Euros in Eastern Europe
 

Planning a trip to Hungary and Czech Republic in October. Can you use Euros or is it advisable to change to the local currency?

I haven't been to Hungary in a few years, but I suspect you would be able to use them there quite a bit as their currency isn't much good and they were accepting DM, USD and AS when I was there, at most places.<BR><BR>You should have koruna in CR.

People shouldn't just guess before they respond to a question. The Hungarian florint was tied to the DM, and consequently to the Euro.

Hi<BR>I'm going to Hungary in a week and planning to use Florints. I've been there twice before and always used local currency. In the smaller cities and towns it almost certainly will be only currency acpeted. It is not a member of the EU. It is easy to excange anyway or use ATMs. The same for the Czech Rep. Outside of Prague I used currency. It is easy to get. Just don't get too much as it is not worth very much outside of either country.

It's forint, not florint.

You can use euros in cities there, but not in towns, and even in cities suppliers will give you a poor rate. Really, I just take credit cards and draw as needed. I am not sure the florin (I prefer the historic name, with its reference to the Medicis) was and is tied to the DM and euro: it inflates more than they do.<BR><BR>I cannot speak of the USA, but in England Thomas Cook buy my spare florins and crowns (another fine old name) at a fair rate when I am back.<BR><BR>Ben Haines, London<BR>

A florin is the currency unit of Aruba, wherever that may be; and it used to be a coin worth two shillings in UK, Australia and NZ. A forint is a unit equalling 100 filler in Hungary, and this word, like florin, indeed derives from a Florentine coin with a little flower (fiorino) on one side.

Reading Alan, I wondered if Prague businesses truely accept euros without exchange formalities/commissions (or UKpounds, USdollars)? Just want to know if I can use up odds and ends of foreign currency there; of course I will atm-withdraw their currency too.

My husband almost got kicked off the train at the Czech border. The Austrian ticket we bought was apparently sold to us for only one of us! The conductor wouldn't take our Euros, and wanted to kick my husband off the (moving) train! I found a Czech woman who traded with me.

In my experience in the Czech Republic, only the Vietnamese markets and the border "motorway sticker booths" will accept Euro currency.<BR><BR>Jason

In Hungary you could use DM 2 years ago but not anything else other than local currency. In the rural areas only local currency. The sane was true with the Czech Republic. BTW, Hungary and the Czech Republic are in Central Europe not Eastern.

Sorry, art,I always laugh at those who say "Hungary and the Czech Republic are in Central Europe not Eastern". Stalin felt a little different about that.