Currency in Slovakia: what to use and how to exchange

Slovakia joined the euro area on 1 January 2009, so prices, tickets and card terminals are all in euros. If you are arriving from Austria, Germany, Italy or another euro country, nothing changes. If you are coming from the UK, US, Canada or Australia, you are converting once, on arrival or before you leave, and then spending normally.

The practical question is not which currency but how to hold it. Slovakia is a card-friendly country in the cities: hotels, supermarkets, restaurants in Bratislava and Košice, train and bus tickets bought online, and most museum ticket desks take Visa and Mastercard. Outside those cities the picture is patchier. Small village shops, mountain huts, farmers' markets and some family-run guesthouses may take cash only, or may take a card only above a minimum spend. A €20 note solves most of these situations.

For getting euros, the cheapest route is almost always an ATM run by a Slovak bank. You get the interbank rate, and many Slovak banks do not add their own surcharge for foreign cards, though your home bank will usually charge a percentage plus a fixed fee. Airport exchange desks and the small offices on Bratislava's old-town streets are convenient but typically give you a worse rate, sometimes several percent worse, and may add a commission. If you must use a desk, ask for the total you will receive in euros before handing over your money, and compare two or three.

One trap applies at every ATM and card terminal: dynamic currency conversion. The machine offers to charge you in your home currency, quoting a rate. Decline it and choose to be charged in euros. The conversion is done by the ATM operator at a marked-up rate, and your own bank would have given you a better one.

Tipping is normally done in cash even when you pay the bill by card, so keep a few coins and small notes. Rounding up or about 10% is the local habit.

Carry a mix: a couple of €50 notes for larger purchases and a stack of €5, €10 and €20 notes for small ones. Some small businesses dislike taking €100 and €200 notes, and €500 notes are effectively unusable.

Slovak ATMs are common in Bratislava, Košice, Žilina, Poprad and other towns, and inside or beside most larger supermarkets and bank branches. In mountain areas such as the High Tatras, plan your cash before you go up: ATMs are rare in the resorts and huts.

If your bank charges a flat fee per withdrawal plus a percentage, take out larger amounts less often rather than €50 at a time. Check your daily limit before you travel.

Keep the receipt from any exchange desk. If you are left with unused euros at the end of the trip, changing them back at home usually costs another spread, so spend them down or keep them for a future euro trip.

Prices are quoted with tax included, and card terminals will show the amount in euros before you confirm. There is no separate tourist tax on purchases; the city tourist tax is added to accommodation bills, not to your shopping.