Currency needed in Eastern Europe

[tring]

We are due to leave on the Viking, 'Passage to Eastern Europe' cruise in a month. We will visit five different countries, none of which are in the Euro. The countries are -: Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Croatia and Hungary.

 

Viking have advised me to take Euros and their guides will advise if we need to change them for local currency. This seems silly as we would then loose on changing currency twice, when we could just change £'s directly to the local currency.

 

Can anyone who has travelled this region tell me whether Euros were accepted in any of those countries (I have heard Euros tend to be accepted in Budapest for instance). Some stops only allow for a Viking trip and I am wondering what chance (or need) there is to spend money when on trips and whether everyone uses the local currency for tips?

 

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

[Shorex]

We are due to leave on the Viking, 'Passage to Eastern Europe' cruise in a month. We will visit five different countries, none of which are in the Euro. The countries are -: Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Croatia and Hungary.

 

Viking have advised me to take Euros and their guides will advise if we need to change them for local currency. This seems silly as we would then loose on changing currency twice, when we could just change £'s directly to the local currency.

 

Can anyone who has travelled this region tell me whether Euros were accepted in any of those countries (I have heard Euros tend to be accepted in Budapest for instance). Some stops only allow for a Viking trip and I am wondering what chance (or need) there is to spend money when on trips and whether everyone uses the local currency for tips?

 

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

Our experience in these countries is that local currencies are either highly preferred or necessary. If Euros were to be accepted for goods or services the exchange rate would be very unfavorable to you. On our AMAWaterways cruise (Istanbul/Rousse to Budapest), the ship would change small amounts of dollars to the local currency and accept whatever was left over back at the same rate.

 

I would recommend changing a small amount in each country if you plan to buy postcards and the local beer, etc. If you have an extended stay at either end of the cruise portion, you will need the local currency.

 

Guides will certainly accept Euros or dollars for tips, just be aware that they will lose a bit when they change Euros/dollars back to their own currency.

 

Personally, I would never change dollars to Euros to Kuna (or whatever). You would lose twice on the exchange. Additionally, we always travel with our ATM card and a credit card that does not charge an extra %age for foreign purchases.

 

Just noticed you are from the UK. Substitute "pounds" for "dollars" and the message is the same.

Edited March 3, 2012 by Shorex

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Is it really necessary to get even small amounts of these currencies in advance of departure? Can't you just use an ATM when you arrive?

[Shorex]

Is it really necessary to get even small amounts of these currencies in advance of departure? Can't you just use an ATM when you arrive?

 

No, not necessary to get any foreign currency in advance. ATM's are almost always the best way to change currency and they are widely available in Europe.

 

Just always plan on how to pay for getting from your arrival airport to your hotel (if you aren't using cruise transfers).

[Keystonetraveler]

I took a trip similar to yours two years ago and visited all the same countries. I always travel with both dollars (I'm from the U.S) and Euros (I keep a supply of them as I frequently visit countries that use them). I always try to have very small denominations so that change is not a problem. I had no trouble at all using Euros in any of these countries, but dollars were less acceptable. I bought snacks, postcards, postage stamps, and even a few gifts. In fact, many prices are also in Euros. The one time I did not have correct change was no problem as the store gave me change in dollars. I gave them Euros, but they did not have change in that currency and were happy to unload some of their dollars. The local currency might be necessary if you were off the beaten track, but the river cruises go to tourist areas. They want our money and seem very good about accepting Euros or dollars. Pounds may me another story.

[tstr]

I assume all the ATMs have an English language option?

 

Thanks

[tring]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

 

We do have Hotel stays in Bucharest/Budapest at the start and finish of the cruise and were intending to use ATM's there (or take their currency). From advice given by Viking and various reviews, I gather we will be OK for ATM's in Belgrade as well, but not in the other ports and not all shops/cafes take plastic payment. I was also wondering how easy it would be to use an ATM if on a tour - I do not see tour guides waiting for people to queue at an ATM.

 

We have been advised by Viking that they cannot exchange currency for these countries on the boat.

 

Perhaps we will take small amounts of each currency and take some Euros as a backup.

 

Getting to/from the airports is not a problem as flights/transfers are included in our brochure price in Britain.

 

Thanks again

Edited March 4, 2012 by tring

[Baybear]

Make sure you have a 4-digit password for your ATM card. (or has that changed by now?) When we traveled to Europe several years ago, our 6-digit code did not work.

