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Bookmark & shareLarge shops, petrol stations and hotels usually take credit cards but Germans are still less credit card-friendly than other Europeans so keep a supply of cash on hand. The plethora of ATMS will kindly oblige you with adequate Euros.
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Currency
- Name
- Euro
- Symbol
- €
Euro notes come in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500. It is often difficult to get change for a €500.00 note.
One euro is divided into 100 cents or centimes. Coins of 1, 2 and 5 centimes are copper-coloured; coins of 10, 20 and 50 centimes are gold-coloured; 1 and 2 euro coins are gold-and-silver coloured. It's a good idea to keep a supply of various coins for parking meters, laundrettes, tolls etc.
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Changing Your Money
All the major international brands of plastic - MasterCard, Visa and American Express - are becoming more widely accepted, but don't assume that you'll be able to use your card to pay for things; inquire first. ATMs are ubiquitous throughout Germany and you should have no problem accessing your credit or debit account back home. Foreign currency, including travellers cheques, can be exchanged at some banks and at exchange bureaux (eg Reisebank branches) in major cities.
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Money Tips
It's easy to spend lots of money in Germany. If you stay in hostels, have some sort of rail pass and restrict yourself to cheap takeaways or prepare your own food, it's possible to get by on €50.00 a day. Those with more capacious wallets wishing to eat at mid-range restaurants most days, visit museums at will, travel freely by public transport and stay in mid-range hotels with fluffy duvets should count on dropping at least €100.00 a day. Driving will add significantly to expenses, though for three or more people car travel is cheaper per kilometre than taking the train.
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Sample Price Guide
- movie ticket
- € 7.00
- 24-hour FrankfurtCard city discount card
- € 8.00
- Internet cafe access per hour
- € 3.00
- Main Tower city view adult admission
- € 4.50
- Goethe House adult admission
- € 5.00
- Frankfurt Zoo
- € 8.00
- basic single room booking through a tourist office
- € 40.00
- Frankfurter Hof top end double room
- € 450.00
- one hour parking in city
- € 2.00
Average Room Prices
Low Mid High Deluxe €20-70 €70-120 €120-270 €270+ Average Meal Prices
Low Mid High Deluxe €4-8 €8-16 €16-30 €30+ -
Tipping
Restaurant bills include a service charge, but most people add 5% or 10% unless the service was lousy (hand tips to staff rather than leave money on the table). At hotels, bellhops are given about Euro1 per bag and it's also nice to leave a few euros for the room cleaners. Tip bartenders about 5% and taxi drivers around 10%.
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