cash?

Where are you going? Is it a Rick Steves tour or another tour company?

I'd have about 50-100E to leave with IF you can get them from your bank without too much trouble or cost. I only have Dollars to use at the airport although TBH mostly that is now ApplePay or CC.

You will NOT want to take dollars to convert to Euro.

Any money you might need you'll want to get out of an ATM in Europe which will give you Euro. You can also get Euro at the airport when you land or there will likely be an ATM near your hotel. Part of how much to take with you will depend on how you plan to get from the airport to your lodging and which city you'll be in.

Do not take cash. Take an ATM card and get Euros at your destination. Be sure to decline an option to be charged in dollars.

What is the currency of where you are visiting?
Realize that in most of Europe you will be paying by credit card, rather than cash. Always make purchases in local currency on your credit card.

If you want some cash to start with, some people just feel more comfortable with this approach, start of with a smaller amount.

depends where you are going, and how much cash you'll between the home airport and home

I always take about $300 in cash in the currency I’m going to.
What happens in the case of computer/bank failure or theft of your bank cards?
Then you’re out of luck with no money.

I take both the necessary credit cards and the cash., have both on me to be used even when the credit card is accepted. I have the hidden pocket and the neck pouch on me too, so carrying cash doesn't concern me.

As a first time poster, we need a bit more information from you. BUT ---- Generally --- the cheapest and most convenient way to obtain local currency is via a debit card (sometimes referred to as an ATM card - not quite the same) at a bank owned ATM in the country you are visiting. Regardless of fees charged it will be the cheapest way to go. I do try to have hundred or so of the local currency on arrival just to make life easier than immediately finding an ATM. Debit and credit cards are about the only way to fly these days -- cash and travelers check are slowly going away.

American or Euros?

No to the former. For the latter it depends on the currency they use in the place you’re going.

We always take some cash just to get us started for the landing and maybe the 1st day or so and so that I do not have to hassle with stopping by an ATM after a long travel day and being tired with luggage, and trying to navigate to my transportation. It's just one less thing to worry about when you land. My husband and I usually have about 200€ each in cash for the toilet, a snack, and emergencies (Someone else mentioned what if your card does not work or you can't locate a reputable ATM?). Then stop by the ATM as needed, preferably one attached to or located inside of a reputable bank, no free standing kiosks machines. When we do an ATM withdrawal it is usually for our daily 500 USD limit, that gets us through about 7-10 days, as we tend to use a credit card for most large (over 50€ purchases). But for smaller purchases like an ice cream, a coffee or beer or we buy something from a street vendor, we just use cash.

Hi, welcome to the travel forum!

If I don’t have leftover Euros from a previous trip, I order some from our local bank. I think AAA also offers that option ahead of time. I just don’t like to need to make an ATM transaction on the day I arrive in Europe and have jet lag.

Be sure to bring two ATM cards because sometimes one type won’t work. Or in case one was lost or eaten by the machine. My second one is from Capitol One, and it usually works fine.

Since you’re new, read about money belts. It’s a safe way to store your cash that you aren’t using that day.

I take about 300 Euro in cash with me if I am ordering the money ahead of time - all stored in the money belt except about 40 Euro. Otherwise, I replenish my Euros each time I’m down to about 50-75. I don’t know how much you will need for a two-week tour since it depends on what type of restaurants and souvenir shopping you’re planning to do.

There are still a few places where cash comes in handy. I recently tipped tour guides in Iceland and Ireland that did not have the ability to take a credit card for that purpose. For the first time I may pay extra and get some cash ahead of a trip just to save the hassle of finding an ATM while jet lagged. Also, we bring 3 different credit/debit cards so if one or more get chewed up we have extras. No big deal.

Another point about cash is to bring it in small denominations.
IE: 10 and 20 Euro notes, not hundreds or fifties.
An ice cream vendor doesn’t want to make change for a huge note.

Are you going to eat in restaurants or are you going to buy what needs minimal preparation from whatever markets or grocery stores you find? Are you paying for your hotels in cash or with a credit card? For psychological reasons you are likely to spend less if you decide you will use cash whenever reasonably possible. In the Netherlands and in Belgium, some stores would only take a card, other stores required cash. In Amsterdam, the trolly line required a card. In Greece I used cash except for the hotels. In travel to London, I was inexperienced and made the mistake of getting ripped off exchanging American cash for British pounds at the airports.

