Money exchange

You don't "change" money, you withdraw money (local currency) overseas from an ATM in the same way you would at home. Make sure to know what your bank will charge you for doing this (if something like 3-5% plus a fee on top, get a new ATM card from a different bank/ credit union that won't rip you off).

What Agnes said. And if you search on this site, you will find this same advice an explanation an unbelievable number of times.

The cheapest way to get Euros cash is at an ATM, doesn't have to be at the airport.

Getting them from your bank will cost more (you will get fewer €€€ for your $$$). At your bank, the Euros need to be shipped across the Atlantic, somebody has to count out the Euros, bag them, ship secure to your branch and serve you at the counter, just so you can carry them back across the Atlantic. This all costs. It may not show as an explicit charge, but if you compare the rate you get with the "interbank rate" you see on the internet, an ATM will give a better rate.

Most people get enough for a few days from an ATM at the airport, and then top it up every few days at a local ATM.
Make sure you have told your bank you will be doing foreign withdrawals, so they don't block it (same applies to credit cards). And check how much your bank charges as "foreign use fee" (same for credit card).

If you change US dollars to euros at a bank in the US, you will spend about 7-10% more than you will by using an ATM in Europe with your debit card. You will also have to carry all that cash around and risk losing it.

Yes, even if your bank has fees for foreign ATM withdrawal, these are still lower than the total fees for changing cash in the US. And as Agnes says, if your bank's fees are high, there are alternatives. Some mentioned often here are credit unions, Charles Schwab (can be done online) and TD Bank (if there's one near you, you can open an account and walk out with an ATM card right away).

And the ATM in Europe need not be an airport one. They're all over Paris and the rest of Europe, just like in the US. You do want to avoid machines that are not tied to a bank. You also want to avoid using your credit card in an ATM, except in an emergency, as these have very high fees for cash advances.

Here's Rick's page of money tips. Read all the links, and you'll be an expert: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money

These are awesome advices. Thanks everyone. I'll be using an ATM there then.
Thanks

If you plan on going back to Europe after this trip, bring some euros home with you so that you will have a little walking-around money when you get there next time. Then you can go to an ATM at your leisure instead of making a dash to one at the airport before your next transport.

I followed the advice on this forum and used a bank ATM to withdraw cash and it worked out fine. Before I left I made a money chart for every day with estimated costs for the day. Then when I arrived I found a bank ATM a block away from my hotel. I withdrew a fairly large amount so that it would cut down on the fees that my bank charged for using the atm there. I then would immediately go back to my hotel, and put most of the euros in the safe in my room minus the cash I needed for the day. I only had to use the ATM a few times by doing it that way, rather than using it many times taking out smaller amounts and getting more fees added up. Find out for sure how much your bank allows you to withdraw at one transaction and then account for them being euros. For instance I can withdraw 500.00 dollars from my ATM in the US. So when I took out my first amount at the ATM in Paris I put in 300.00 euros and it came out fine. I don’t know how much more exactly I could have gotten in euros due to the exchange rate, but this worked out totally fine and was the main cash amount on hand that I needed. Before I left I did worry a bit about it not working, but as so many people here have said, it worked just like taking out cash in the US. But just in case, I did make sure to know what my PIN was for my credit card if my ATM card didn’t work. Much higher fees for the credit card though so I am glad I didn’t have to use it at the ATM but good to know that pin just in case.

One more piece of advice for the OP: make sure the ATM you use is really a bank ATM. It's usually not hard to figure that out. It's been awhile since I've needed to get euros at the airport when I arrive, since I bring euros back from my prior trip, but I understand that airports often have non-bank ATMs, which will most likely have fees and/or a poor exchange rate.

Generally speaking the least expensive way of getting local currency is from an ATM at your destination.
However, it's always a good idea, in my opinion, to have some local currency in hand when you land. Getting two hundred Euros from your local bank will cost you a little more, but it eliminates the hassle of trying to find a machine, the stress of hoping it works (they do occasionally malfunction), and doing it all while somewhat jet lagged. To me the small amount extra it cost to have money in hand when arriving is money well spent, and the extra cost relative to the overall cost of the trip is not, in my opinion, that much. Just one point of view

I agree TC. I forgot that before we left I did have a little bit of euros that I got ahead of time in the US.

Always bring back Euro for the next trip assuming you intend on doing just that.

With enough lead time, it is easy to get a Checking account/Debit card that has no ATM fees or foreign transaction fees. That is when you are truly doing the "money exchange" at the lowest cost.

Rather than getting € from your bank I suggest you use a currency exchange at home to get some cash to get you started. Their rates are usually 1 - 2% better than the bank rates. Once you're on the ground in Paris you can withdraw from a local ATM if you need more cash. We have found, however, that the €s we take with us last almost the entire trip (we are in Europe for at least 4 weeks at a time) because we use our credit card for pretty well every purchase. Get a card with no foreign transaction fees so you avoid the 2.5% surcharge.

No. Visa never charges more than 1%. And that is directly to the card issuer bank, not to you. They have the option to pass it on to you or not and mark it up however much they want.

It is whoever gave you the card that is charging you 3%. There are many Visa cards you can get from many different issuers now that charge you exactly zero percent.

Blame the right party. :-)

I have a Fidelity branded Visa debit card attached to my Fidelity cash management account. I love it because they reimburse any fees the ATM may charge and the exchange rate is always good.