Travel Briefs

Vaccinated US and Canadian travelers planning to visit France can apply for digital vaccine certificates allowing entry to the country as well as to indoor venues. To qualify, you must have been vaccinated with one of the four vaccines recognized in the EU: Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson.

To apply, visit www.demarches-simplifiees.fr/commencer/passe-sanitaire-etrangers?locale=en, create an account and follow the application instructions, which will include...

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In Paris’ 1st arrondissement, a new modern art museum, the Bourse de Commerce: Pinault Collection (2 rue de Viarmes; phone +33 1 55 04 60 60, www.pinaultcollection.com/en), opened May 22, 2021.

The museum, one of four housing the private Pinault art collection, is located in a former commodity exchange building that has been renovated and restored and features a large glass-and-copper dome with a mural depicting farm scenes from around the world along its base. The site was also...

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On the Rua do Carmo, in central Porto, Portugal, two churches stand side by side, so close that they appear to be one building. They are the 17th-century Igreja das Carmelitas nunnery and 19th-century Igrejo de Carmo monastery. In fact, the two churches are separated by one of the world’s narrowest houses, no more than one meter wide and yet three stories tall, known locally as the Hidden House.

Actually occupied until the 1980s, the Hidden House is now a museum that can be...

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In Paris, the Eiffel Tower (www.toureiffel.paris/en) reopened to visitors on July 16 after being closed for eight months due to COVID-19. In order to enter, visitors will have to present a “health pass” from the French government showing they have been vaccinated or have recently tested negative for the virus.

As of July 21, all indoor venues in France, such as restaurants, museums and theaters, require a health pass to enter. At press time, there was no confirmed method...

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On July 19 Canada announced that, starting Aug. 9, 2021, fully vaccinated travelers from the US will be allowed to enter the country by land or air. Vaccinated travelers from other countries will be allowed entry starting Sept. 7. Proof of a negative result on a PCR COVID-19 test, taken within 48 hours of arrival, will be required.

US leisure travelers have been unable to enter Canada by any means since March 2020, by mutual agreement between the countries.

In order to...

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Canada’s ban on ships carrying more than 100 people in its territorial waters, originally scheduled to end March 1, 2022 (April ’21, pg. 5), was amended on July 16 to end Nov. 1, 2021.

Canada’s ban affected cruises from the US to Alaska, since a federal law required that any cruise ship of non-US registry leaving from a US seaport must make at least one stop in a foreign port before returning to the US. That law was temporarily suspended starting in June in order to...

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Carnival Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line have multiple cruises scheduled to leave from US ports in September and October. However, each one must still be approved by the CDC before being allowed to depart, with those decisions to be made closer to the embarkation dates.

The CDC has issued a vaccine requirement on cruises leaving from US ports. However, Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, signed an order saying businesses in that state cannot require customers to be vaccinated....

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Italy and Greece announced in late July that only vaccinated individuals will be allowed inside most businesses and venues, including restaurants, theaters and museums. While EU citizens can show their digital vaccine certificates for entry, US travelers will be allowed to present hard copies of their vaccination records as proof.

Places such as hotels and stores will still admit those wearing masks, regardless of vaccination status. As well, outdoor seating at restaurants and cafés...

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