Germany has reduced restrictions on travellers from the UAE and Bahrain. Both countries have been added to Germany’s safe list, alongside Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
This means all travellers over the age of 12 can enter the country, regardless of their vaccination status, as long as they can show a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of travel, a valid vaccination certificate or proof of recovery from Covid-19.
“The new travel regulations for GCC visitors makes travel to Germany easier and more appealing for travellers,” says Yamina Sofo, director of sales and marketing for the German National Tourist Board. “The winter season remains an important travel period for Germany, and this news will support regional travellers’ interest in exploring the array of festive seasonal markets, spa and wellness retreats, and outdoor sporting activities across Germany.”
The safe list is reviewed and revised every two weeks by the EU authorities and member states.
The capital Berlin is Germany's biggest city and is famed for its history, art, museums, architecture and nightlife. In the south, Munich takes the crown as the Bavarian capital, offering a quintessential experience as the land of lederhosen, culture and Oktoberfest.
Frankfurt is a major travel hub and the gleaming financial centre of Germany where you’ll find skyscrapers, historic buildings and a lively art and culture scene. In Hamburg, expect to enjoy the waterways – the city is home to more bridges than Amsterdam and Venice combined.
Away from the big cities, explore the Rhine Valley, visit the country’s beaches, island-hop along the north-west coast, or trek over chalk cliffs and open heaths then visit the Unesco-listed Wadden Sea.
Etihad is operating flights to Germany from Abu Dhabi. The national airline of the UAE currently flies to both Munich and Frankfurt. From Dubai, travellers can fly with Emirates to Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Frankfurt and Munich.
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
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Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
'Brazen'
Director: Monika Mitchell
Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler
Rating: 3/5
SPECS
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.