MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial Does the coronavirus affect trips to Switzerland?
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Thanks. Yes, I always have the surgical masks (or that’s what they are called in the US) but those are only 2 or 3 ply. I’m going to place a quick Amazon order for a few of the 5-ply FFPs (or N95s, in the US) just to be safe. I fly out on Sunday – hooray – and will be staying for 6 weeks!
Thank you, would be great to have a crystal ball right now!
Tourgypsy,
Would you please share your experience of going there. We will be flying to Zurich on first weekend of September. Thank you.
I (a US citizen) have been in Switzerland for two weeks now. I will be here for another month (am based in Wengen and have traveled to Zermatt and around the BO thus far) This is what I have experienced and observed:
1) I am fully vaccinated. Af Dulles airport (Washington, DC), United barely checked my vaccine card when I checked in for my non-stop flight to Zurich. When I arrived at Zurich airport, Customs did not ask to see my CDC vaccination record nor did they ask me to show them the QR code for the contact tracing dorm I previously had filled out online. It took 2.3 minutes to clear Customs.
2) I have been on many trains/cog railways/ cable cars over the past two weeks. Although almost everyone (except young children) has been masked when inside these modes of transport, there has been no enforcement of mask wearing. An older couple on the very crowded Gornergrat bahn was not masked and no one said a word. People are wearing all types of masks—cloth as well as surgical masks. Overall, I do see more surgical masks here than in the US. However. I think enforcing a certain type of mask during the tourist season would be difficult if not impossible.
3) I have been in numerous restaurants, stores (Coop, Migros, boutiques, etc). You must wear a mask in stores and the common spaces in hotels but not in restaurants once you are seated even though the wait staff is masked. Everything is very very normal.
4) Zermatt is in full party mode. The town and the Gornergratbahn are clogged with hundreds of people. Outside, very few are masked although the same rules ( as in #3 above) apply to indoor spaces. Everyone seems thrilled to have returned to some normalcy. Wengen is starting to get more crowded as well.
5) I think if Swiss authorities start imposing rigid requirements for the remainder of the summer tourist season, there will be a big outcry from the tourism industry.
Janice
Will do.
Janice, thanks for your summary.
I think I’m prepared for any eventuality and can live with those restrictions – and more – just fine. I’m just happy to be getting back to my “home-away-from-home”. I’ll wear whatever kind of mask that’s asked of me. Ha-Ha.
Oh, and if you’ve been away for a while, you just may be surprised to see a lot more masks in the US when you get back. The Delta variant has caught up with us!
Enjoy your stay.
Janice,
Thank you so much for the updates. I am glad to hear people are enjoying their time off. Like Tourgypsy, I stick with mask and follow the Covid rules as long as I can go places.
Please keep us posted about your Covid test on the return home. This site provides good info for test locations but they are a little pricey. We are looking into bring the home test kit called BinaxNow. This is cheaper. We can do it at the hotel with online session. Not sure anyone here has brought this test kit from US with them to use on the way home.
Thank you. Re #5, this is consistent with what I’ve heard from others. If Switzerland were to impose a green pass like France or Italy, to dine, shop or ride the bus, it likely wouldn’t happen until summer tourist season is over.
Hi We leave in midseptember for Switzerland. Do you think they will impose more restritions on Tourists because of the Delta variant in September?
Hi Rgoppelt,
I am so sorry but it is impossible to predict what will happen until mid-September, it is still too far away.
The best you can do is follow this thread and keep an eye on the first post in it.
Let’s hope for the bests,
Ildiko
More information about the coronavirus and traveling to Switzerland: http://www.myswissalps.com/coronavirus
Hello Guys 😊
Sorry for late
I’m here in Switzerland from 6 Nights
I came From Saudi Arabia to Paris for 3 nights then i took Train from Paris to Interlaken i Stayed in Ringgenberg for 6 Nights and today i will go to Grindelwald for 7 Nights
Everything done smoothly no issue for COVID-19 and no one asked us anything on train just TKT
Love U Switzerland 💓
Hi Memok,
Thank you for sharing your experience. Enjoyed looking at the pictures. Glad you had a great time and enjoy the rest of your trip!
Regards,
Anna
To follow up with updates regarding crossing the Swiss border and back again during Covid times… we took a boat from Nyon Switzerland to Yvoire France and back to Nyon two weeks ago and all was fine, no vaccine cards or anything else needed to be shown. And then we took a train from Locarno to Domodosolla Italy last week, had lunch and shopped and then continued on to Brig Switzerland and we were only asked for vaccine proof when we boarded the train in Locarno. The US CDC vaccine card was fine. I had noticed the day before that the alerts to travel to Italy by train were removed from the SBB website and I had read a document on the Italy government site that the US CDC vaccine card would be acceptable as proof of an approved vaccine.
We had a wonderful 3 weeks in Switzerland! Just got home last night. I’ll post in the itinerary forum what we did. Interesting to note though that in our 22 days in Switzerland we only ran into 2 other people from the USA! Definitely a unique time to travel there with so few tourists.
Hi,
Thanks for sharing your experience. Would love to read more about your trip. Looking forward to your trip report 🙂
Regards,
Anna
Sure!
One more thing about getting tested to return to the US. We were going to do the at home test that would cost us a few hundred CHF or the in person test that would cost us 800 CHF and then try to get reimbursed by our insurance company Kaiser who says they’ll reimburse for the in person test, but in the end we just went to Geneva airport a couple hours earlier before our flight. We got the FREE rapid antigen test, waited 15 min, they handed us a paper that said it was negative and we were on our way. Be sure the test results are in English (for those going to USA) and that the name matches the passports. They checked it along with our passports when we boarded to Washington DC. Appointments are required. Note: The terminal 2 where the test is held is a building next to the main terminal, only about a 10 min walk (15 min from the train) but with a lot of luggage would be hard for someone with mobility issues so maybe get a luggage cart if needed. Here’s the website: www2.m3-test.ch/myTests
Hi we will be leaving from the Zurich airport. Do they ahve a rapid antigen tes tcenter there? Will that be good enough to get back to the U. S/
They do – and it is. I plan to get mine there.
We will be traveling in Switzerland the first part of September, 2021. We are vaccinated and will have a recent test. However, what are the chances of Switzerland closing borders because of the COVID Variant? Are there requirements for masking in public places? Any cautions or alerts we should be aware of?
Hi Billandsuz1,
As Ildiko mentioned in an earlier post, it is impossible to predict what will happen in the near future as the pandemic is still ongoing. However I personally think the borders will remain open for the summer until September, and as long as you are fully vaccinated you will be allowed to travel to Switzerland. This is my personal opinion.
We update the travel information on this website regularly so do follow this thread and keep an eye on the first post.
For tips on planning your trips: http://www.myswissalps.com/coronavirus
Regards,
Ildiko
Thanks so much! We do watch this thread daily. You all have been so helpful!
Susan
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