There was the time when traveling through Europe one needed a separate currency for every country. That meant exchanging your US dollars or leftover money from other countries, to the current country’s money. Every time you exchange those currencies you lost value with service and transaction fees. As well as exchange services in tourists areas that give you a de-valued exchange rate on top of their additional fees.
That is no longer the situation as many countries have adopted a common currency called the Euro. Now 18 countries have the Euro as their official currency, making life a whole lot easier for us travelers. You can literally travel through multiple countries using just one currency.
Currency Values …In Europe the decimal point and comma are reversed. The decimal point is used to separate the thousandth digit from the hundredth and the comma separates dollars and cents. So it’s just reversed from what we use in the US. Your dinner bill was 43 Euros not 43 thousand Euros.
US dollar value written | European Money value written |
---|---|
.59 ¢ / | €,59 |
$ 4.99 / | € 4,99 |
$43.00 / | €43,00 |
$ 2,750.89 / | € 2.750,89 |
So be careful when shopping and looking at price tags, that item you want to buy may not be as expensive as you think.
Reading Numbers in Europe…Some numerals are written a little little differently to the way they are written in the U.S. Watch closely for these on price tags and receipts. Ones are written with little upswing before they come straight down and can be confused with the way we write 7’s. They draw a line through the middle of their 7’s setting them apart from their 1’s. 4’s can be written like a lighting bolt otherwise, most numerals appear much like they do in the U.S.
European Currencies…
The EURO

One of the challenges when traveling to foreign countries is converting US currency to that countries currency. After visiting multiple countries you could end up having 4 to 5 different currencies of unused pocket change. The best thing about Europe these days is more and more of the countries are using the Euro for their currency. In 1992 the Maastricht Treaty adopted provisions for one standard currency and over the last decade more countries have adopted the Euro currency. That means when you leave one country you probably won’t need to get cash in another currency. This is a blessing for travelers as one can use the same currency in multiple countries. Countries that use the euro are considered in the Eurozone and it is currently being used by 18 of the 28 members states of the European Union. Currently 5 other European and some African countries will accept the Euro as well as their own for currency. It is the second largest traded currency in the world behind the US dollar.

Shortly after your arrival at your final destination, you will need local currency. You have several options to either get local currency from your bank before you depart or upon arrival. Check with your local bank about their currency rates and foreign transaction fees. If you wait until you arrive at the airport you may use an ATM or or Currency Exchange booth. For information on ATM’s go to our ➾ Credit and Debit Card page. You can locate ATM’s and Currency Exchanges at airports by going to our ➾ Airports in Europe page and click on the country and city airport to open their web page. Open terminal maps where you’ll find the locations for all these services.
You’ll may also find currency locations in train stations and around high tourists areas. Be careful of the advertise low exchange rates, it may look like your getting more for your US dollar but, they can tack on services fees to make up for the good exchange rate. You may also buy foreign currency prior to you departure online at websites.
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ALBANIAN LEK
Symbol: Lek or L
Subunit 1/100 Quindarka
symbol: L
Code: (All) # 008
COINS
- 5 L
- 10 L
