Latvia Guide
Money
Latvia's unit of currency is the lats (plural lati), abbreviated to Ls and divided into 100 santimi. Coins come in denominations of 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.
Major banks (banka) like Hansabanka, Latvijas Krājbanka and Unibanka will change money and cash traveller's cheques (Thomas Cook and American Express preferred), and some give advances on major credit cards. Opening times are usually Mon– Fri 9/10am–5/6pm, with some banks in big cities opening 10am–3pm on Saturday. Outside these hours you can change cash in currency exchange offices (valūtas maiņa), many of which are little more than kiosks found in unlikely locations like food shops or gambling arcades. These are often open until around 10pm at night, and one or two in Rīga are open 24 hours. You'll find ATM cash machines (automāts) liberally dotted around most town centres.
Credit cards can be used in a growing number of bars, restaurants and shops in Rīga and other cities, as well as in most petrol stations, but are not widely accepted in small towns and villages.