European Currencies

In 2002, the Euro was officially made legal tender and 17 Euro zone member states got on board with the new currency with an additional 7 others joining. The current users of the Euro currency are: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City, Andorra, Kosovo, Montenegro and Zimbabwe.

The Euro is available in denominations of 1c, 2c, 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, 1 and 2 coins and 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 notes.

At the time of writing the conversion rate is 1.14312 EUR to 1 GBP.

The national currency of Bosnia & Herzegovina is the Bosnian Convertible Mark (BAM). The Convertible Mark replaced the Bosnia & Herzegovina dinar, Croatian kuna and Republika Srpska dinar in 1998.

At the time of writing the conversion rate is 2.23614 BAM to 1 GBP.

The Convertible Mark is available in the denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50 feninga and 1, 2, 5 maraka in coins and 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 in notes.

The national currency of Bulgaria is the Bulgarian Lev (BGN) which has gone through many changes over the years. It is widely expected that Bulgaria will adopt the Euro in 2013-2014.

At the time of writing the conversion rate is 2.23605 BGN to 1 GBP.

The Lev is available in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 stotinka and 1 lev in coins and 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 in notes.

The national currency of Croatia is the Croatian Kuna (HRK). The Kuna has been in place since 1994 and gets its name from "marten" (which is translated as Kuna in Croatian) and is based on the use of marten pelts as units of value in medieval trading.

At the time of writing the conversion rate is 8.54691 HRK to 1 GBP.

The Kuna is available in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50 lipa and 1, 2, 5 kn in coins and 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 kn in notes.

The national currency of the Czech Republic is the Czech Koruna (CZK) was introduced in 1993 to replace the Czechoslovak Koruna. The Czech Republic planned to adopt the Euro in 2012 but the plans were scrapped upon fierce objection from the public.

At the time of writing the conversion rate is 8.53828 CZK to 1 GBP.

The Koruna is available in the denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 Kc in coins and 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000 Kc in notes.

The Krone (DKK) is the national currency of the Kingdom of Denmark. This incorporates Denmark, Faroe Islands and Greenland. It is pegged with the Euro to keep its value stable.

At the time of writing the conversion rate is 8.50257 DKK to 1 GBP.

The Krone is available in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 kroner in coins and 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000 kroner in notes.

The national currency of Hungary is the Hungarian Forint (HUF). The plan is in motion for Hungary to switch to the Euro but as of yet no date has been set for the change.

At the time of writing the conversion rate is 333.115 HUF to 1 GBP.

The Forint is available in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 forint in coins and 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10000, 20000 forint in notes.

The national currency of Latvia is Latvian Lats (LVL) and was introduced in 1922. After joining the European Union in 2004 it was expected that Latvia would adop the Euro in 2008 but is no not expected to make the change until at least 2014.

At the time of writing the conversion rate is 0.804594 LVL to 1 GBP.

Lats are available in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 santimu and 1, 2 lati in coins and 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 latu in notes.

This is just a selection of some of the various currencies across Europe. It is recommended that you contact the currency exchange for more information and up to date exchange rates before embarking on your holiday or Europe delivery.

If you found this useful you might also enjoy this informative article on key phrases to learn in various European languages.