Tap water is excellent and no vaccinations are required, but you cannot buy ibuprofen in a supermarket - only in an Apotheke, closed on Sundays. Non-EU visitors pay their own hospital bills in full.
- Painkillers are pharmacy-only. Ibuprofen, paracetamol and aspirin cannot be bought in supermarkets, kiosks or petrol stations - only in an Apotheke, which closes on Sundays.
- Every closed pharmacy posts the nearest open one in its window for the rotating night and Sunday emergency service, with a surcharge of about EUR 2.50.
- Emergency rooms treat you regardless of nationality, and non-EU visitors are personally liable for the whole bill afterwards. German providers do not bill foreign schemes such as US Medicare.
- 116 117 reaches the on-call doctor service for things that are urgent but not emergencies, when practices are closed.
- Ticks are the one real local risk. Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg are designated encephalitis zones from April to October - consider the vaccination if you plan forest walks.
Tap water is safe everywhere and monitored more tightly than the bottled kind under the Trinkwasserverordnung. Ask for Leitungswasser if you want it in a restaurant, though many will still bring a bottle.
- No vaccinations are required. Keep routine ones (tetanus, diphtheria, polio, measles) current.
- Ticks are the one real local risk. Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg are designated tick-borne encephalitis (FSME) zones between April and October. If you plan forest walks, consider the FSME vaccination and tuck long trousers into socks. Lyme disease is present in the same areas.
- No malaria, no dengue.
Pharmacies work differently here
- Painkillers are pharmacy-only. Ibuprofen, paracetamol and aspirin cannot be bought in supermarkets, kiosks or petrol stations - only in a licensed Apotheke, marked by a large red A. Bring your own supply.
- Hours: roughly 08:30 to 18:30 or 20:00, Monday to Saturday, closed Sunday.
- Nights and Sundays: pharmacies run a rotating emergency service (Notdienst). Every closed pharmacy posts the nearest open one in its window. A surcharge of about EUR 2.50 applies.
Hospitals and money
- Emergency rooms (Notaufnahme) treat acute emergencies regardless of nationality or ability to pay upfront, but non-EU visitors are personally liable for the whole bill afterwards. German providers do not bill foreign schemes such as US Medicare.
- Travel health insurance of at least EUR 30,000 including repatriation is legally mandatory for Schengen visa holders and strongly advisable for everyone else.
- EU and EEA visitors: carry the EHIC, which covers necessary state treatment.
- 116 117 reaches the on-call doctor service for things that are urgent but not emergencies, when practices are closed.
Bringing your own medication
- Up to a 3-month supply of personal prescription medicine is allowed.
- Controlled medicines - strong opioids, codeine, methylphenidate, medical cannabis - need a doctor's certificate, validated under Article 75 of the Schengen Agreement for Schengen residents or an equivalent official attestation otherwise.
- CBD above 0.2% THC and unauthorised performance-enhancing substances are prohibited imports.
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