[FlyerTalker]

When all else fails....have a stash ($50+) of ones and fives in US currency. You may lose out a lot on any exchange, but you are dealing with small bills.

 

Personally, along with Mrs FT, we travel with at least $50 in ones and another $150 in fives. If you never use it on the trip, you can use it at the Safeway or Exxon when you return. An absolutely NO COST fallback position. Better to have it than wish you did.

 

For example, on a river cruise in Asia, there were folks onboard clamoring for small bills. They brought twenties and fifties. In Cambodia, they love pricing and taking dollars. The tuk-tuk was $1 per person. Have the small stuff...it can't hurt.

[fea]

We are due to leave on the Viking, 'Passage to Eastern Europe' cruise in a month. We will visit five different countries, none of which are in the Euro. The countries are -: Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Croatia and Hungary.

 

Viking have advised me to take Euros and their guides will advise if we need to change them for local currency. This seems silly as we would then loose on changing currency twice, when we could just change £'s directly to the local currency.

 

Can anyone who has travelled this region tell me whether Euros were accepted in any of those countries (I have heard Euros tend to be accepted in Budapest for instance). Some stops only allow for a Viking trip and I am wondering what chance (or need) there is to spend money when on trips and whether everyone uses the local currency for tips?

 

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

I will be taking the same trip at the end of May. Would appreciate any feedback on the ship, tours, or any helpful information on your experiences. Thanks in advance.

[webfoot]

We just got back from our cruise where we were in Hungary, Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania, who do not use the Euro. We didn't need any currency in most of the places but did get some local currency in Croatia from an ATM, which was enough to pay for a coffee and pastry. Once we got to Bucharest, we did use the ATM for their local currency.

 

Our ATM card has a 4-digit pin. We were also warned that in Romania that when a credit card is accepted, you may need to have a 4-digit pin. We set these up with our credit card companies prior to leaving the US. We had just one time that we needed the pin with our credit card.

[4774Papa]

I would suggest that you will need to buy some local currency from an ATM. Sometimes local merchants will give you back local currency in change if you give them Dollars or Euros. Just make sure you are familiar with the exchange rates and the amount you are due in change.

 

Another possibility is to leave the local currency that you don't spend as part of the tip for the river boat crew. That is what we did in Russia with our excess Rubles.

[webfoot]

Purchasing currency from your local bank before departing will most likely give you a lesser rate than you can get from the ATM. We usually use the ATM even before leaving the airport. My husband likes to collect currency from all over so what we don't spend often comes home with us and is put into his collection. It was handy when we headed to Vienna as he 'parted' with the 20 Euro note that he brought back 2 years ago ... :)

[Travers22]

I am from the U.S. where we have 4-digit pins. But be aware that some ATM's in Europe use letters instead of numbers so be sure to memorize your pin both numerically and alphabetically. Can be a pain if you don't know it and you are trying to withdraw cash.

[4774Papa]

I am from the U.S. where we have 4-digit pins. But be aware that some ATM's in Europe use letters instead of numbers so be sure to memorize your pin both numerically and alphabetically. Can be a pain if you don't know it and you are trying to withdraw cash.

I have never heard of letters as an ATM pin. If you have numbers, how would that translate to letters? If you use the telephone numbers, you could translate some numbers, but not number 1/

[Travers22]

You are right about the number one. Never thought of it because my code does not have a one in it. I just remember the first time I came across this problem I had a heck of a surprise. Had to use my cell phone to translate from numbers to letters.

[Ray in NH]

I am from the U.S. where we have 4-digit pins. But be aware that some ATM's in Europe use letters instead of numbers so be sure to memorize your pin both numerically and alphabetically. Can be a pain if you don't know it and you are trying to withdraw cash.

 

I have never heard of letters as an ATM pin. If you have numbers, how would that translate to letters? If you use the telephone numbers, you could translate some numbers, but not number 1/

 

I also have not seen any ATMs that required "alpha" PINs. I do recall that PINs beginning with a zero would not be accepted.

 

Ray in NH

[tring]

Hello,

 

I started this thread and can now give our own experiences regarding currency.

 

First, I would like to point out that we are British and over here all debit and credit cards are chip and pin. The digits are always four numbers and we have never come across letters being used for ATM's either at home or anywhere in Eastern (or western) Europe, so that may be an American thing.

