Im going to Paris for a week in January and am wondering if I should be buying Francs or the Euro. Is the Euro readily accepted? <BR>Bob <BR>

Hi, <BR> <BR>As far as I know, the Euro won't be out in general circulation until January 2002. I would not buy any currency before leaving, just take your ATM card and hit the machine before you leave the airport - you get the best rates that way... <BR> <BR>Beth

There are no such things as euro notes and coins yet. You will be spending Francs

Bob, like Beth said, the euro will not come into use until 2002 but most price tags you see will have both prices, one in francs and one in euros, in preparation for the turn over. You'll only need francs for the time being.

We just got back last week from Paris and everything is still bought in Francs, tho' prices in euros are listed on tags under the FF price. I haven't actually seen a "euro". What does it look like? People in Paris always quoted prices in FF. I had the impression that they don't give much thought to the euro at all.

Interesting. All Im ever reading is about how the Euro is being severly devalued- all very strange for a currency that isnt even in circulation. Thanks all for the help. <BR>Bob <BR>

Bob, perhaps it's being severely devalued in foreign exchange markets, but the everyday person on the street doesn't pay much attention yet to the euro.

The 'man on the street' may not know or care about the euro, but the franc, and the other 10 currencies in the eurozone, are tied to the euro. That is, the franc no longer trades against the dollar or yen independently. <BR> <BR>The euro is worth 6.55957 French francs, regardless of the value of the euro in terms of dollars or other currencies outside the eurozone. <BR> <BR>The euro, and hence the franc, has lost about 25% of its value in terms of dollars since it was established on January 1, 1999. <BR> <BR>If you're interested in pursuing a bit more info about the euro you'll find www.twenj.com/euro.htm helpful. <BR> <BR>Ed

Hi Bob, <BR> <BR>as Ed said, the foreign money markets track the Euro. The individual currencies are tied to it. Which means they still go up and down, but as a result of what the Euro is doing - when the Euro goes down, all Euroland currencies go down too - their rates are fixed against it. <BR> <BR>make sense? <BR> <BR> <BR>what does make it nice, is that essentially the stores, restaurants, hotels, etc etc are already doing the math for you. If they quote it in both currencies, then you look to the Euro price & it is actually a little less in dollars. <BR> <BR>have fun <BR> <BR>Beth

Ed & Beth, Thanks for the insight. It all makes a bit more sense now. <BR> <BR>thanks! <BR>

Actually the currencies within the Euro-zone aren't just tied to the Euro but they were replaced by the Euro in every aspect but the physical form. The Euro is the only currency within in the Euro-zone. To faciliate the adaption, no notes or coins showing the Euro sign are yet within circulation and transactions are also shown within the former currencies. But the Franc, Mark, Lira etc. notes or transactions are nothing but the Euro called different names. <BR> <BR>When the coins and notes showing the Euro will be introduced by 2002, they will exist for six months together with the old notes showing different currencies. After six months they will become the only legal form of physical currency within the Euro-zone.

If you want to have a look at the new Euro notes and coins check out this site: <BR>http://europa.eu.int/euro/html/rubri...5&rubrique=100 <BR> <BR>It has links to pictures of the European currency due in 2002. You may note that the banknotes will have a uniform design throughout the Eurozone, while the coins have different reverse sides acording to the country they have been minted in. The coins will be valid in all the Eurozone, independent of their respective design.

Just returned two weeks ago from a short trip to Belgium, France, Luxembourg. The one thing the Euro is good for, as others have mentioned, is to compare prices with US$. Most stores have both local currency and Euro prices on items; at times, we found it simpler to look at the Euro price (for exmaple, 100 Euros) and think ... "well, that's about $85"... rather than convert from BF one day, FF the next, and so on. Of course, if you're in one country most or all of the time, the local currency is the one you'll need to convert in your head or have a handy conversion chart for.

The Euro will become legal tender on Jan 1, 2002. Right now it is a common measure of value but not yet a medium of exchange. Before the legal date, coins will be in circulation so that stores and customers will have a chance to see what they are. According to what I read, there will be 7 denominations of coins ranging from 1 cent to 2 euros. <BR>The bills will be denominated in 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 Euros. <BR>If you want to see what they will look like, visit this site: <BR>http://www.cmutuel.com/cmutueva/html/frame_euro.html <BR>As you might expect, the Euro bills will be multi hued. I think we are the only major country with mono toned money. <BR> <BR>Anybody know what the Canadians started issuing $20 bills WITHOUT that gorgeous <BR>picture of Moraine Lake? Talk about ditching a winner!! Sort of like Doug Flutie losing his quarterback job even though he wins ball games! <BR>