Travel Tips

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Europe has so much to offer–beauty, culture, charm, history. And now...convenience! The recent introduction of the euro means far less calculation and confusion when it comes to money. And with a greater number of high-speed trains and cheaper short-hop airfares, it's now possible to zip from one exciting place to another.

The Continent became much easier for travelers in January when the euro was introduced as the common currency for 12 of the countries in the European Union: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain .

Once you arrive in Europe, there are more ways to zoom around. The Channel Tunnel–which brought London, Brussels, and Paris within three quick hours of each other–has been joined by the Øresund Crossing, a collection of tunnels and bridges for trains and cars that connects Malmö in Sweden with Copenhagen in Denmark, linking much of Scandinavia to the rest of Europe. And Spain's latest high-speed train, the Alaris, skims along at almost 135 miles an hour, cutting 20 minutes off the journey between Madrid and Valencia.

Train travel is not only faster, it's an amazing value when you buy one of the many packages available. The new Eurail Selectpass extends the scope of the popular, 17-country Eurailpass to rail and ferry travel within any three adjacent nations.

After 10 years of anticipation, travelers meet the euro
In Europe, where you can visit three or more countries in the course of a day's drive, currency conversion used to be a nightmare. Not any more—for much of the Continent—thanks to the euro.

In 12 European Union countries, the euro is official currency: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. Euro notes and coins are also accepted in Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City.

This means you can obtain euros from ATMs in one country, pay for something in a second country, and spend the change in a third country.

The notes come in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 euros. The coins come in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents, plus 1 and 2 euros. One side of each note or coin is the same everywhere, while the second side shows a national icon of the country that issued it—a Celtic harp, for example, on the notes and coins from Ireland.

Of course, old-style conversions will be needed in all those countries in Europe that have not adopted the euro.