In Spain in 2 weeks, I spent under about $200 euros on grocery store food and probably a similar amount in Greece and the Netherlands. If you eat restaurant food and buy alcohol and/or souvenirs, I guess you will blow through a lot more money than I spent. I only spent under $2,800 in 2 weeks in Spain in march 2022 - that includes plane tickets and everything. A lot of you other replies seem to prefer credit cards. On 5 solo trips to Europe after London, I took €400 out of my account from a machine - I seem to be limited to $500 US dollars worth of currency per transastion. Then I just try to ration my cash out and when necessary and depending on how much time left in my trip I take an additional amount less than €400 out. I probably never made more than 3 Automatic teller machine withdraws per 2 week trip.

You need US cash only if you need to spend it on a taxi on your way home after your plane lands in the USA. Take local currency out of your account from an machine just after you arrive, probably in the airport. ATM's are easy enough to find in most cities in Europe.

We always take some euros with us, roughly 300. Those who say buy at an airport when you arrive for a better rate are probably right. We do not wish to deal with it need to find a machine when we are jet lagged. The slight increase in cost when purchasing at home is small when compared to total cost of the trip. We top up as needed.

We take maybe a hundred dollars or so, "Just in case." Other than that we take no cash and use ATM's for local currency. I have always figured out how to get from the airport to our hotel and paid for that in advance. That eliminates the need for local currency until we can visit the ATM.

Once in a blue moon American Dollars will work just fine as well. In Paris last year when we got Covid tested to come home the pharmacist offered a discount if we would pay in dollars. Also American dollars are generally welcome south of the border. Most of the time count on paying in local currency though.

As to the amount of cash well that could widely vary. Do you plan on paying for everything with cash, or will you use a card for bigger expenses? Again back to last year we spent a average of 35 Euros a day cash (2 of us). That was odds and ends mostly, waters. sodas, a snack or lunch hear or there, cab fare, metro or train tickets. Less than a handful of places we ate took only cash.

Hope this helps.

Have a great trip.

Just a reminder that it is a Rick Steve's boilerplate recommendation to also carry a few hundred USD for emergency use - if an ATM eats your card, if you lose your card(s), etc. You can always convert USD at an exchange, and if it's your only option, just grin and bear the poor xrate. Plus some locals may take USD - at a rate favorable to them. His point is better safe than sorry.

.....Rick Steve's boilerplate recommendation to also carry a few hundred USD for emergency use....... I have never seen that recommendation. Maybe a hundred in your sock but not a few hundred --- that is crazy. We stopped carrying back-up US currency years ago. No need unless caught in the Turkey earthquake.

A good emergency back up is to get the pin numbers for your credit cards. In a cash emergency you can do cash advances on your credit card. It is an expensive way to obtain local currency but it works. We actually carry 3 credit and 2 debit cards. Occasionally will have a debit card rejected by the ATM -- don't know why -- but accepted at the next one. Never have had card eaten but always a first time. Always try to use an ATM attached to a bank during business hours. And do all transaction in local currency.

The statement about RS suggesting taking dollars surprised me given the state of cash in many parts of Europe, but it is here on this very website:

https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money/travel-checklist-money

Stash of cash: I carry $100–200 in US dollars as a cash backup. A
stash of cash comes in handy for emergencies, such as when banks go on
strike or your ATM card stops working. I've been in Greece and Ireland
when every bank went on strike, shutting down without warning. But
hard cash is hard cash. People always know roughly what a dollar is
worth.

That seems very out of date to me.

We stop at the ATM when we arrive at the airport to take out a small amount to use for a bottle of water, an ice cream, a small tip to someone who hauls our bags upstairs, or whatever small purchases we make along the way. Otherwise, credit cards. I also keep a $100 USD bill in my passport case, in a big emergency, anyone will take USD.

Wow, that statement is out-of-date! The few hundred in emergency cash should be in the local currency, not dollars. As an example, imagine trying to spend 100 Euros in a grocery store or a restaurant in the US.