What unit of Euro coins/banknote does Rome use the most and what they don't accept normally?

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Accepted answer

There's no point in bringing US$, Euro is what you need. You can change from CAD before leaving or on arrival. You'll get slightly better rates in the business district (whether in Toronto or Rome) than in the airport.

In most countries in the Eurozone, notes up to €20 are in common use. Larger notes may be slightly awkward to spend (you might not be able to get change for small purchases), though €50 is usually ok. Machines that take notes are often limited to €5 and €10, sometimes also €20. If you get a choice, I recommend bringing only €20's and perhaps a couple of €10's.

All coins are in common use throughout the Eurozone, except Finland and the Netherlands where 1-cent and 2-cent coins are not in use. Machines that take coins for payment usually accept all coins or all coins higher than a certain amount (e.g. 10c and up), you the equivalent of US quarters-only machines. Machines like luggage lockers that need a coin to lock but give your coin back typically require a €1 coin.

Upvote:-1

I would take more 20 Euro notes than anything else, they will take up less room in your purse or wallet and be easy to change. Take a few smaller notes for change. Yes the one Euro coin is used a lot. Just try not to take too many coins home as you will find them hard to change so spend all your 1 Euro coins at least.

Upvote:1

The official currency in Italy is the Euro. If you bring some US or other dollars, the first thing to do is going to a bank or an exchange office and get some Euros. Otherwise you will have hard time trying to spend your dollars. And if you find a shop willing to accept you will more than certainly get a very poor rate.

Upvote:2

There are some fun facts about the Euro, but for the most part, as it's a modern currency - all of it is still in common usage. However as you increase the value of the currency, there will be less usage of it - a 1 Euro coin will get more usage than the 500 Euro banknote.

Indeed, the 1, 2 and 5 Eurocent coins make up 80% of all new coins minted in the Eurozone - because they're still used so much. There is however, talk about removing the 1 and 2 cent coins from circulation, and indeed the Netherlands have been permitted to use Swedish rounding to avoid using them as much there.

Of course you are unlikely to be bringing many coins with you, so we'll look at the notes.

According to official statistics, the most common notes in circulation are:

  • 50 Euro
  • 20 Euro
  • 10 Euro
  • 100 Euro
  • 5 Euro

So if you're really worried about being able to use your currency, I'd focus mostly on taking 50 and 20 Euros. And indeed, some shops and hotels may refuse to take 500 Euro notes for convenience issues.

In reality, you're very unlikely to have any problems, especially in very touristy cities like Rome.

Upvote:4

First: Every banknote below 100€ is routinely used by everyone, so don't worry. I personally suggest you to focus on 10€ banknote which is the "easiest" to use.

Second: Try not to use "copper" coins (5, 2 an 1 cent) while paying because they're usually seen as an hindrance, a waste of space and weight in a wallet. ("Don't give reds to me" is a typical sentence where i live, "reds" is the common name for copper coins)

Third: The European Central Bank has just issued a new 5€ banknote design. The old one is completely gray while the new one is slightly more coloured with some green/yellowish tone. They're the same size and are BOTH legal to use.

Fourth, and most important: Almost every shop uses credit card payment, and you can find at least one ATM machines every 200m in a touristic city. DON'T travel with much cash with you: 30€ would suffice for small payments like ice creams and souvenirs. If it happens that you have to pay more than 30€ it means that the place most probably has a credit card payment system available.

Sources: I live in Italy, near Venice.

Upvote:7

Basically, €50 banknotes and smaller (including all the coins) are used in daily life all the time. Some stores may refuse to accept 200€ or 500€ banknotes (€100 is kinda in between). So the best idea is probably to bring your cash in €50 notes.

There is no €1 banknote, only coins. Some vending machines only take coins, but nothing important. You probably won't get Euro coins in your home country anyway.

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