One thing is certain: Unfortunately, we can only dream of a Pentecost holiday abroad. But the signals for a summer vacation between Rügen and Garmisch-Partenkirchen are green: the individual countries are opening up to domestic German tourism and are slowly starting to operate campsites, holiday apartments and hotels again. FOCUS Online gives an overview of the regulations in the individual federal states.
Baden-Württemberg: Hotels should open to tourists from Pentecost
- Restaurants may open from May 18th
- Apartments from May 18, hotels from May 29
- Museums are allowed to open, cinemas remain closed
Holidays on beautiful Lake Constance or in the Black Forest – Baden-Württemberg has also committed itself to getting tourism in the country back on track soon. The opening with zoos, zoos and botanical gardens as well as museums, galleries and exhibition halls was initiated – they are already open again.
As of May 18, the outdoor and indoor catering trade as well as the holiday apartments and campsites may gradually open again. In a further step, other accommodation facilities such as hotels and amusement parks will follow from May 29.
Theater, drama, ballet, concerts, opera and cinemas are still closed. Hygiene concepts are in development or in testing. A date for a possible opening has not yet been determined, it says on the side of the state government.
There is still a restriction of contacts in Baden-Württemberg: Currently, staying outside is also permitted with members of another household.
(As of Baden-Württemberg: May 14, 11:23 p.m.)
Bavaria: Hotels should open from Pentecost Saturday
- Restaurants: beer gardens and outdoor areas from May 18, interiors from May 25
- The aim is to open hotels and apartments by May 30
- Museums are open, cinemas remain closed
Holidays in the mountains or the popular Bavarian lakes – this should also be possible at Pentecost. The opening of hotels, holiday apartments and campsites is planned for the Pentecost weekend (May 30th), but has not yet been decided. This also applies to other tourism offers such as castles, maritime shipping and amusement parks, it says on the side of the Bavarian State Government.
Restaurants may gradually open from May 18, first outside (e.g. beer gardens), then also from May 25 inside.
In Bavaria there is still a contact restriction: several members of two households can meet.
(As of Bavaria: May 14, 10.36 a.m.)
Berlin: Hotels open before Pentecost
- Restaurants may open from May 15th
- Hotels and apartments from May 25th
- Museums can reopen, cinemas have to stay for the time being
A city trip to the capital is popular with many and is possible again from the end of mail. Restaurants may reopen from May 15th in compliance with strict hygiene regulations and limited opening hours (6 am-10pm). You can only eat there alone, with people from your own home or from another household.
Hotels and holiday apartments may again offer tourist overnight stays from May 25th. No buffets are allowed here either. Spa and wellness areas must also remain closed.
Pure taverns, i.e. bars and pubs, must remain closed. Smoking restaurants and shisha bars are also not allowed to open.
In Berlin, too, there is still a contact restriction: several members of two households can meet.
(Stand Berlin: May 14, 2:17 p.m.)
Brandenburg: Hotels open before Pentecost
- Restaurants may open from May 15th
- Hotels and apartments from May 25th
- Museums can open, there are no opening dates for cinemas yet
In Brandenburg, restaurants may reopen on May 15th. From May 25th, all tourist rentals are again possible without restrictions – in compliance with the hygiene and clearance rules. Hotels can now accommodate guests again and campsites with shared sanitary facilities can be rented out.
Coach trips, city tours, boat trips and comparable tourist offers are allowed. Youth leisure facilities (youth education centers, youth hostels and children's and youth recreation facilities) can also accommodate guests.
There is still a contact restriction: contacts from two households are currently permitted – at home and outdoors.
(Brandenburg state: May 14, 5:16 p.m.)
Bremen: Hotels open before Pentecost
- Restaurants may open from May 18 – with a guest list
- Hotels and apartments from May 18
- Museums can open again, there is no information for cinemas
Bremen is looking forward to the tourists. "Now is the ideal time to plan your stay in Bremen," says the government. Many museums and shops are already open, restaurants, hotels and holiday apartments will follow on May 18.
Several relatives from two households can meet in the public space.
(Stand Bremen: May 14, 1:54 p.m.)
