Romania currency
 

Hello all. Happy traveling!

I am heading back to Romania and noticed that tour guides are pricing things in Euros. Even some local guesthouses are giving prices in Euros. Is it legal to do so? I'm sure they prefer to get them due to the 4/1 exchange rate. I'm not sure what I should take with me, or if I should just get them there.

Any ideas?

Hi!

Not sure if it's legal or not, but they might be serious about it, given the exchange rate. I'd suggest calling up the guesthouses and checking, just to be sure. Try their websites too, payment methods should be specified there.

There are a few banks that offer a lower exchange rate (lower than most I mean), in case you decide to take euros with you and don't want to buy lei from the currency exchange bureaus - Carpatica, Transilvania and Banca Romaneasca.

Last I went (in feb, pretty cod) I paid everything in Lei.
Guess your guide prefers euros or just make his ads in Euros.

The norm in this kind of situation is for many prices to be publicly quoted in a hard currency (the New Leu has devalued heavily against the euro in the past 18 months, but some merchants price in hard currency even when the local currency's appreciating), but for payment to be expected in local currency. The practice is common almost anywhere exchange rates are unpredictable.

It's got nothing to do, with "the 4/1 exchange rate": it usually just improves merchants' and customers' ability to predict income and spending - though often it lets the merchant have the fun of being a wise guy and convincing himself (it's always a "he") he's clever at finding advantageous exchange rates.

Rather than take a currency that's not necessarily accepted everywhere (only 25 years ago it was a very serious criminal offence - potentially leading to life imprisonment, in prisons where life expectancy was at best a year - for a Romanian to be in possession of ANY foreign currency), check with the merchants what they actually want to see.

Nine times out of ten, they'll expect plastic anyway.

Thank you all for the responses. The fluctuating exchange rate makes a lot of sense. Helps keep a stable price for their offerings.

I don't blame anyone for wanting a more stable/hard currency at this point. I think I will bring a mix. I don't think you can exchange Lei outside of Romania. Or at least I read that.