Navigating Europe Outside the Eurozone
While Portugal, Spain, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, and Slovenia use the Euro (€), three major Wave 1 Central European countries maintain their own national currencies:
- Czechia: Czech Koruna (CZK) (roughly 25 CZK per 1 EUR).
- Poland: Polish Zloty (PLN) (roughly 4.25 PLN per 1 EUR).
- Hungary: Hungarian Forint (HUF) (roughly 390 HUF per 1 EUR).
Do You Still Need Cash?
Card acceptance in Central Europe is among the highest in the world. In Poland and Czechia, contactless card and mobile payments (Apple Pay / Google Wallet) are accepted virtually everywhere: from corner bakeries and milk bars to parking meters and public transit ticket machines. You can spend an entire week in Warsaw, Kraków, or Prague without touching a single paper banknote.
However, carrying modest cash (equivalent to €20 to €30 in local currency) is advisable for:
- Public restroom turnstiles in train stations (often requiring 10 to 20 CZK coins or 2 PLN coins).
- Tips left on restaurant tables.
- Open-air farmers markets and small village bakeries.
Three Rules for Currency Exchange
- Never exchange cash at airport arrival kiosks: Travelex and airport exchange booths routinely build in 15% to 25% margins beneath advertised '0% commission' claims.
- Never change money on the street: Con artists in central Prague offer Hungarian Forints or obsolete Belarusian rubles to unsuspecting tourists claiming they are Czech koruna.
- Use bank ATMs and reject conversion: Pull small amounts from an ATM attached to a recognized retail bank and decline the ATM's conversion prompt.