Everyone before the trip to Latvia probably have a few basic questions:
- The currency of Latvia what currency to bring to Latvia?
- Where to exchange money in Riga (Latvia) and which currency exchange in the country?
- How to pay in Latvia, cash or credit cards?
- How much money to take with me to Riga/Latvia?
This article will answer all these important questions!
The Currency Of Latvia. What currency to take with you to Latvia
From 1 January 2014 Latvia joined the Eurozone and added to the list of countries of Europe, the territory whose currency is the Euro. From now on, the Latvian lats, the former national currency of Latvia and one of the symbols of independence, began to go out of circulation.
All calculations in the country, cash and non-cash occur ONLY in EUROS. So going on holiday to Latvia with a need to take Euros. The Euro is the official currency, which currently produces the entire turnover in the country.
Latvian lats are still active in the country and will be in effect until until it is permanently withdrawn from circulation. Some banks and rare shops or cafes you can still see the price stated in Euros and in Lats, but it's more for the local population, to tourists is to pay attention not worth it.
Currency exchange in Latvia (Riga)
Currency exchange in Latvia can be made in the payment centers and exchange offices. Exchange offices on the streets of the country, especially in Riga, many, they are met at every step, the largest concentration of offices in the center. The exchangers can be found under the guise of "Valutas maiņa". "Perk" - buy and "Pardod" - sale.
In banks and exchange offices of Latvia can be exchanged for Euros, Dollars, Russian rubles, British Pounds, Japanese yen, Polish zloty, Czech Koruna, Swiss franc and so the currency that you can meet for exchange of most.
The exchange offices and banks in Riga, where you can exchange currency, you can meet at the airport, railway stations and in the centre of the old town, but the rate of them is very profitable. To exchange currency it is best to go into the city, left Bank of the Daugava river, this is where we saw most profitable rates for currency exchange.
The exact (official) Euro look on the website of the Central Bank of Latvia the Bank of Latvia.
Also, when exchanging, no one is immune from the commission, there are such banks and exchangers in Latvia that take a commission. That is, after standing at the exchanger and calculating how much you should be given Euros for your currency during the exchange, you can get a completely different amount on your hands as a result. In order not to get caught on this, we recommend that you always first ask how many euros you will receive for the amount of your currency that you want to exchange. In this case, you will be called or written the real amount.
How to pay in Latvia, cash or credit cards?
In the country accept both cash and credit cards. Virtually all cafes, restaurants, shops, hotels and retail outlets etc. it is possible to make cashless payments by credit card, with rare exceptions, which is a souvenir shop on the streets, public transport, small shops and eateries, as well as some departments in the markets. So if you prefer Bank transfer, it is recommended to carry some cash.
In Latvia the most common credit cards Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, EuroCard and American Express.
It is best to have a currency card, it is the Euro, then at the time of payment you will not have to charge additional funds for conversion. But you can pay with any bank cards, while taking into account the costs of currency conversion. Conversion depends exclusively on the Bank which provides services to your card, its internal rate and commissions.
How much money to take with me to Riga/Latvia
But this is a difficult question, because here everything is very individual. Someone who likes to eat from the belly and the shopping is excellent, and someone grabs Breakfast and dinner, someone to eat need the first, second and compote, but someone fruit and a muffin enough.
Despite this we will try to give some General data. But we recommend that before going to based on personal needs.
Latvia, the country not the cheapest in Europe, but not as expensive as say Germany or France, not to mention Switzerland, Denmark, Norway and such countries. So budget to relax and have fun in Latvia, especially the capital city - Riga, you are unlikely to succeed.
So, a full dinner for two at the restaurant of the old town will cost from 40-50 Euros, outside of the old city you can find restaurants and cheaper, though not too much. Beer and snacks, again for two (2 glasses of 0.5 liters volume) of 20 Euros. Coffee with pastries 8-13 Euros. Parking in downtown is paid, the cost 1-1. 5 Euros for 15 minutes of Parking.
Entrance to many sights and museums in Riga pay, from 2.5 Euros per person. An average of 5-6 Euros. Climb to the best, in our opinion, the observation deck of the city - St. Peter's Cathedral - 9 EUR per person.
Train to Jurmala - 1,43 € one way per person, to Sigulda - 2,85 € one way per person.
Products in shops and markets is also not the cheapest, but very tasty. About prices for products in shops of Latvia we wrote earlier, see here.
For those who want to save money, you can sometimes eat ready meals from the stores or from the market, particularly good Riga Central market. For this we recommend to book the hostels or guest house with a shared kitchen. In General, the possibility to use the kitchen at the hotel decent saves money in any country of the world.
The double room in the hotels in the centre of Riga, starting from 1 500 rubles per day. Hotels, especially in tourist seasons (summer, Christmas and new year - from December to February, may holidays, etc.), recommend to book in advance, not to stay overnight on the street. Generally Riga and all Latvia, at any time of year is popular with tourists, so about where you will live, it is better to take care of in advance. We always book hotels, hostels, guest houses and hotels here, and we this is enough.
So, how much money to take with you on vacation to Riga (Latvia)!
Considering that the hotel has already been paid for the entire period of your stay and round-trip tickets have been purchased, we would recommend taking at least 50-60 Euros with you, at the rate of a day for two. And this is taking into account the fact that sometimes you can buy food in supermarkets. And then everything is already due to the capabilities of everyone. If the hotel is not paid in advance, then you need to add the amount necessary for accommodation to the received amount of daily expenses.
