EUR
Euro
5
5
EUR banknote
5 EUR banknote · Classical gateway
About 5 dollars 40 cents
Latvia
travel money guide
Money in Latvia
Meet the Baltic wallet where a 1929 folk maiden meets a yellow e-ticket, a bottle-return coupon and the EUR 5 vehicle gate on the road to the beach.
Latvia puts a 1929 folk maiden in the modern wallet, turns an empty bottle into ten cents and gives both a Riga tram and the road to Jūrmala their own payment rhythm.
Euro statusEuro area since 2014
Payment rhythm79% non-cash in Feb 2026
Riga ticket90 minutes / EUR 1.50
Bottle depositEUR 0.10 each
Jūrmala vehicle entryEUR 5 in 2026
The quick answer
Should you carry cash in Latvia?
Bring one low-fee card, a separate backup and EUR 40-80 in EUR 5, 10 and 20 notes. Latvia is strongly digital, but a little cash still helps beyond the cities and at the smaller edges of a trip.
The useful Latvia habit is to complete the loop: register every Riga boarding, keep the bottle and its barcode intact, and match a Jūrmala vehicle pass to the correct plate before the payment day closes.
Register every Riga boardingA 90-minute ticket allows transfers, but the yellow e-ticket or app code must be registered each time you enter another tram, trolleybus or bus.
Do not crush the ten centsThe reverse-vending machine needs an empty Latvian container with a readable deposit mark and barcode, not a flattened souvenir.
Close the Jūrmala gate by 23:59The one-day vehicle permit can be bought after entry, but it must be purchased on the same calendar day and tied to the correct registration number.
Meet the EUR
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.
EUR
Euro
10
10
EUR banknote
10 EUR banknote · Romanesque arch
About 11 dollars
EUR
Euro
20
20
EUR banknote
20 EUR banknote · Gothic windows
About 22 dollars
EUR
Euro
50
50
EUR banknote
50 EUR banknote · Renaissance window
About 54 dollars
EUR
Euro
100
100
EUR banknote
100 EUR banknote · Baroque gateway
About 108 dollars
EUR
Euro
200
200
EUR banknote
200 EUR banknote · Iron and glass
About 216 dollars
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.
Shared currency guide One euro, many destinations See where the euro is used, what stays the same and why the coins change. Explore →
Pocket converter
Turn an amount into cash
Choose your currency. EUR stays locked to this guide.
From
To
EUR
Euro
Euro area
Guide currency
Go deeper
Latvia travel money guides
Latvian money rewards travellers who notice the small marks. Meet the maiden on the euros, learn Riga's 90-minute clock, return the bottle without crushing it, pay the beach-city gate and tip as a quiet thank-you rather than a compulsory tax.
01 A 1929 portrait in today's pocket
The Maiden in the Pocket
Meet Latvia's folk maiden, two coats of arms and the old five-lats portrait that returned on the EUR 1 and EUR 2 coins.
Turn over the Latvian euros 02 Transfer freely, register every time
Riga's 90-Minute Clock
Use the yellow e-ticket or phone code across trams, trolleybuses and buses without losing the transfer window.
Start the Riga clock 03 The empty bottle still has value
The Ten-Cent Loop
Spot Latvia's deposit mark, protect the barcode and turn eligible cans and bottles into a shop coupon or donation.
Complete the bottle loop 04 The road to the beach has a price
The Jūrmala Gate
Match the special-zone sign, the correct vehicle plate and the same-day deadline for Latvia's famous resort city.
Open the beach-city gate 05 A quiet thank-you, not a command
The Quiet Thank-You
Handle restaurant, cafe, taxi, hotel and guide tips without importing a compulsory percentage into Latvia.
Tip the Latvian way 04 One currency, many countries
Where Is the Euro Used?
Meet the euro-area members, agreement countries and de facto users, then see why the notes match while the coins can look local.
Explore the euro
Source desk
The Latvia source desk
Sources include the ECB, Latvijas Banka, Latvia's official tourism portal, Riga's transport operator, the national deposit system and Jurmala's official visitor information.