Hamburg: Hotels and apartments already open
- Restaurants, hotels and apartments have been open since May 13th
- Museums can open again, cinemas remain closed for now
Hamburg is a popular travel destination. It opened early for tourists: restaurants have been allowed to open again since Wednesday (May 13). However, guests may only eat with members of their own household or another household. A minimum distance must be guaranteed. Restaurant guests must also leave their contact details so that the chain of infection can be traced in the event of a possible corona disease.
Overnight in Hamburg has been allowed again since May 13th, regardless of the reason for the trip. Hotels, pensions and other providers are obliged to limit the room capacity, to provide the necessary distance and to record the contact details of the guests. Dormitories for more than 4 people are not allowed.
Buses and ships for tourists and day trippers are allowed to drive again. All persons must wear a mouth and nose cover on board and keep the distance. So that it doesn't get too narrow, only half as many passengers are allowed to get on as possible. People with symptoms of respiratory illness are not allowed to use these buses and ships.
The Botanical Gardens and the Hagenbeck Zoo are allowed to open their outside areas. Museums, exhibition houses and memorials can also reopen. But you have to pay attention to hygiene, distance and the limited number of visitors. As a rule of thumb, one visitor per 20 square meters. Tours, events and the opening of the museum café are not permitted. As a rule of thumb, one visitor per 20 square meters. Tours, events and the opening of the museum café are not permitted.
In Hamburg, too, there is still a limited number of contacts: Up to ten members of two households can meet.
(Stand Hamburg: May 14, 5:01 p.m.)
Hessen: Hotels and apartments may open from May 15th
- Restaurants, hotels and apartments can open from May 15th
- Museums can open again, cinemas with restrictions
From May 15th, restaurants, pubs, cafés, beer gardens, casinos and arcades (inside and outside) may reopen, taking into account distance rules and hygiene concepts. Dance halls and discotheques will remain closed for the time being.
Guest houses, private rooms and hotels can also resume operations for tourist purposes from May 15th. In all public areas (reception, conference rooms, breakfast room, restaurant), the distance rules between staff, guests and guests must be observed.
Apartments and campsites may also be rented and used from May 15th. Permanent camping and second home use remain permitted. From this day, amusement parks can also open their doors again if they have a comprehensive hygiene concept. Swimming pools and saunas remain closed.
There is a restriction of contacts: Relatives of two households may travel together in the public space.
(Stand Hessen: May 14, 9.11 a.m.)
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Pentecost vacation guaranteed
- Restaurants are allowed to open again
- Hotels and apartments will open to locals from May 18, to all citizens from May 25
- Museums can open again, 25 May is under discussion at cinemas
The tourism region of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania reopens its restaurants and ends the multi-week entry ban for foreign tourists before Pentecost.
Restaurants are allowed to open again, however under strict hygiene requirements and with a maximum of six adults per table for locals, and on May 18 also hotels, pensions and holiday apartments. In restaurants, at least one guest per table must leave their data in order to understand the chain of infection in the event of a possible corona disease.
Foreign owners of holiday homes and holiday apartments in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania may return to the northeast from May 18. The entry ban for tourists from other federal states, which has been in force since mid-March, is to be lifted on May 25th. After the missed Easter business, Pentecost holidays from the end of May on the Baltic Sea or in the Mecklenburg Lake District would again be possible for all German citizens.
The hotels are initially only allowed to rent a maximum of 60 percent of their bed capacity. According to Minister of Economy Harry Glawe (CDU), 200,000 occupancies are possible. "It is crucial that holidays at Pentecost are again possible for everyone in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania," said Glawe.
The following contact restrictions apply: Several members of two households can meet in public and private spaces. A minimum distance must be observed.
(Stand Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: May 14, 12.42 p.m.)
Lower Saxony: holiday apartments already allowed, hotels to follow
- Restaurants have been allowed to open since May 11th
- Apartments already open, hotels on May 25th
- Museums can open again, cinemas are closed
Lying comfortably in the sand on the North Sea islands of Borkum, Norderney and Wangerooge – that should be possible again soon. From May 11, holiday homes and apartments as well as campsites can be occupied with a maximum occupancy of 50 percent. However, there is a period of seven days for reassignment.