- 50 L
- 20 L
- 100 L
NOTES
- 200 L
- 500 L
- 1000 L
- 2000 L
- 5000 L
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BELARUSSSIAN RUBLE
Symbol: Br
Subunit 1/100 Kapiejka
symbol: kapiejka
Code: (BRY) # 933
COINS
- 1 k
- 2 k
- 5 k
- 10 k
- 20 k
- 50 k
- 1 br
- 2 br
NOTES
- 5 br
- 10 br
- 50 br
- 20 br
- 100 br
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BOSNIAN MARK
Symbol: KM
Subunit 1/100 Fening/Pfenig
symbol: pf
Code: (BAM) # 977
COINS
- 5 pf
- 10 pf
- 20 pf
- 50 pf
- 1 mark
- 2 marks
- 5 marks
NOTES
- 10 marks
- 20 marks
- 50 marks
- 100 marks
- 200 marks
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BULGARIAN LEV
Symbol: ЛВ or Leva
Subunit 1/100 Stotkinka
symbol: stotinka
Code: (BGL) # 975
COINS
- 1 Stotınka
- 2 Stotınka
- 5 Stotınka
- 10 Stotınka
- 20 Stotınka
- 50 Stotınka
- 1 leva
- 2 leva
NOTES
- 5 Leva
- 10 Leva
- 20 Leva
- 50 Leva
- 100 Leva
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CROATIAN KUNA
Symbol: kn
Subunit 1/100 Lipa
symbol: lp
Code: (HRK) # 191
COINS
- 5 lp
- 10 lp
- 20 lp
- 1 Kn
- 2 Kn
- 5 Kn
NOTES
- 10 kn
- 20 kn
- 50 kn
- 100 kn
- 200 kn
- 500 kn
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CZECH KORUNA
Symbol: Kč
Subunit 1/100 Haléř (defunct)
Code: (CZK) # 203
COINS
- 1 Kč
- 2 Kč
- 5 Kč
- 10 Kč
- 20 Kč
- 50 Kč
NOTES
- 100 Kč
- 200 Kč
- 500 Kč
- 1000 Kč
- 2000 Kč
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DANISH KRONE
Symbol: kr
Subunit 1/100 Øre symbol: øre
Code: (DKK) # 208
COINS
- 50 øre
- 1 kr
- 2 kr
- 10 kr
- 20 kr
NOTES
- 50 kr
- 100 kr
- 200 kr
- 500 kr
- 1000 kr
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EUROPEAN EURO
Symbol: €
Subunit 1/100 Cent/Cents
symbol: c
Code: (EUR) # 978
COINS
- 1 c
- 2 c
- 5 c
- 10 c
- 20 c
- 50 c
- €1
- €2
NOTES
- €5
- €10
- €20
- €50
- €100
- €200
- €500
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HUNGARIAN FORINT
Symbol: Ft
Subunit 1/100 fillér (defunct)
Code: (HUF) # 348
COINS
- 5 Ft
- 10 Ft
- 20 Ft
- 50 Ft
- 100 Ft
- 200 Ft
NOTES
- 500 Ft
- 1000 Ft
- 2000 Ft
- 5000 Ft
- 10000 Ft
- 20000 Ft
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ICELANDIC KRONA
Symbol: Íkr
Subunit: 1/100 krona
symbol: kr
Code: (ISK) # 352
COINS
- 1 kr
- 5 kr
- 10 kr
- 50 kr
- 100 kr
NOTES
- 500 kr
- 1000 kr
- 2000 kr
- 5000 kr
- 10000 kr
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MOLDOVAN LEU
Symbol: L
Subunit 1/100 Ban
symbol: bani
Code: (MDL) # 498
COINS
- 5 bani
- 10 bani
- 20 bani
- 50 bani
- 1 lei
- 2 lei
- 5 lei
- 10 lei
NOTES
- 1 lei
- 5 lei
- 10 lei
- 20 lei
- 50 lei
- 100 lei
- 200 lei
- 500 lei
- 1000 lei
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MACEDONIAN DENAR
Symbol: ден or den
Subunit 1/100 Deni (no longer in use )
Code: (MKD) # 807
COINS
- 1 den
- 2 den
- 5 den
- 10 den
- 50 den
NOTES
- 10 den
- 50 den
- 100 den
- 200 den
- 500 den
- 1000 den
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NORWEGIAN KRONE
Symbol: kr
Subunit 1/100 Øre
symbol: øre
Code: (NOK) # 578
COINS
- 1 kr
- 5 kr
- 10 kr
- 20 kr
NOTES
- 50 kr
- 100 kr
- 200 kr
- 500 kr
- 1000 kr
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POLISH ZŁOLY
Symbol: Zł
Subunit 1/100 Grosz
symbol: gr
Code: (PLN) # 985
COINS
- 1 gr
- 2 gr
- 5 gr
- 10 gr
- 20 gr
- 50 gr
- 1 Zł
- 2 Zł
NOTES
- 10 Zł
- 20 Zł
- 50 Zł
- 100 Zł
- 200 Zł
- 500 Zł
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ROMANIAN LEU
Symbol: L or Lei
Subunit 1/100 Ban
symbol: bani
Code: (RON) # 946
COINS
- 5 bani
- 10 bani
- 50 bani
NOTES
- 1 L
- 5 L
- 10 L
- 50 L
- 100 L
- 200 L
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RUSSIAN RUPLE
Symbol: ₽ or руб or р
Subunit 1/100 Kopeyka
symbol: kоп / k
Code: (RUB) # 643
COINS
- 1 koп
- 5 koп
- 10 koп
- 50 koп
- 1 ₽
- 2 ₽
- 5 ₽
- 10 ₽
NOTES
- 50 ₽
- 100 ₽
- 200 ₽
- 500 ₽
- 1000 ₽
- 2000 ₽
- 5000 ₽
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SERBIAN DINAR
Symbol: Дин or din
Subunit 1/100 Para / Пара
Code: (RSD) # 941
COINS
- 2 din
