Food and tips questions

[puppymama1]

We are booked with TJ Travel for our tours in St. Petersburg/Moscow, Helsinki, Berlin, Tallinn and Stockholm.. In the confirmation email, they have listed the suggested tip amounts for the drivers and guides, and for the tours outside of Russia, all amounts are in Euros...  Is it acceptable to use Euros in all 4 countries or do we need to get the local currencies?  It would be much easier for us to only have to get Euros and Rubles, and just use credit cards for any small purchases we want to make, but I don't want to insult the tour guides if that isn't correct.  Also, on our tour to Moscow, we will be leaving very early in the morning and returning to the ship at midnight.. I know our tour includes a lunch in Moscow, but will we be able to find something to eat for breakfast and dinner either in the train stations or on the train?  Or do we need to bring some snacks with us?  Thanks!

[Jezabel2924]

We did the same tours with TJ last year-it was awesome!  You can pay in Euros, Dollars or the local currency.  I made envelopes ahead of the trip with everything counted out.   We only got Euros and Danish Kroner ahead of time and never needed any other currency.  Credit cards were widely accepted everywhere, even the smallest venues.  Restrooms seemed to be the sticking point for most people as Euro coins were needed.  The Guides usually  had some--or did a head count and paid in bulk for everyone if you did not have the coins.

[GlennaRoseGoes]

Euros are the official currency of Finland, Germany, and Estonia. Only Sweden has its own currency, but it’s a high-tech country with many vendors being cashless. Obviously you would need cash for the tour guide tip, and euros in Sweden do seem odd to be.....Stockholm isn’t even near the border of a euro country. (I recall several years ago asking our SPB guide if we should tip in euros or rubles, and she was fine with euros because her family drove to Finland to grocery shop!) I would just email your tour company to verify/confirm......it would be convenient not to have to get any krona, but it might be a fun souvenir 🙂

Edited February 27, 2019 by GlennaRoseGoes

[trosebery]

We tipped all our guides in Euro, even in Sweden and Norway, since most others on the tours seemed to be doing the same. The guides didn't bat an eye at the currency but were gracious with their thank yous. I am assuming they're used to exchanging currencies. (Or maybe they have bank accounts in Euros, just like some Canadians have U.S. dollar accounts.)

 

Otherwise, we used our chip-and-pin credit cards everywhere. If you do end up needing, say, coins for the toilet, your guide can probably help you out.

 

 

 

[fabnfortysomething]

in Stockholm I had no krone and wanted to buy a bottle of water from a roadside kiosk-he suggested credit card payment for even that small amount

 

if you are on a tour for Moscow askTJ re snacks

in St Petersburg Stolle is a brand of pie shops and probably national so they could direct you to closest one