Balkans trip: Currency Exchange
Jan 25th, 2017, 11:02 AM
#1
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Balkans trip: Currency Exchange
My SO and I are planning a trip through the west side of the Balkans. Specifically; Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro and possibly further if time permits. We do have some questions about currency exchange that we thought we could use some advice on.
We most likely will start in Croatia, so we plan on taking out Kuna before we start, but will probably not take out currency for every country we plan on visiting. This means that we will have to exchange a couple times at some point on the trip. Will this be a fairly easy thing to achieve? Are there an abundance of places to exchange currency in most cities/towns, or just the bigger ones? Are there certain places that give better rates, or more importantly, are there places to avoid? While writing this post I have just realized that a better option could be to just withdraw funds as I need them at banking machines in each respective country, but alas, I am not sure hence why I am writing this post.
Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
We most likely will start in Croatia, so we plan on taking out Kuna before we start, but will probably not take out currency for every country we plan on visiting. This means that we will have to exchange a couple times at some point on the trip. Will this be a fairly easy thing to achieve? Are there an abundance of places to exchange currency in most cities/towns, or just the bigger ones? Are there certain places that give better rates, or more importantly, are there places to avoid? While writing this post I have just realized that a better option could be to just withdraw funds as I need them at banking machines in each respective country, but alas, I am not sure hence why I am writing this post.
Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Jan 25th, 2017, 11:44 AM
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I had no trouble with the ATMs in either Croatia, Montenegro, or Bosnia. Sad for you that they all use difference currencies! Taking Euros out is not such a big deal for Montenegro if you plan to return to Western Europe again!
Just understand what the ATM fees are and the exchange rate. Some people have big banks that charge 3% for a currency conversion rate PLUS a per-use fee of $2 or $3! I use a credit union ATM account and pay 0% conversion fee and no fee per use, so I use my ATM card many times, only taking out as much cash as I think I'll need for the next 1-2 days.
Credit cards work fine in most places though - maybe less so in Bosnia at restaurants and shops but still many places, probably in hotels and restaurants unless it's a very small place. I tend to use my credit cards as much as possible and cash when needed.
Just understand what the ATM fees are and the exchange rate. Some people have big banks that charge 3% for a currency conversion rate PLUS a per-use fee of $2 or $3! I use a credit union ATM account and pay 0% conversion fee and no fee per use, so I use my ATM card many times, only taking out as much cash as I think I'll need for the next 1-2 days.
Credit cards work fine in most places though - maybe less so in Bosnia at restaurants and shops but still many places, probably in hotels and restaurants unless it's a very small place. I tend to use my credit cards as much as possible and cash when needed.
