individual German states, as well as private places, may apply different rules. In general, masks are no longer required, whether indoors or outdoors, although travelers are advised to check specific local regulations in place.

Despite its relaxation of internal rules, Germany has not yet followed Poland, Denmark, Slovakia and Latvia to return to pre-pandemic entry rules. Currently, only those with a valid vaccination card, as established by the European Union, a negative test or a recovery certificate are allowed to enter Germany from outside the EU and the Schengen area. at large.

Like pandemic trends change Travelers across Europe should continue to follow the news closely, especially in the months leading up to summer. When traveling abroad, they are also strongly advised to take out health insurance cover the cost of Covid treatment and quarantine in case they test positive and/or develop symptoms during their trip.

Read more:

Travel insurance that covers Covid-19 for 2022

Travelers may need proof of spending €100 per day in Spain and France

What it’s like to travel in Europe right now

Europe branded ‘dangerous’ destination by World Tourism Organization due to war in Ukraine

10 nonstop international flight routes you can take from the US this year

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Disclaimer: Current Travel Rules and Restrictions may change without notice. The decision to travel is ultimately your responsibility. Contact your consulate and/or local authorities to confirm entry of your nationality and/or any changes to travel conditions before travelling. Travel Off Path does not approve travel against government advice