From May 25th, hotels, guesthouses and youth hostels may then be used for tourism. But the goal here is also to reduce the number of guests with a maximum occupancy of 50 percent, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs. For accommodation offers, there is a re-occupancy period of at least seven days. This means that a hotel room or accommodation may only be reassigned after seven days at the earliest.
However, Economics Minister Bernd Althusmann (CDU) announced on Wednesday (May 14) that this re-occupancy period of at least seven days should be avoided, since the hotels are initially only likely to be used to 50 percent of their capacity. He very much hoped that the greatest restrictions on tourism and restaurants could be lifted later this summer.
Since May 11, restaurants, cafés and beer gardens have been allowed to open both indoors and outdoors with a maximum occupancy of 50 percent. A reservation obligation applies. Bars, pubs and discos remain closed.
The contact restriction applies: Relatives of two households may meet in public.
(Lower Saxony stand: May 14th, 10:22 am)
North Rhine–Westphalia: Apartments already open, hotels will follow on May 21
- Restaurants are allowed to open again
- Apartments already open, hotels from May 18
- Museums are open, cinemas are subject to restrictions from May 30th
Restaurants have been open since May 11th. Among other things, the contact details of each visitor must be registered.
Tourist use and stays in holiday apartments, holiday homes and campsites have also been permitted since May 11 – subject to contact restrictions. Also since May 11th amusement parks, excursion boats (with hygiene concept), tourist information, bike and boat rentals are open again.
On Ascension Day (May 21), hotels will be reopened to tourists. For this, strict requirements apply analogous to the catering trade with a mandatory hygiene protection concept as well as the guarantee of distance regulations and contact restrictions.
From Pentecost (May 30th), thermal baths and swimming pools, fun pools and wellness facilities are supposed to reopen under tailored infection protection concepts.
Members from two families may meet in public.
(Stand NRW: May 14, 4.15 p.m.)
Rhineland–Palatinate: Hotels and holiday homes open on May 18th
- Restaurants have been allowed to open since May 13th
- Cottages and hotels from May 18
- Museums are allowed to open again, cinemas remain closed
Since Wednesday (May 13th), restaurants have been allowed to reopen under certain conditions, including limited opening hours and taboo seating for guests. Hotels and holiday apartments may reopen to tourists from May 18.
The camping will reopen from May 13th for long-term campers and from May 18th for other campers, subject to the user's own sanitary facility. From June 10th it will be possible to camp without the user's own sanitary facility.
Coach, boat and group trips are currently not possible, but can be resumed with restrictions from June 24th. When selecting a destination, the travel warnings of the Federal Foreign Office and the restrictions on travel have to be taken into account.
Contact restrictions: Relatives from up to two households can meet in the public space.
(Rhineland-Palatinate as of May 14, 5:14 p.m.)
Saarland: Hotels and apartments may open from May 18th
- Restaurants, hotels and apartments may open from May 18th
- Museums can open again, for cinemas there is no information yet
Restaurants and hotels in Saarland can reopen from May 18, subject to conditions. This applies, among other things, to restaurants, pubs, cafés and canteens, but not to discos, clubs and shisha bars. Opening times are limited to 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
In hotels, normal tourist operations should be possible again from May 18 – within the scope of applicable restrictions. To further minimize the risk of infection, companies must adhere to a staggered maximum occupancy. Depending on the number of infections, full utilization should then be possible from June 2, 2020. In addition to hotels, guesthouses and inns, campsites, youth hostels and holiday apartments also count as accommodation establishments. The conference operation is again permitted with restrictions. But swimming and fitness areas still have to remain closed.
Hygiene requirements are still being worked out for catering and accommodation businesses – for example, a minimum distance of 1.50 meters or operation only at the table. A reservation can be used to track chains of infection, or a contact data sheet can be filled out on site, for example when visiting a restaurant spontaneously.
According to the Corona regulation, members of their own household are allowed to sit at the same table as another household.
(As of Saarland: May 14, 4:25 p.m.)
Saxony: Hotels and apartments open on May 15th
- Restaurants, apartments and hotels may open from May 15th
- Museums are allowed to open. Cinemas are still closed.
