Currency to use and expenses in Hungary & Czech republic [duplicate]
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A week after, I'll be going on a central Europe tour of Budapest-Prague-Vienna. This is the first time I'm travelling abroad, and as a new graduate I'm on a rather tight budget in case of shopping costs. I know Austria uses euros, but Czech republic and Hungary use their respective currencies also.
Will using Czech crown (koruna) and forint be more profitable then using euros? If so, will 100 euros to koruna and 100 euros to forint exchange cover the cost of;
- Lunch and dinner + tips (breakfast is covered by the hotels)
- A cup of coffee or beer
- Around 6-7 souvenirs (magnets, snow globes, key chains, etc.)
I'll be spending 1 and a half days in Budapest and Prague.
Best Answer
Our usual advice, and it holds for Hungary and the Czech Republic, is to find an ATM card with no foreign transaction charge, and use it as much as possible. Every tourist-oriented concern I went to in Prague and Budapest took plastic. Indeed, American Express was running a special promotion with the cinema for 15% off: usually that's a lousy card to use overseas.
If you can't find such a card, I would attempt to pay with Euros, which will be accepted at some exchange rate, likely poor. However, neither the koruna nor forint will be easy to exchange outside their home country, and I think you will lose even more bringing your change from 100€ home.
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What currency is best to use Hungary?
The best currency to take to Hungary is Euro. Dollars are also accepted in the grocery stores, hotels, restaurants, and malls around the Budapest city center. Keep in mind that if you pay in foreign currency to any shop in Budapest, in return you will get HUF and not in foreign currency.What currency should I take to Czech Republic?
As the official currency, the Czech crown is the best and often the only possible currency to use when paying. Although the Czech Republic is part of the European Union, the euro is not widely accepted here. Some stores, restaurants and hotels accept payments in euros but the exchange rate may not be very favorable.What currency is used in Prague and Budapest?
Current exchange rates The Czech Republic's currency is the Czech koruna or Czech crown (K\u010d / CZK). Despite being a member of the European Union, the Czech Republic has not adopted the euro yet. Notes come in denominations of 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000 CZK. Coins come in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 CZK.Do you need cash in Czech Republic?
Credit cards are accepted in most places in Prague, for example in hotels, restaurants and international shops. However, some local shops, caf\xe9s and bars do not take credit cards. Cash is still king in the Czech Republic (Czechia), so if you able to do so, pay in cash.DOS AND DON'TS OF CHANGING MONEY IN BUDAPEST -- True Guide Budapest
More answers regarding currency to use and expenses in Hungary & Czech republic [duplicate]
Answer 2
My advice would be to choose a bank in your home country that has low or no conversion fees, and primarily use an account in your income currency. I travelled to all three cities, and have rarely ran into cash-only places.
Since you're saying you're only there for less than 2 days,
- Cash. If you do need cash, avoid the tourist-area 0% fee exchanges, since they factor their profits into poor conversion rates.
- Food. Look for low-price places on Google Maps and Foursquare. Also,
- Install McDonalds Europe and use their deals in Prague and Budapest. Vienna is somewhat trickier, as last time I checked they had rewards rather than coupons. Use their self-service terminals if you need predictable english.
- Try Jídelna Sv?tozor (Prague) or Las Bombillas Teahouse (Budapest). Both are cheap but cash-only.
- Vienna is trickier, again. I had decent full meals at Cafe Votiv and WU Mensa; you may also want to check mensen.at
- Coffee. I'd look for individual coffee shops and avoid chains such as Starbucks or Costa Coffee
- Prague: Coffee Break and Cake Žižkov
- Vienna: Coffee Pirates, Jonas Reindl, Phil (Gumpendorfer Str.)
- Budapest: Madal Cafe
- Internet. Do not buy a separate SIM card for each country, instead enjoy the EU-wide "Roam Like At Home" regulation. For example, I'm getting 11 GB of EU-wide data from an austrian carrier.
- Souvenirs. I'd look in regular grocery stores or retail chains and avoid tourist-y places like central train stations.
- Transportation. If you don't mind biking, try using the City Bike system in Vienna: first hour is free, taking a break for 15+ minutes resets the counter and the next hour is first (therefore free) again. They say you can sign up only using a credit card, but I've had two debit cards working on my account for years now. Use their site for a map of stations, I can't post any more links here unfortunately.
- Toilets. These are non-free most cases. Look for shopping centers (e.g. Palladium in Prague), Starbucks in Vienna, or selected McDonalds locations.
For Prague, you can learn a lot from the Honest Guide Prague YouTube channel. For example, their take on budget restaurants from 2016 still holds.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Karolina Grabowska, Karolina Grabowska, Karolina Grabowska, Anthony Beck