Exchanging currency in Scandinavia

The short answer would be no. However you might be able to use the neighbouring countries currency in some border areas with a lot of tourists and visitors from the neighbouring country and in airports, but it will propably be at lousy exchange rates.

The short answer is no, they don't. The long answer...We just returned from a RS tour in those 3 countries and we relied on our (chipless) Capital One credit card (no foreign transaction fee) which was taken everywhere, for even the smallest purchases. In Sweden and Denmark we got very small amounts of local currency and managed to use nearly all of it before going to the next country. We were in Norway for several days and never even got any local currency. At a fish market food stand in Bergen that took only cash, we were able to pay in euros, which we had because of a stop in Amsterdam. If you're taking a ferry between Copenhagen and Oslo, you can use all three countries' currencies to pay for on-board purchases. In any event, be prepared for high prices. Enjoy your trip. What beautiful places and people!

Thanks for the information.

RE Sweden: I recently returned, had a chip and signature card. Used it for everything. I was told they don't really like cash, and I found that as well ( I don't stay at fancy places, etc., just run of the mill.) No amount is too small for them. Don't bother with cash, unless you need it for some reason, and then hit up an ATM, IMO.

Yes the Scandinavian countries are virtually cash less. I use my card for everything, even the smallest amounts in the smallest places and I hardly ever carry cash.

Are the Scandanavian countries counter to other parts of Europe where the Rickster tells us there is a preference for cash?

Are the Scandanavian countries counter to other parts of Europe where the Rickster tells us there is a preference for cash?

Yes. Even when I lived in Stockholm back in the early 2000s, almost every place would take a card. When I was visiting last summer, I ran into a number of places that were cashless. The Abba Museum does not accept cash. Many bank branches have no cash on hand, even for customers. The list goes on ...

To answer the original question, the countries do not generally accept each others currency but you may come across tourist shops that will accept foreign currencies at less than favorable rates.

I generally use cash from a cash machine. In most stores I visited in Copenhagen, it was like the TV commercial where everything stops when someone pulls out cash. It was noticeable that virtually everyone in line used a card for their transaction - cash was unusual.

That said, I did have a problem (only one time) trying to use a credit card that wasn't chip and pin. This was in a smaller town. I went down the street to an ATM and returned with cash. In Copenhagen, every place seemed to know how to use a swipe/signature card.