Though the Vatican is one of the most famous places in the whole world, not many people are all that knowledgeable about it. For instance, what currency would you take when going to the Vatican? Can you use euros in the Vatican even though it’s not in the European Union? Let’s find out.
Thankfully, we have good news. The Vatican uses euros, so you won’t have to fiddle with different currencies between Italy and the Vatican. Interestingly enough, the Vatican did have its own currency, the Vatican Lira (VAL), before the introduction of euros by Pope John Paul II.
Euro only became the official currency of the Vatican in 2002. The exchange rate between the VAL and the euro was set to €1 = 1936.27 VAL. The Vatican can even make its own euro coins, even though it’s not a member of the EU. Hunting for Vatican euro coins can be quite tough, though it’s a wonderful souvenir to take back with you. Coins have been issued with John Paul II, the symbol of Sede vacante, Benedict XVI and, later, Pope Francis.
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