Package holiday — Verbraucherzentrale · Germany

Direct answer

A package (flight + hotel booked together, or a tour) comes with the strongest travel rights in the EU: the organiser is liable for every part, must fix problems on the spot, owes a price reduction and compensation for what it cannot fix, and must be insolvency-protected — if it collapses, the guarantee fund refunds you and brings you home. Complain to the organiser during the trip in writing, then claim after. Verbraucherzentrale (verbraucherzentrale.de) advises; Europäisches Verbraucherzentrum Deutschland (+49 7851 991480) for an organiser in another EU country; Deutscher Reisesicherungsfonds (DRSF) (drsf.de) is the guarantee scheme that pays if the organiser is insolvent.

Call firstVerbraucherzentrale

Report toEuropäisches Verbraucherzentrum Deutschland

If that failsDeutscher Reisesicherungsfonds (DRSF)

🗣️ What to say

"Booking [number], [dates, destination]. [The hotel / transfer / excursion] was [not provided / not as described: what]. I reported this on [date] to [rep / hotline] and it was not resolved. I claim a price reduction of [%] and compensation for [costs / lost days], receipts attached."

🪜 Step by step

Complain on the spotTo the rep or the 24-hour line, in writing (email/app). Give them a chance to fix it; keep the reply.
DocumentPhotos, the brochure description, receipts of anything you paid to fix it yourself.
Claim within the deadlineUsually within a month of return, to the organiser, itemised.
Refusal: Verbraucherzentrale, Europäisches Verbraucherzentrum Deutschland, ADRConsumer body, ECC for cross-border, and the travel ADR scheme if the organiser is a member.
Organiser insolvent: Deutscher Reisesicherungsfonds (DRSF)The guarantee fund refunds prepayments and repatriates; check the organiser was registered — it must be.

📇 All contacts

VerbraucherzentraleAdvice, template letters, help with mediationWhen the seller refuses🔗 www.verbraucherzentrale.de

Europäisches Verbraucherzentrum DeutschlandFree help with sellers in other EU countriesSeller is in another EU country, Norway or Iceland📞 +49 7851 991480 🔗 www.evz.de

Deutscher Reisesicherungsfonds (DRSF)Cover when the tour operator goes bustOperator insolvent: deposit, repatriation🔗 www.drsf.de

Allgemeine VerbraucherschlichtungsstelleOut-of-court dispute resolution, free for consumersWhen advice did not help🔗 www.verbraucher-schlichter.de

❓ Frequently asked

Can I cancel before departure?

Yes, with a fee — unless "unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances" at the destination (natural disaster, serious unrest), in which case a full refund is due.

The organiser changed the hotel

A significant change lets you accept a replacement or cancel with a full refund, plus compensation in some cases. A minor change does not.

The flight was delayed — package or EU 261?

Both: EU 261 compensation from the airline, and the organiser owes a remedy for the lost part of the holiday. They cannot be claimed twice for the same loss.

📎 Sources

Last checked: 2026-09-26

🔎 Common searches

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“package holiday complaint compensation Germany”
“tour operator insolvent refund”
“package travel rights price reduction”
“holiday not as described claim”
“travel guarantee fund Germany”

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🏖️ My package holiday went wrong or the organiser collapsed — what am I entitled to?