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-   -   french francs in brugge (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/french-francs-in-brugge-117999/)

sandra Apr 14th, 2001 05:38 AM

french francs in brugge
 
hi <BR>i am going to france and from there i will be taking a one day trip to brugge. i was wondering if they took french francs in brugge. can anybody help me?

Rex Apr 14th, 2001 06:04 AM

I am sure that French people DO travel to Belgium all the time, and Belgian people accommodate them by making the exchange for them, though perhaps they expect something in return. <BR> <BR>But it's not very good manners. What would your answer be if someone asked if they could use Belgian francs in your place of business? <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex <BR>

sandra Apr 14th, 2001 07:44 AM

rex <BR>thank you for your reply although i disagree with what you said. i think it is perfectly fine to use another country's currency. and it is not considered bad manners, it is simply a way of making things easier and to encourage people who r only coming for a day to buy souvenirs and small items. for example Salzburg accepts DM although it is an austrian town. they do that because teh distance between munich and salzburg is so small that people visit for a day and then go back to munich, it is simply a matter of convenience. <BR>

George Apr 14th, 2001 12:51 PM

I may be "convenient" for you, but not so for the Belgian shopkeepers you <BR>'ll encounter in Bruges. Bruges isn't exactly next door to France, so there's no reason why French currency would be readily accepted, although you might be lucky to find a tourist shop that will accept FF. Get some BF to be on the safe side.

Rex Apr 14th, 2001 01:12 PM

Lokks like there might have to be some agreeing to disagree. Nothing factually wrong with the replies from either Sandra or George. I'm sure the higher the tourist flow, the more they accept foreign currency with their nightly deposits as part of the cost of doing business. It undoubtedly depends on what arrangements they have with their banker as to what fees they have to pay to deposit currencies from other countries. <BR> <BR>I have even seen shops in airports in Europe accept US dollars and give change back in US dollars - - do they keep a dime or two for doing that? I hope they do. <BR> <BR>So, you can handle it as you see fit, sandra. One person's good (or bad) manners is another person's acceptable (or unacceptable) behavior. <BR> <BR>I go back to my question to you, sandra - - do you work in a business that does cash transactions with the public? What is the attitude there towards Canadian currency? Pesos? Bahamian dollars? Would you have a problem getting your paycheck in any of these? <BR>

btilke Apr 15th, 2001 12:01 AM

Most places will NOT accept French francs. I advise you to bring some befs with you and exchange some FF in Brugge if you need more. Or use your ATM card to withdraw some befs in Brugge (look for the BankContact/Mister Cash signs). Anyplace that does accept FF will give you a VERY bad exchange rate to make up for the inconvenience (example: on the Belgian/German border, some of the big supermarkets accept befs or DM). Brugge isn't a border town so they expect you the carry the correct currency. <BR>Btilke (Brussels)

sandra Apr 15th, 2001 08:46 AM

thanks everybody for your help. i will be sure to have belgium francs on me when i go to Brugge. <BR>


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