Austria has used euro cash since 2002, when notes and coins replaced the schilling. Euro banknotes look the same throughout the euro area. Coins have one common European side and one national side, so an Austrian coin can appear in a wallet in Portugal and a Portuguese coin remains perfectly spendable in Vienna.
Paper money
Euro notes follow an easy architectural colour ladder - grey €5, red €10, blue €20, orange €50, green €100 and yellow €200 - wherever you spend them in Europe.
The euro banknote theme is imagined European architecture rather than real monuments: windows and gateways move from classical to modern styles, while bridges on the reverse suggest connection. Cash by Country artwork is an original, simplified interpretation and is not legal tender.
Austria fits a journey onto eight coins
The three copper-colored cents form an Alpine flower set. The gold-colored 10, 20 and 50 cent coins move into Viennese architecture: St Stephen's Cathedral, Belvedere Palace and the Secession building. The two bi-metal coins finish with people. Mozart represents Austria as a country of music; pacifist Bertha von Suttner was the first woman awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
The note colors are your quickest first sort
| Value | Main color | Best travel job |
|---|---|---|
| EUR 5 | Grey | Coffee, small tips and low-value purchases |
| EUR 10 | Red | Lunch, market stalls and simple tickets |
| EUR 20 | Blue | The most flexible general-purpose note |
| EUR 50 | Orange | Larger meals, groceries and a useful reserve |
| EUR 100 | Green | Planned larger purchases |
| EUR 200 | Yellow-brown | High-value spending where change is confirmed |
| EUR 500 | Purple | Rare first-series note; not a practical travel denomination |
Why the EUR 500 note still appears in guides
The Europa series currently produced runs from EUR 5 to EUR 200. The ECB stopped issuing EUR 500 notes in 2019, but first-series EUR 500 notes remain legal tender and retain their value. A visitor is unlikely to receive one in ordinary change, and a small cafe or hut is the wrong place to ask for EUR 496 back.
Two series can share one wallet
First-series euro notes continue to circulate beside the newer Europa series. Different signatures are also normal: notes may carry the name of different ECB presidents. Authenticate a real note using the ECB's simple sequence: feel the raised print, look for the watermark and security thread, then tilt for changing hologram and number effects.
Pack change for Austria's small moments
EUR 1 and 2 coins are useful for cloakrooms, lockers, small purchases and rounding a restaurant bill. EUR 5, 10 and 20 notes make a better travel layer than one thick high-value note. Coins get heavy quickly, so use them during the trip rather than discovering a metal collection at airport security.