The Danish Krone, Øre – Practical Tips Before Traveling to Denmark

Some of the Danish Krone Banknotes

The official currency in Denmark is the Danish Krone, denoted by the international code DKK, and this is unlikely to change in the near future.

In Danish, the krone is called krone (plural: kroner). One krone is divided into 100 øre (both singular and plural). Coins are available in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 kroner and 50 øre. On October 1, 2008, the 25 øre coin was withdrawn (it could be exchanged in banks until October 1, 2011). Banknotes come in denominations of 50, 100, 200, and 500 kroner. The 1000 Danish Krone (DKK) banknote officially went out of circulation and ceased to be legal tender on June 1, 2025. The last day you could legally use it to pay in stores was May 31, 2025. Despite this, the Danish National Bank allowed people to exchange it for free at designated locations for another year, until May 31, 2026. Since that final exchange deadline has now passed, these banknotes are officially worthless and can no longer be exchanged at banks or FOREX bureaus.

The krone was introduced as Denmark’s currency in 1873 following the establishment of the Scandinavian Monetary Union, which also included Sweden and Norway. The union dissolved after World War I, but the Scandinavian countries decided to retain the name for their currencies—hence Sweden and Norway also use the krone.

Denmark is a European Union member but, under the Maastricht Treaty, is exempt from adopting the euro. In 2000, a referendum showed that 53.2% of Danes rejected introducing the euro. The government of Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced another referendum in 2004, but it never took place.

The Danish Krone (DKK) is also used in Denmark’s dependent territories: the Faroe Islands and Greenland.

Although some tourist areas accept euros, change is usually given in kroner, and the exchange rate may be unfavorable. What should you do? It’s best to check the exchange rate at a bank before traveling to Denmark. If you arrive in Copenhagen, I recommend exchanging money at financial institutions on Strøget, as their rates are often much better than those at the train station. When paying by card (including credit cards), choose to convert prices in euros rather than DKK for a better exchange rate.

Some of the Danish Krone Coins

References:

1. S. H. Gullbekk, Vestfolg: A Monetary Perspective on the Viking Age. In: R. Naismith, M. Allen, E. Screen (eds.), Early Medieval Monetary History, 2014, 343.

2. B. Taylor, A Global History of Currencies, 2026, 151ff.

3. C. Jahnke, Anmeldelse: Denar til Daler. Danmarks mønthistorie indtil 1550, Historisk Tidsskrift, 2021 (120/1), 142ff.

4. S. Felten, Beyond National Currency: The Plurality of Early Modern Money, History Compass, 2026 (24/1), 1-8.