Tourists and visitors from other federal states are allowed to enter Saxony. The contact restrictions apply to everyone who – for whatever reason – is in Saxony: they can meet with the relatives of their own household, the partner and with relatives of another household.
From May 15th, beer gardens, restaurants, hotels, holiday apartments and campsites may reopen in the Free State of Saxony. The prerequisite for this is an individual hygiene concept. The responsible local authority can check the hygiene concepts of the companies and their compliance.
Other cultural institutions such as theaters, musical theaters, cinemas, concert halls, concert venues and opera houses can also open. A hygiene concept is also required for this, which must be approved by the responsible local authority.
The tables must be at least 1.5 meters apart and the waitress must serve with a face mask. The menus must be wipeable, there must be nothing on the table that can be used several times. That means salt and pepper in sachets instead of in shakers on the table. According to the Minister of Culture, Barbara Klepsch (CDU), there is a draft in agreement with the Dehoga hotel and restaurant association for a voluntary commitment by the industry, which must be coordinated with the Ministry of Health.
From May 15th, two households can meet.
(Saxony state: May 14, 1:15 p.m.)
Saxony-Anhalt: Hotels should open for Saxony-Anhalt during Whitsun holidays
- Restaurants may open from May 22nd
- For Saxony-Anhalter only: apartments from May 15th, hotels from May 22nd
- Museums are allowed to open, cinemas are still closed
Saxony-Anhalt should also be allowed to spend the Pentecost holidays in the hotels in their state. From May 15th, holiday homes and apartments can be rented out to locals again, and from May 22nd, hotels and pensions can also receive guests again. Travel to Saxony-Anhalt from other federal states for tourist purposes will initially be prohibited until May 27.
The restaurants are allowed to reopen on May 22nd – even on May 18, with a special permit from the district. Pubs, bars, discos and similar establishments remain closed.
Meetings of up to five people are allowed, even if they do not live together in one household.
(Saxony-Anhalt status: May 14, 5.48 p.m.)
Schleswig-Holstein: First easing in tourism
- Restaurants, hotels and apartments may open from May 18th
- Museums are allowed to reopen, cinemas are subject to restrictions from May 18
The northernmost state of Germany is also gradually ramping up tourism in the country. The country will reopen to all tourists on May 18. In this way, Schleswig-Holstein is lifting the previous entry ban for tourists.
"It is time to take a look at the entire social and economic life of our country and to shape the way of Schleswig-Holstein," said Prime Minister Daniel Günther (CDU) on Thursday. On May 18, the entry ban for islands and Halligen falls. Restaurants, holiday apartments, hotels and motorhome parking spaces may also reopen from May 18.
Several members of two households can meet in both private and public spaces.
But beware: Day tourists are not allowed to visit the Schleswig-Holstein North Sea islands and most of the Halligen on Ascension Day and the coming weekend and at Pentecost. A corresponding ban on entry, which the district administrator of North Friesland, Florian Lorenzen, has issued, also applies to St. Peter-Ording.
(As of Schleswig-Holstein: May 14, 5:14 p.m.)
Also read: Summer vacation in Germany: experts sure, hotel beds will not be enough
Also read: Where summer vacation could still be possible this year – and where not
Thuringia: Hotels and restaurants open on May 15th
- Restaurants, hotels and apartments can open from May 15th
- Museums are allowed to open, there is still no opening date for cinemas
Thuringia opens restaurants and hotels on May 15th. The regulation also applies to campsites, holiday apartments and houses as well as comparable offers, the State Chancellery said. The prerequisite is that the hygiene and distance regulations are observed.
Local politicians, however, do not expect all restaurateurs and hoteliers to reopen their businesses on Friday. According to the Thuringian Corona Regulation, the catering trade can start again on May 15 after several weeks of closure with a series of security requirements. Some innkeepers would wait for the development, however, it said on Thursday at a meeting of the mayors of the six independent cities in Erfurt.
Coach events are still prohibited. Concert halls, orchestral and theatrical performances and cinemas, as well as swimming pools, leisure and adventure pools, also remain closed to the public, as far as in closed rooms.
(Stand Thuringia: May 14, 12:16 p.m.)
With material from dpa