Quick answer: travel insurance for Europe 2026
- Avg European claim
- £1,721
- UK insurers, 2024-25
- Recommended medical
- £2m+
- £5m for ski / Switzerland
- GHIC validity
- 5 yrs
- 31 countries, free to apply
- Underinsured Brits
- 38%
- ABTA 2025 Holiday Habits
What a European travel claim actually looks like
European healthcare is cheap by global standards: the UK-wide average claim is £1,721, roughly a quarter of what the same incident would cost in the United States. But the headline figure hides two patterns most travellers miss.
First, the median claim is much lower than the average; a long tail of £15,000 to £80,000 medical evacuations from the Greek islands, Croatian coast and Spanish ski resorts drags the mean up. Second, private treatment now accounts for roughly 35% of claims, because tourists in resorts often cannot reach a public hospital and walk into the nearest private clinic, which rejects the GHIC.
The practical rule: £2 million medical cover is enough for 99% of European trips, with two upgrades. £3 million if you are heading to a Greek island, the Adriatic coast or Switzerland (evacuation distances or local prices). £5 million for any Alpine ski trip, where helicopter rescue routinely runs £15,000 before treatment even starts.
GHIC vs travel insurance: what each one actually covers
The GHIC is the post-Brexit replacement for the EHIC. It is free, lasts 5 years, and gives you the same access to public healthcare a local resident has, in 31 European countries. It is not travel insurance, and never has been.
GHIC covers
- ✓Emergency hospital treatment in public facilities.
- ✓GP appointments at the local resident rate.
- ✓Treatment of pre-existing conditions and chronic illness.
- ✓Routine maternity care (not the delivery itself).
- ✓Prescriptions at the local pharmacy co-pay rate.
GHIC does NOT cover
- ✗Private clinics (the only ones open in many ski/beach resorts).
- ✗Repatriation by air ambulance to the UK (£25k to £45k).
- ✗Mountain or sea rescue (helicopter time and crew).
- ✗Cancellation, curtailment or missed connections.
- ✗Lost, stolen or damaged baggage and gadgets.
- ✗Switzerland and Turkey for non-emergency care.
Insider note. Order your GHIC only from nhs.uk. It is free. Third-party "fast-track" sites charge £35 for the same NHS-issued card. Average delivery is two weeks; print the temporary Provisional Replacement Certificate if you are travelling sooner.
Country by country: what changes at the border
The headline UK average masks big country-level swings. Average claim figures below are from ABI/ABTA claims data for UK-issued policies, 2024-25.
| Country | Avg UK claim | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
Spain
|
£1,310 | Private clinics in tourist resorts (Costa del Sol, Balearics) often refuse the GHIC and bill direct. Carry the policy phone number. |
France
|
£1,480 | You pay the doctor on the spot (€30 GP, €70 A&E) and reclaim via your insurer. Hospitals invoice your insurer directly with the GHIC. |
Italy
|
£1,620 | Public ER (Pronto Soccorso) is free with the GHIC, but waits of 4-8 hours are common. Mountain rescue in the Dolomites is charged in full. |
Greece
|
£1,750 | Island healthcare is basic; serious cases are airlifted to Athens. Budget for evacuation cover, not just treatment cover. |
Portugal
|
£1,240 | GHIC widely accepted. Watch out for surf-school injuries on the Atlantic coast, which insurers class as an adventure sport. |
Germany
|
£1,390 | High-quality private hospitals will treat you and bill the insurer directly if you have policy proof. Carry both GHIC and policy. |
Netherlands
|
£1,340 | GP-first system: most A&E visits are turned away unless you call 112 or go via a GP referral. Policy helpline saves an unnecessary trip. |
Switzerland
|
£2,950 | EU-level standards but Swiss-level wages. Hospital day rates routinely exceed £900. GHIC accepted only in public facilities. |
Averages, not maximums. Single high-cost incidents (ICU, repatriation, mountain rescue) can run into six figures.
European cover-level calculator
Pick your trip type. The calculator returns the medical, cancellation and baggage cover we would specify on a new policy in 2026, plus the one thing most travellers under-specify for that kind of trip.
Your trip type
2026 recommended cover
Medical cover
Minimum policy limit, evacuation included
Cancellation
Baggage
Five things to check on a European policy in 2026
In order of how often UK insurers refuse claims because of one of them.
Buy on the day you book the trip.
Cancellation cover only starts when the policy is live. Buying it the week before you fly means a non-refundable deposit is on you if you fall ill.
Declare every pre-existing condition, asthma included.
The single biggest reason UK travel claims are refused. Undeclared illness invalidates the entire policy, not just the claim related to it.
Check the policy is valid for the destination on the certificate.
Europe policies often exclude Turkey, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. Croatia, Czechia and the Balkans are usually in. Read the schedule line.
Add winter-sports cover before you board the lift.
£15 to £45 add-on; bundles piste closure, off-piste (in-bounds), helicopter rescue and lift-pass refund. Not included by default in any Europe policy.
Carry the policy phone number alongside the GHIC.
Private hospitals in Spain, Greece and Italy bill the insurer direct if you can give them the policy number on arrival. Otherwise you pay upfront and claim back.
Other destination guides
Europe travel insurance FAQ
No. The Global Health Insurance Card gets you state-funded medical care in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein on the same terms as a local resident. It does not cover private clinics (which we have seen reject the card in Spain and Greece), repatriation back to the UK, lost baggage, cancellation, or an air ambulance. The average air ambulance from southern Europe is £25,000 to £45,000; not a card-replaceable risk. Pair the GHIC with proper travel insurance.
£2 million is the working minimum and covers the vast majority of European in-patient stays. Bump it to £3 million for Greece, Switzerland and the Adriatic where evacuation distances add cost, and to £5 million for any ski or winter-sports trip in the Alps. Cheap policies that cap at £1 million can be exhausted by a single intensive-care stay.
British passport holders do not need a Schengen visa for stays up to 90 days in any 180-day rolling period (Brexit rules from January 2021). If you are travelling on a non-UK passport that does need a visa, the Schengen consulate requires medical cover of at least €30,000 (£25,500). Any UK travel policy with £2m medical satisfies this. Print the certificate; consulates ask for it at the visa interview.
Most policies labelled "Europe" cover Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Slovakia at no extra cost. Turkey, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia sit in a grey zone: some insurers price them as Europe, others as worldwide. Read the schedule before you fly, especially for Turkey, where private hospitals routinely charge UK-level prices.
EU/UK261 statutory compensation (€250 to €600 per passenger) is owed by the airline, not the insurer. Travel insurance kicks in for the costs the airline does not cover: missed connections, extra accommodation, and the full trip if a strike or natural event cancels it beyond 24 hours. Look for "travel disruption" cover of at least £1,500 on top of cancellation.
Almost never. Even premium Europe policies treat winter sports as an opt-in add-on, typically £15 to £45 on a single-trip premium. The add-on bundles piste closure, ski-pack replacement, off-piste cover (in-bounds only) and lift-pass refund. Verbier, Zermatt and Val d'Isère are the highest-claim resorts in 2026 according to ABI data, so do not travel uninsured. See our ski travel insurance guide for the detail.
For a healthy 35-year-old, £6 to £12 for a week in Spain with £2m medical, £1,500 cancellation and £1,500 baggage. Add £8 to £15 if you are over 65, or if you declare a single pre-existing condition. Annual multi-trip becomes cheaper from the second European holiday onwards, typically from £40 a year. Compare both quotes; the gap is rarely in the direction you expect.