In Czech border towns, euros are freely accepted in shops, though change is given in crowns, citing the lack of pan-European coins. Buyers do not mind: it is still more profitable to make purchases in euros than to first exchange euros for crowns. In Prague, euros are already accepted in many shops. In Carrefour hypermarkets, besides Czech crowns and euros, they accept British pounds and Slovak crowns. In restaurants at ski resorts in the Krkonose Mountains, prices on menus have long been listed in both crowns and euros. Financial analysts believe that after the Czech Republic joins the EU in May 2004, the volume of cash transactions in euros will increase.
An information and analytics digest for everyone going abroad or staying home