The Hellenic Republic is located in Southern Europe. The country is part of the European Union. At the moment, the main currency in Greece is the euro. But what was the Greek currency before the euro?
Currency up to Euro
Before the euro, the drachma was used in Greece, and it was present in ancient Greece. In general, with the emergence of modern Greece, when the country gained independence, the main currency was the Greek Phoenix - from 1828 to 1833. Then the Greek drachma was again introduced into circulation. This currency had fractional units - 1 drachma was equal to 100 leptas.
In the middle of the 20th century, the currency experienced two significant inflation rates. First, in 1944, 1 new drachma was equal to 50 billion old ones, then 10 years later - 1 new drachma was equal to 1000 old ones.
Since the beginning of 2002, the euro has been the main currency in the country. Now coins and banknotes are circulating in the country. Coins in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents, as well as 1 and 2 euros. Euro 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 bills.
What currency to take to Greece
Knowing that Greece is a member of the European Union and the main currency here is the euro, the answer suggests itself. It is best to take euros to Greece. Alternatively, you can consider dollars, but in Europe, the dollar is not treated very well. If we take the ruble, then there will be even more difficulties. Therefore, the easiest way is to prepare in advance and exchange currency for euros before leaving for the country.
The import of currency into Greece as a whole has no restrictions, it is only necessary to say that the amount over 10,000 euros must be declared. The export of currency from the country has no restrictions.
Currency exchange in Greece
As mentioned above, it is best to take euros to Greece, but if you nevertheless took another currency into the country, for example, dollars, then you can exchange it directly in the country.
There are many exchange offices in Greece - banks, ATMs, post offices, etc. Banks are open only from Monday to Friday, from 8 am. It is worth paying attention to the commission for operations, it differs in different institutions. It is necessary to give preference to a fixed commission - 1-2% of the amount. ATMs are not convenient in this regard, the commission can reach 4%.
Plastic cards
Payment by cards is quite common in the country, most stores allow you to pay for goods by bank transfer. Money in Greece can be withdrawn from the card using numerous ATMs.
