Travelling is fun! We also reckon so! Until last year it was necessary to go to the bank to have some Italian currency before departure for any expenses. Since January 2002 for those people living in the 12 countries of the Euro this currency exchange will not be necessary any longer as coins and notes of the Euro are in use all over Europe in different countries.
2 Eur
1 Eur
50 Cent
20 Cent
10 Cent
5 Cent
2 Cent
1
Cent
Banks:
You will easily find banks in every town and village of Sardinia, where it is also possible to withdraw money from the automatic cash dispensers ("bancomat") with credit cards or cash cards by inserting your pin number.
Visitors will find automatic currency exchange machines at the airports or directly into the banks where it is also possible to exchange different currencies into Euro. For this particular bank operations it is necessary to have an ID card or passport and to indicate the temporarily address in Sardinia.
If you spend your holiday in a small resort or village it is advisable to check the bank opening hours. In small villages often there is only one bank and sometimes the cash machines dispensers can be out of order for the whole day and night. Moreover: banks opening hours are not regular. Generally banks are open from Monday to Friday, from 8.20 a.m. to 1.20 p.m. and in the afternoon from 2.30 p.m. to 4.00 p.m.
The majority of shops, supermarket, hotels and restaurants accept major credit cards such as Visa, American Express, Euro Card, Mastercard and Diners Club.
Here is a list of useful numbers to contact in emergency situations:
The following telephone numbers can be selected free of charge from all public phones.
Unfortunately we have realised that only some calls can be done in English. Therefore it is advisable to learn some useful Italian words to use in the event of an emergency situation.
Telephone numbers for emergency calls (apply throughout Italy):
Normally even the smallest Sardinian village has its own post
office.
Usually the post office opening hours are from 8.20 a.m. to
1.20 p.m. from Monday to Friday.
In the biggest towns they are open all day from 8.20 a.m. to
6.30 p.m. On Saturdays they normally close at 1.20 p.m.
Stamps are available at the post office but they are also sold
at tobacconists. Cards and letters sent to European countries
cost 0.41 €.
From January 2000 the Italian Post offer a new service: Priority
mail ("Posta Prioritaria") - a fast service for sending post
cards, letters and little parcels in Italy within 24 hours,
and within 48 hours - 72 hours for other countries abroad.
The network of petrol stations in Sardinia is very wide. Even
in the smallest village there is at least one petrol station.
From 2001 in Sardinia only unleaded and diesel is supplied by
petrol stations.
Petrol stations are opened in the morning from 7.30 a.m. to
12.30 p.m. and after a short siesta they are opened again from
3.30 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.
Almost all petrol stations have an automatic refuelling machine.
This petrol pump on the side works with notes.
Notes must be inserted properly in the petrol pump slots (1).
All petrol pumps have an identification number on the display.
(2) Press the corresponding button and wait until the green
light appears on the petrol pump and then refuel your car.
By the way: The key buttons for unleaded petrol are normally
green!
If you wish to call from public phone boxes you should normally
have coins or buy a phone card. Nowadays most public phones
only work with phone cards and only few of them still accept
coins.
Phone cards are sold in bars, tobacconists, or newsagents and
post offices.
Phone cards must always have the top corner (6), which must
be torn only before inserting it in to the phone for the first
time.
Should you need to call abroad, international phone cards can
be purchased and can be used both from a public phone and a
home fixed phone.
To use this particular international card dial the numbers indicated
in the card and follow carefully the automatic instructions.
Look out: Do not insert this card in to a public phone box!
An alternative to Telecom phone cards is the Tiscalicard (7),
this is a phone card of a Sardinian phone company! On the back
there is a telephone number and a secret pin number.
Look out: this card must not be inserted in public phone boxes!
You simply need to dial the first number, wait for the automatic
authorization announcement, and then scratch the line to reveal
the pin number and enter it. Afterwards dial the number you
want to call.
With Tiscalicard it is possible to save up to 70% of the average
phone costs. The card only works for trunk and international
calls
Getting to Sardinia 
