Costs, money and banks
Despite the cost of unification, Germany is still one of the
world's most industrialized and wealthiest consumer societies, and
its currency, the Deutschmark (DM) was one by which international
financial standards were set. However, it was replaced by the euro,
along with ten other European currencies, in 2002. Although a pet
German project, the new currency failed to win the confidence of
the international financial markets, and the once mighty
Deutschmark spent its final years declining steadily in value.
Another point to note is that Germany is a cash society: people
carry money with them, rather than rely on credit cards. Outside
the major cities, it's a surprisingly affordable country to travel
in, with the reasonable price of food and accommodation in popular
holiday areas helping keep costs down
Copyright Rough Guides Ltd as trustee for its authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved.
The Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd.