 The article investigates the role of primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic in five European countries using a qualitative approach and case study method, focusing on successful strategies, as well as gaps and failures regarding pandemic management in primary care. Primary care providers identified disruptions to service delivery, increased workload, insufficient personal protective equipment, and incongruous guidelines from public authorities as major challenges. Despite these problems, primary care providers implemented creative solutions through a diverse set of measures including home visits, infection control measures, and relying on their own experiences and information shared by colleagues. The article concludes that an integrated health system with a strong primary care component proved beneficial in addressing immediate effects of the pandemic and applying the learnings from the pandemic could help increase the resilience of primary care.