Money and Banks
Latvia's unit of currency is the lat (plural lati), normally abbreviated to Ls, which is divided into 100 santimi. Coins come in 0.01, 0.02, 0.05, 0.10, 0.20, 0.50, 1 and 2Ls and notes in 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 500Ls. At the time of writing GBP1 was worth 0.9Ls and $1 was worth 0.6Ls. Bank ( banka ) opening times vary, but in Riga you should be able to find ones that are open between 10am and 5pm, and some stay open later. Outside the capital many banks close at 1pm and all banks are closed on Saturday and Sunday. Most major banks like the Hansa Banka, Rigas Komercbanka and Unibank will cash travellers' cheques (Thomas Cook and American Express preferred) and some give advances on major credit cards. In Riga some major hotels will also cash travellers' cheques and accept credit cards. Exchanging cash presents few problems, even outside banking hours, as Riga is full of currency exchange offices ( valutas apmaina ), many of which are little more than kiosks and often in unlikely locations like food shops. There are also cash machines throughout the country. Credit cards can be used in Riga's more expensive restaurants and stores, and also in some petrol stations, but are not widely accepted outside the capital.
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