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Euro zone further expanded

Slovakia will be the next country to join the Euro zone. From  January 2009 this former communist country in central Europe will be the sixteenth country that adopted the euro as its national currency.

The advantages of the Euro zone for travellers are obvious. You don’t have to change money at each border, you can pay for your meal in France with money you got from a Belgium cash dispenser. Furthermore you don’t need to learn new exchange rates in every country, so it’s easy to compare the prices of a cup of coffee within the Euro zone.

Euro sign in Frankfurt. Photo: -fumtu
Euro sign in front of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, Germany. Photo: -fumtu.

About the Euro

The euro (currency symbol: €) is the official currency of the European Union (EU). At the moment it is used in 15 member states known collectively as the Euro zone.  In order to become a member of the Euro zone, a candidate country must fulfil certain criteria in terms of inflation, public finances, interest rates, exchange rate and legislation.

Euro banknotes are issued in €500, €200, €100, €50, €20, €10, €5. The euro coins are €2, €1, €0.50, €0.20, €0.10, €0.05, €0.02, and €0.01. The euro coins have a common side showing a map of Europe, and a national side showing an image chosen by the country that issued it. However it doesn’t matter where a coin was made, you can use it everywhere within the Euro zone. More about the euro: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro.

Euro valid in 13 Global Pass countries

If you travel with a Eurail Global Pass, you can pay with euros in 13 of the 20 countries: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,  the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain.

The following Global Pass destinations still hold on to their own currency:

  • Croatia (kuna)
  • Denmark (Danish krone)
  • Hungary (forint)
  • Norway (Krone)
  • Romania (leu)
  • Sweden (krona)
  • Switzerland (franc)

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