Euro notes are issued in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 euros, and coins in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents and 1 and 2 euros.

Costs
If you're prepared to cut every corner by staying in youth hostels or campsites, and never eating out, you could get by on as little as DM70/¬35 (just over £20/$30) per day, though DM100-150/¬50-75 is a more realistic budget on which to enjoy yourself properly. Should you have the means to spend a bit more than that, you will be able to live really well. Bear in mind that visiting cities will cost far more than staying in the countryside - a gap that is widening - and that a trip to Berlin is guaranteed to knock a large hole in any budget. If you intend to base yourself mainly in one or two rural areas - even ones as famous as the Alps or Black Forest - as opposed to travelling around a lot, you should be able to reduce the above figures by a quarter.

Accommodation costs per person can be confined to an average of about DM25-30/¬12.50-15 per day for youth hostels, around DM30-40/¬15-20 for rooms in private houses and around DM40-60/¬20-30 for guesthouses, pensions and the more basic hotels: double rooms cost on average a bit less than twice the above rates. Food prices in shops are slightly lower than in Britain, and eating out is markedly cheaper at every level - except for the scarcity of bargain lunches. North Americans, however, will find prices slightly higher than at home, as will Australians and New Zealanders. Snack bars abound, and for aroundDM10-15/¬5-7.50 you can put together a very filling meal. DM25-30/¬12.50-15 should buy a hearty German meal plus drink in a traditional Gaststätte, while a decent dinner in a more upmarket restaurant can be had for around DM35-40/¬17.50-20. Drink is marginally more expensive than in Britain, Australia or the US, but the quality, especially of the beer, is significantly higher.

Though seldom a major expense, admission charges for museums vary markedly, and tend to reflect whether the relevant authority regards them as a social service or an exploitable asset, rather than their intrinsic quality. Moreover, temporary exhibitions do not always have separate entrance fees: often the normal cost of admission is bumped up instead. The free museum, which was quite common in western Germany a decade ago, is now a rarity. Historic monuments tend to charge around DM3-10/¬1.50-5, comparing favourably with similar places in Britain, Australia and the US. Wherever you go, a student card usually brings a reduction in admission costs, often substantial. It's always worth asking about combination tickets or museum passes to several sights in the same city, which bring substantial savings.

Public transport is the one area where prices are likely to present a problem. A single fare within a city, for example, is generally around DM3/¬1.50, while a sample single train fare from Munich to Frankfurt would be DM147/¬73.50. The only ways in which you can soften these costs are to use rail and other passes, confine your travel to a limited area or make use of the organized hitching alternative, the Mitfahrzentralen .

Currency and the exchange rate
The German currency is the Deutschmark , which comes in notes of DM5 (rarely encountered), DM10, DM20, DM50, DM100, DM200, DM500 and DM1000; and coins of DM0.01 (one Pfennig), DM0.02, DM0.05, DM0.10, DM0.50, DM1, DM2 and DM5. The exchange rate for the Deutschmark is fixed at DM1.96 to the euro .

Throughout the Rough Guide , prices are given in both Deutschmarks and euros, using a straight two to one conversion. However, it is fair to anticipate that the introduction of the new currency will lead to prices being rounded upwards far more often than downwards, so expect to pay a bit more than the amounts quoted.

Credit cards, changing money and banks
Unusually, for such a consumer-oriented society, credit cards are little used in Germany, at least by British, American or Australian standards. Though they are growing in popularity, plenty of shops and restaurants still do not accept them.

Where they do come into their own, however, is for obtaining cash advances , and this is now by far the quickest and most convenient means of changing money. Provided you have a Personal Identification Number (PIN), there's no longer any need to go to a bank counter to make this transaction, as ATM machines accepting a wide range of credit cards are now ubiquitous features of German shopping streets, even in quite small towns. Mostly, they are just holes-in-the-wall outside banks, though some are located in secure areas which require a swipe of the card to gain admission. The machines invariably offer the option of instructions in German or English, and sometimes other languages as well. Typically, you are offered a choice of sums of money which can be withdrawn; the upper limit is normally DM500/¬250 or DM600/¬300, though there is often the possibility of requesting more. American Express card holders can take advantage of the full range of that company's facilities in the major cities.

In comparison to credit cards, travellers' cheques now seem a cumbersome option, though they remain a safe and reliable way of carrying money. Theoretically, they can be cashed in any bank or exchange office, though banks in small towns can be very choosy about which travellers' cheques they will accept, often refusing even some of the best-known names. In contrast to the United States, very few stores accept them in lieu of cash.

Banking hours are Monday to Friday 9am to noon and 1.30 to 3.30pm, with late opening on Thursday until 6pm. In the cities, these hours are often extended and you'll always find at least one bank open on a Saturday morning, as well as the Postbank in the main post office. If you're on a tight budget, it may be worth shopping around several banks (including the savings banks or Sparkassen ), as the amount of commission deducted varies. Commission tends to be charged at a flat rate, meaning that small-scale transactions are not cost-effective.

Exchange facilities for cash and travellers' cheques can be found in virtually all high street banks as well as in commercial exchange shops called Wechselstuben , usually located near stations and airports, though often also in city centers, on the main shopping street. The Reisebank has branches in the train stations of most main cities; these are generally open seven days a week, and until quite late in the evening.