Page 372 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Estonia Latvia & Lithuania

370 SUR VIV AL GUIDE

Banking and Currency in DIRECTORY
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania Banks and Bureaux
de Change
The Baltic States have a thriving banking sector and all three
Latvijas Banka (Latvia)
countries have now joined the Eurozone, using the common
Jana dalina iela 15, Rīga.
currency, the euro. The best and most convenient way to
∑ bank.lv
obtain euros while travelling in the Baltic States is by with-
drawing them from debit accounts using the ATMs of major Lietuvos Bankas (Lithuania)
banks. Bureaux de change and banks offer money-changing Totorių 4, Vilnius.
∑ lb.lt
services, as do hotels but the exchange rates are unfavour-
able. Check rates of commission before changing currency, SEB (Estonia)
and shop around as exchange rates may vary considerably. Tornimäe 2, Tallinn.
∑ seb.ee
Swedbank
Banking Hours
∑ swedbank.ee
In Estonia and Latvia, banks are
usually open from Monday to Credit Cards
Friday between 9am and 6pm.
Major banks in big cities stay MasterCard
open on Saturdays, from 9am to ∑ mastercard.com
2pm in Estonia and from 10am Visa Electron
to 3pm in Latvia. In Lithuania, ∑ visa.com
opening hours vary, with bank
branches operating from 8am
to 5pm on weekdays. Banks in
big cities open on Saturdays largest networks. Banks
from 8am to 3pm or 10am to usually charge between 2 and
5pm, and, in rare cases, for a few 3 per cent commission for
hours on Sundays. changing money.
Distinctively signposted bureau de change Bureaux de change are
in Latvia extremely widespread in the
ATMs
three capitals and are open
There is an extremely wide for long hours, 7 days a week.
network of ATMs in the Baltic Banks and Bureaux They offer rates competitive to
States, spread across most de Change the banks, except in Estonia,
major town centres and the Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania where commission can be as
capital cities. Some petrol have a staggering number high as 25 per cent. Changing
sta tions have ATMs and most of banks. The biggest is the money in hotels in all three
small towns have at least two or Swedish-owned, pan-Baltic countries should also be
three. Most ATMs have English- Swedbank. It has branches in avoided, as they often offer
language options and accept all just about every town as well unfavour able exchange rates.
major international credit and as many branches and ATMs in
debit cards, such as MasterCard, the cities. Sampo Bank and SEB
Visa Electron, VisaPlus and are major banks in Estonia. In Credit Cards and
Cirrus/Maestro, and you can Latvia, Latvijas Banka, SEB, Traveller’s Cheques
withdraw cash with no Citadele and Nordea are well Traveller’s cheques are best
additional charges. However, estab lished. In Lithuania, avoided as very few banks now
most ATMs issue high- Vilniaus Bankas (SEB) and change them and they are
denomination banknotes. Lietuvos Bankas have the unheard of in shops. As there
is a wide network of ATMs
across all three countries,
either cash or a credit card
is a preferable option.
All the major credit cards are
widely accepted, except in the
smallest shops and cafés. Some
museums outside the capitals
also require cash payment. Bus
and train fares must usually
be paid in cash, both at the
One of the many 24-hour ATMs of Snoras, a bank in Lithuania stations and on board.