 

There were Americans on our Viking, 'Passage to Eastern Europe', itinerary whose cards would not work in ATM's. We are pretty certain that was because their cards did not have a chip in them. Only Americans who had cards containing a chip were able to use them in ATM's and that always rang true in our experience. Of course you would also need to advise your bank which countries you intend to use the card(s) and when.

 

We had some small denomination dollars from a previous holiday and also took a larger amount of Euros. They were useful for tips when out on trips and we used them for charity donations at times (eg in churches) - I assume charities would be able to change dollar and euro notes and probably larger Euro coins somehow. Tour guides are happy with any currency.

 

Euros were widely accepted in Budapest (as well as dollars in the more touristy situations - I think), but as you would expect, you will get better value in local currency, even allowing for bank exchange rates.

 

Neither dollars nor euros were widely accepted in Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria or Romania. However, if you confine your purchases just to tourist bases and souvenir shops visited on the Viking trips, then Euros or Dollars could be used much, but not all, of the time. If you go into the ports on your own, or wander off a bit in those countries you definately needed the local currency or a functioning debit or credit card, (cards we not accepted in all outlets). The trips are very tightly timed so it was not practical to expect to use an ATM during the trips, unless there was free time (as in Belgrade and Veliko Tarnovo) and ATM's were not present in the more remote locations.

 

In Orsova, which we visited on the day we cruised the Iron Gate, only the local currency was accepted even for a drink in a local cafe, but there were banks open on the day we visited there. There was only an optional trip that day and we did not go on that.

 

We left any remaining currency from those countries as tips on the ship, or popped back into a church and put it in the collection box. They are all poor countries so you will find yourselves very willing to donate money.

 

As we started in Bucharest, we found Budapest quite a culture shock!!! We had been used to facilities being a little overoccupied by the three coachloads of passengers from our ship, (as we were usually the only tourists around). Budapest, by contrast, was totally taken over by tour groups wherever you looked. Also, even the toilet facilities we were directed to during the trip in Budapest were charging half a euro, (dollars were also accepted), so again small notes were worthwhile.

 

We returned home with the majority of our Euros and used local currency almost everwhere (apart from tips).

 

We are ardent 'do it yourselfers' and much prefer to wander off on our own when viable. We went on most trips, but did not go on the one to Osijek from Vukovar as we were considerably over tripped by then. We had a lovely peaceful and interesting time wandering around Vukovar, then sat on the top deck with a savory purchase from a local bakery and a bottle of Bulgarian beer which had been sitting in our cabin fridge since Vidin. We also had a lovely meal out in Belgrade on the evening we were there and then went to a local bar for a while.

 

There are a lot of quite long trips so we were extremely tight on time to get ready for dinner much of the time.

 

Viking ships only stock Euros, even on that itinerary.

 

Hope that is helpful, I would be happy to answer any other questions about that cruise.

 

Barbara

Edited April 29, 2012 by tring
corrected punctuation

[webfoot]

We just got back from Eastern Europe. Our ATM does not have the chip and we were able to get cash when we needed it. Our credit cards also do not have a chip and we only needed our 4-digit pin once.

 

Just be sure that your bank and credit card companies know in advance that you are traveling ... And take with you a phone number to contact the bank or credit card company in case you have problems using your card.

[miroku]

We are going on this cruise next week. Could anyone offer an update as to the currency situation please?

Many thanks

[gnome12]

We are going on this cruise next week. Could anyone offer an update as to the currency situation please?

Many thanks

I'm sorry; I don't mean to be nasty. What do you expect might have changed since April?

[caradara]

The thread is 5 years old. Updates are appreciated.

[gnome12]

I apologize. I missed the year information. There has been another thread about currency recently. You might want to search for that.

 

If the local currency is not Euros, they will usually take Euros, but you won't get as good an exchange. It depends how long you will be out of the Euro zone, and what you expect to do.

[CPT Trips]

I'm sorry; I don't mean to be nasty. What do you expect might have changed since April?

 

I think Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia adopted the Euro since 2012.

[MikeyB]

We did the Viking Eastern Europe cruise last year. I took out local currency from an ATM in Budapest because we were to be there for a couple of days. It wasn't really necessary. You can use a credit card (hopefully with no foreign transaction fees) for most purchases. They took euros for small purchases. For the other countries I used either my credit card or euros. There was no need for exchanging money when the time spent in the country was minimal. Great cruise.