- 5 din
- 10 din
- 20 din
NOTES
- 10 din
- 20 din
- 50 din
- 100 din
- 200 din
- 500 din
- 1000 din
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SWEDISH KRONA
Symbol: kr
Subunit 1/100 Øre
Code: (SEK) # 752
COINS
- 1 kr
- 2 kr
- 5 kr
- 10 kr
NOTES
- 20 kr
- 50 kr
- 100 kr
- 200 kr
- 500 kr
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SWISS FRANC
Symbol: CFH or Fr
Subunit 1/100 Rappen
symbol: Rp
Code: (CFH) # 756
COINS
- 1 Rp
- 5 Rp
- 10 Rp
- 20 Rp
- 1/2 Fr
- 1 Fr
- 2 Fr
- 5 Fr
NOTES
- 10 Fr
- 20 Fr
- 50 Fr
- 100 Fr
- 200 Fr
- 1000 Fr
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TURKISH LIRA
Symbol: ₺ or TL
Subunit 1/100 Kuruş
symbol: kr
Code: (TRY) # 949
COINS
- 1 kr
- 5 kr
- 10 kr
- 25 kr
- 50 kr
- ₺ 1
NOTES
- ₺ 5
- ₺ 10
- ₺ 20
- ₺ 50
- ₺ 100
- ₺ 200
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UKRAINIAN HYRVNIA
Symbol: ₴ or грн
Subunit 1/100 Kopiyka
symbol: ₴
Code: (UAH) # 980
COINS
- 5 kopiyky
- 10 kopiyky
- 25 kopiyky
- 50 kopiyky
- ₴ 1
- ₴ 2
NOTES
- ₴ 1
- ₴ 2
- ₴ 5
- ₴ 10
- ₴ 20
- ₴ 50
- ₴ 100
- ₴ 200
- ₴ 500
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BRITISH POUND STERLING
Symbol: £
Subunit 1/100 penny/pence
symbol: p
Code: (GBP) # 826
COINS
- 1 p
- 2 p
- 5 p
- 10 p
- 20 p
- 50 p
- £1
- £2
NOTES
- £1
- £5
- £10
- £20
- £50
- £100
1 – Danish Krone – is official currency in Denmark, Faroe Islands & Greenland
2 – The Euro Zone is composed of countries that use the Euro as their official currency. The Euro Zone Countries are; Åland Islands, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holy See, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain
3 – Norwegian Krone – is official currency in Norway, Svalbard Islands, Jan Mayen & Bouvet Island
4 – Swiss Franc – is official currency in Switzerland & Liechtenstein
5 – British Pound Sterling is official currency in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Gibraltar & British overseas territories.
Banking in Europe…
You will not find American banks located in Europe so if you need bank services, whether just an ATM, exchanging currencies or other services, use a reputable local bank. Below are some of Europe’s largest banks by country. Some also operate in the US so a few names may be familiar.
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BELARUS
Belarusbank
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BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA
Raiffeisen Bosnia Herzegovina
Union Banka
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🇨🇾
CYPRUS
Bank of Cyprus
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DENMARK
Danske Bank
Nykredit A/S
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ESTONIA
SEB
🇫🇮
FINLAND
Nordea
OP Financial Group
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GREECE
National Bank of Greece
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HUNGARY
OTP Bank
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ICELAND
Landsbankinn
🇱🇻
🇱🇮
LIECHTENSTEIN
LGT – Liechtenstein Global
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LITHUANIA
SEB Banka
Swedbank Lithuania
🇲🇹
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MOLDOVA
MAIB – Moldova-Agroindbank
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NETHERLANDS
ABN Amro Group NV
ING Group
Rabobank
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NORTH MACEDONIA
Stopanska Banka
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NORWAY
DNB ASA
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POLAND
PKO Bank Polski
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SERBIA
Raiffeiesen Bank Serbia
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SLOVAKIA
Slovenská
🇸🇮
SLOVENIA
NLB Group
🇹🇷
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UNITED KINGDOM
The UK consists of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales & the Isle of Man
NORTHERN IRELAND
Ulster Bank
🏴
SCOTLAND
Royal Bank of Scotland Group