Costs: Peru is certainly a much cheaper place to visit than Europe or the US, but how much so will depend on where you are and when. As a general rule low-budget travellers should - with care - be able to get by on around $10-20 per person per day. If you intend staying in mid-range hotels, eating in reasonable restaurants and taking the odd taxi, $40 a day should be adequate, while $60 a day will allow you to stay in some comfort and sample some of Peru's best cuisine.

Currency: Nuevo (New) Sol
Meals
• Budget: US$2-5
• Mid-range: US$5-10
• Top-end: US$10 and upwards

Lodging
• Budget: US$5-10
• Mid-range: US$10-15
• Top-end: US$15 and upwards

Banks: The Banco de la Nación is the one that officially deals with foreign currency, but it's the least efficient of them all. Most banks will change dollar traveller's cheques and there are often relatively shorter lines at the Banco Continental and Banco Latin.

Interbanc and Citibank tend to have air-conditioned offices and quite an efficient service. Try to avoid going to the bank on Friday afternoons, and it's generally better to arrive first thing in the morning. As the rate of exchange varies daily, you're better off changing a little at a time, although there's an enormous amount of paperwork involved in even the simplest transactions - some places fill out several copies of each form - which takes a good deal of time. You'll always need to show your passport.