The great thing about river cruising — particularly European river cruising — is the opportunity it represents to visit multiple cities in several different countries in a single visit, all from the comfort of your floating river cruise palace. It’s convenient, relaxing, and welcoming.
Onboard your ship, all purchases will likely be made in Euros (€). But ashore, the issue of currency can be trickier to predict.
Some countries that are part of the European Union — like Hungary or the Czech Republic — don’t use the Euro as a form of currency, preferring instead to retain their traditional form of money. From a planning standpoint, this can be frustrating for travelers looking to make sure they’ve got all their ducks lined up in a row.
So what can you do to ensure you’re never caught unaware and unprepared? Here are a few tips we practice when cruising the waterways of Europe.
Always Have Some Euros. These can be withdrawn from an ATM at a local financial institution once in Europe, but I prefer to visit an accredited exchange bureau prior to leaving North America to have some cash on hand. In smaller towns, not everyone takes credit cards, and having Euros in cash isn’t just convenient for purchasing lunch at airports, but also in case you need to take ground transportation like taxis to reach your hotel or river cruise ship.
Use Credit Cards When Possible. So you’re visiting Hungary for a day, but don’t necessarily want to end up with a pocketful of Hungarian Forint? Using your credit card can be a good way of making purchases, as the exchange rate tends to be favorable. However, not all merchants accept credit cards, so be sure to ask before you make a purchase or — for example — order food. Visa and Mastercard tend to be widely accepted; American Express less so.
Withdraw Cash – don’t Exchange. Having a small amount of local currency on-hand in cash is always a good idea, but it is best to withdraw from an ATM located at a local financial institution. Never use an ATM that is not part of a major bank, or situated in the middle of a street or business. These can often charge exorbitant transaction fees or simply be unsafe to use.
Using Exchange Bureaus to change cash from one currency to another is an option, but in many cases, the exchange rates are unfavorable. If you have to do this, try to do so as little as possible — or exchange a larger value of cash at once. Switching currencies too many times with an Exchange Bureau can cause you to lose a great deal of cash in the transfer process.
Come Prepared. A quick Google search like “Currency in Germany” can tell you what money is accepted in a particular country. One rule of thumb cannot be emphasized enough: Most countries outside the United States will NOT accept US Dollars. In some cases, large American hotel chains will accept US Cash, and nearly all will offer to change it into local currency for you, but walking into a shop in Austria and trying to pay with US Dollars is never a good idea. At best, it makes you look uninformed, and at worst it comes off as an insult to the shopkeeper.
It is also worth avoiding Traveller’s Checks. Formerly the de-facto standard in travel currency, they’re now becoming nearly impossible to cash at many businesses.
It can be tricky to have to juggle around multiple currencies, but having a game plan before you go can help save you money. And that’s always a good thing.
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