Whether you fancy a city break filled with romance in Paris, a visit to the beautiful beaches of the Canary Islands or you want to witness the majestic beauty of the Northern Lights, Europe has a destination for almost every type of holiday.
While holidays to France are all about culture and great food, trips to Iceland allow you to see Europe’s wilderness and wildlife at its beautiful best. Alternatively, you can take a trip as far away as Russia, and learn more about the country’s history or be mesmerised by the beauty of Red Square. If you’d rather shop until you drop, try Milan’s gorgeous designer boutiques.
With so much choice, it can be hard to pick just one destination, which is why interrailing has become so popular. You can leave with your backpack and explore everything this beautiful continent has to offer on one trip. If you’re taking an extended break in Europe, then our Backpacker insurance could be a good fit.
Below is some more information about our insurance products, for which Terms and Conditions apply. Please visit the policy information hub for full details.
Why do you need travel insurance for Europe?
You may think that travel insurance isn’t as important when you’re staying closer to home, but the truth is, things can still go wrong.
For example, your flight might be cancelled, your luggage may be lost, or your valuables could be stolen by pickpockets at busy tourist attractions. Thankfully, travel insurance for Europe can help protect you against these risks and more. Accidents can happen wherever you are but, with European travel insurance, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that you’re protected if something doesn’t go to plan.
What's covered?
We offer three types of holiday insurance for Europe: Single Trip, Annual and Backpacker.
Our Single Trip travel insurance for Europe covers you for a maximum of 180 days at any one time. But, if you’re planning on going away more than once this year, then our Annual travel insurance for Europe may be a better fit. It covers you for an unlimited number of trips, up to 31 days in duration over a 12-month period. Alternatively, if you’re aged 50 or under and you’re travelling across Europe to a number of destinations as part of a career break or a gap year, then you could find that our Backpacker insurance is a better option.
Across our Single Trip and Annual policies, we also offer three different levels of cover: Bronze, Silver and Gold. These have different payment limits and excess amounts.
With our travel insurance for Europe, you can be protected against:
- *Not available with Bronze level cover
- **Only available with Gold level cover
- Terms and Conditions apply.
If you have any activities planned, you can also choose to purchase additional cover. If you’re planning on skiing in the picturesque Val-d'Isère, then our Winter Sports and Ski add-on can protect you against things like piste closure and lost ski equipment.
To understand exactly what you're covered for and to find out whether any exclusions apply, please read your policy documents. If you have any questions about your policy, please get in touch with us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our European travel insurance covers all of Europe* and some destinations outside mainland Europe, such as Morocco. Countries covered by our European travel insurance include:
- The UK
- Continental Europe
- Islands in the Mediterranean
- The Channel Islands
- The Isle of Man
- Morocco
- Algeria
- Tunisia
- Libya
- Egypt
- Israel
- Turkey
- Madeira
- The Canary Islands
- The Azores
- The Republic of Ireland
- Iceland
- Russia
- Estonia
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Belarus
- Ukraine
- Moldova
- Georgia
*Please note that you will not be covered if you travel to a country or region that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has advised against all travel or against all but essential travel.
The cost of taking out a travel insurance policy for Europe will vary, depending on the type and level of cover you choose, your age and whether you purchase any add-ons. If you have any pre-exisitng medical conditions, this will affect you eligibility for cover.
To find out how much your holiday insurance for Europe will cost, get a quote today.
All prices we quote include Insurance Premium Tax (IPT).
Currently, you do not need a visa for short trips to Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and any country in the European Union (EU). If you don’t have a visa, you can stay for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. This 90-day limit is an accumulation of the time spent in all of these countries during the 180-day period. If you exceed this limit, you may require a visa.
These rules are slightly different for visits to Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania. Only the time spent within any one of these countries counts towards the 90-day limit within the 180-day period.
You may require a visa if you are travelling for business, work or study. It's also possible that you’ll need to complete the online ETIAS application form before setting off.
Bear in mind that with our European Annual Travel Insurance, we include some countries that are outside the EEA for example Egypt and Libya. You will need a visa to travel to these countries. You can check the entry requirements here.
If you’re travelling within the European Union (EU), then an EHIC card is an important document to have. It is not however a replacement for European travel insurance. Also, despite the UK leaving the EU in January 2021, the EHIC remains valid for UK holders until the expiry date of their card. However, once your EHIC has expired you will have to apply for a Global Health Insurance (GHIC). The GHIC will take the place of the EHIC and can be applied for and ordered now if you don't already own an EHIC.
Both the EHIC and the GHIC entitle you to cheaper (sometimes free) emergency treatment in a number of EU countries. Although the card entitles you to the same treatment as local citizens, you should be aware that many countries do not have their version of the NHS, so you may still have to pay for some aspects of healthcare.
For this reason, you should still take out travel insurance for Europe. That way, your medical bills will be included in your cover, and you’ll also be covered for things like cancellations, delayed flights and delayed personal possessions.
If you’re taking a holiday in the UK, travel insurance is still important. Although you won’t need health insurance because you still have access to the NHS, your European travel insurance will still cover things like cancellations, lost luggage and stolen possessions.
Our Annual travel insurance for Europe includes the UK, so your staycation will be covered if you choose ‘Europe’ as your area of cover. Special UK only rates are also available on our Single Trip policies