Sunny 1

We're going on a Baltic cruise soon and am wondering what type of money should we have on hand for taxis, tipping etc.? We're staying two nights before the cruise in Stockholm and one night after the cruise in Copenhagen. Should we only bring krone or are Euros accepted? Which is preferable? Many thanks!

tsastor

Using Euros will give you rather bad rates, so I suggest taking kronas.
On the other hand, taxis will accept credit cards and tipping is unnecessary (and actually a bad habit we don't want here) so you won't need much cash.

TheEagle

In Stockholm, Sweden I never ever use cash, Visa and MasterCard are accepted all over the city. Have 200-300 Swedish krones (SEK) in cash just in case. American Express are accepted but not everywhere.
If you use a foreign credit card in Copenhagen, Denmark there can be an extra fee called "gebyr". Use debit/bank cards instead or pay cash in Danish krones (DEK).

henry999

Thanks for clarifying that. Otherwise, we might have thought you meant Stockholm, Slovenia.

cheers,

Henry

Sunny 1

Thank you everyone! tsastor, thank you for the tipping information. (I haven't looked at the Trip Advisor tip guide yet.). I hear so much negativity towards "Americans" and their tipping culture. I just want to do what's "right".

tsastor

No problem. I only tip in high class restaurants, and only if the service has been truly remarkable. And even then a max of 10%. Rounding up is also always ok.

Sunny 1

Thanks again! (Also, I meant to write that I was going to look at FLYER TALK's tipping guide - not trip advisor's...). Now, maybe this is a silly question...are the krona used in Stockholm and Copenhagen the same? Again, thanks again from a first time Baltic visitor.

stut

They are not - completely different currencies (although their value is similar). You won't find many places where one is accepted in another country (save for Kastrup and maybe parts of Malmö).

As a bonus, the wording on the Danish notes will give you an introduction to the wonderful and arcane world of Danish numbering! A half-less-than-three-times-twenty, please!

:D!

Are the US and Canadian dollars the same? (Well the small coins are practically interchangeable...)

For starters, the Danish currency (DKK) used in Copenhagen is called the krone, plural kroner, and the Swedish currency (SEK) used in Stockholm is called the krona, plural kronor. Both of these words mean "crown" in English. Kronas in Swedish I believe means only crown's.

Denmark has 6 coins and Sweden has only 3 (which I think may be the fewest number of coins used in a country which a) uses coins, and b) does not have a basket case economy). The coins in each country are completely different sizes.

Denmark's smallest coin is the 50 øre (which is half of a krone), while its largest coin is 20 kr, which is US$3.50. The DKK is pegged to the euro.

Sweden got rid of its öre (note spelling difference) coins a few years ago, so its smallest coin is the 1 kr. However its largest coin is 10 kr, which is US$1.50. The SEK is freely floating.

What this means in terms of tipping is that the smallest Danish note (bill) is the "half-less-than-three-times-twenty" kroner, i.e. 50kr, which is US$8.75. So you will need to get some coins first, unless you're happy to tip everyone ~10 bucks in a country where tipping is not the norm, or you're paying all in cash and can round up/leave the change.

In Sweden the smallest bill is the 20kr (US$3) although I don't know how easy it would be to get hold of these in the US.

Lastly, while it makes sense to start and end a Baltic Sea cruise in Denmark/Sweden, those countries are not Baltic. Baltic countries are Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and out of those only Estonia uses the euro, so if you're going to step on shore you'll need to do more exchanging then.

If we're making fun of Americans, let's use a place which actually exists: Stockholm, New York, which only has 0.04% of the population of Sweden - just another state in the massive country which is the "non-USA"

While on the topic of Scandinavia, a well-known internet personality (at least in some circles) recently implied that he thought Legoland originated in California.

stut

Ha! Everybody knows it was Windsor

henry999

Erm ... why-ever would you say that? Maybe you have inside information but as far as I can see there's no reason to think that anyone who has posted in this thread so far is American.

cheers,

Henry

Sunny 1

I am. I try very hard to be cognizant of the varied customs in other countries. Each country has its own citizens who pay little or no attention to the differing societal norms and customs when travelling but I would like to think that they are in the minority. I think it's unfair to "make fun" of a country as a whole based on the miscreant behavior of a few. So, back to my original posting subject...thank you to everyone for your kind information. Oh, and "cheers"! to you Henry.