Florence Survival Guide

Visitors to Florence have a number of options available to them for changing money. Banks tend to give more favourable rates than bureaux de change, hotels and travel agents, but the paperwork is usually more time consuming. Alternatively, credit cards can be used for purchasing goods. When changing money you will need to show some form of identification, such as a passport. Try to keep a few coins in reserve for telephones, tips and for coin-operated lights which illuminate works of art in churches.

Banking hours can be erratic, especially the day before a bank holiday, so bring some euros with you. Exchange rates will vary from place to place, so you may want to shop around.
Main post offices exchange currency commission free. For the best rates, change money at a bank (look for the sign cambio). Hotels tend to give poor rates, even if they charge modest commissions. The American Express office offers good rates.
A convenient way to change money is to use electronic exchange machines. These are found at Florence and Pisa airports, in Florence and Siena, as well as in some smaller towns, such as San Gimignano. There are multilingual instructions and the exchange rate is displayed on the screen. You simply feed in notes of the same foreign currency, and you will get euros back.

Credit cards are widely accepted throughout Italy, and it is worth bringing one with you. VISA and Access (Mastercard) are the most popular, followed by American Express and Diners Card. Most banks and cash dispensers in Florence and throughout Tuscany accept VISA or Access cards for cash advances, but be aware that interest is payable as soon as the money is withdrawn. Some restaurants, cafés or shops may require a minimum expenditure to accept credit card payment. Always make sure you have some cash in case your credit card is not accepted.

Travellers' cheques are probably the safest way to carry large sums of money. Choose a well-known, reputable name such as Thomas Cook, American Express or cheques issued through a major bank. There is a minimum commission charge, which may make changing small sums of money uneconomical. Some establishments will charge you for each cheque.
You should check the exchange rates before you travel and decide whether sterling, dollar or euro travellers' cheques are more appropriate for your trip.
Bear in mind that it may be more difficult to cash euro travellers' cheques, especially in hotels, because it is not very profitable for the exchanger.

Banks are usually open between 8:30am-1:20pm, Monday to Friday. Most branches also open for an hour in the afternoon from about 2:45pm till 4pm. They close at weekends and for public holidays, and they also close early the day before a major holiday. Exchange offices stay open longer but in general the rates are less favourable.
In Florence, the exchange office behind the station is open from 8am till late evening, depending on the season. In Pisa, the exchange offices in Piazza del Duomo and at the railway station stay open until the evening and at weekends.

Changing money at a banks can at times be a frustrating process, as it inevitably involves endless form-filling and queuing. You must apply first at the window displaying the cambio sign, then go to the cassa to obtain your euros. It is a good idea to take some form of identification with you, such as a passport.
For security reasons, most Italian banks have electronic double doors. Press the button to open the outer door, then wait for it to close behind you. The inner door then opens automatically. Metal objects may set off emergency detectors as you enter.

Thirteen countries have replaced their traditional currencies, such as the Italian lire, with the euro. Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Slovenia chose to join the new currency; the UK, Denmark and Sweden stayed out, with an option to review their situation. The euro was introduced on January 1st 1999, but only for banking purposes. Notes and coins came into circulation on January 1st 2002. A transition period allowed euros and lire to be used simultaneously, and the lire was phased out on February 28, 2002. All euro notes and coins can be used anywhere inside the participating member states.