Dollars

Are you asking if dollars are accepted in Europe? If so, no, they are not.

To even attempt to use dollars, you'd have to find a bank willing to cash them for you; good luck with that. Recent anecdotal evidence isn't in your favor on that. Take an ATM card; actually, take TWO cards - in case anything happens to one of them. Especially since the arrival of the Euro, far fewer people will accept dollars...and it was never an exchange rate in your favor anyway, but it was all we had...WAS. ATM card, with a 4-digit NUMERICAL PIN. And NO travelers checks.

Even the IMF doesn't want dollars anymore!

Let me reverse the question If your cousin from Germany visits you would you tell her to use Euro or dollars in Gig Harbor? You always the currency of the country you are in. Trying to use dollars in Europe will mark you as an uninformed tourist, set up you to be scammed, and you will be.

thank you all for your informative answers.

You asked the same question already here in General Europe. I answered in your other posting.

No don't use dollars in Europe. Some places may accept them but it will be at a ridiculous exchange rate. Your best bet, as has already been said, is bring a debit card (plus another as a backup). Get cash from one of the many ATMs. A card with a visa or mastercard logo (and your four digit pin) will work in virtually all European ATM's. That said, the rumors of the dollars death are greatly exagerated. True, our national and state deficits and growing debt are hurting the dollar. True also, the federal reserve's thinly veiled strategy to create inflation and lower the dollar is hurting. Meanwhile, the Eurozone has huge debt problems of their own and much of the world is beginning to feel inflation. From a currency perspective, it's a race to the bottom - America is holding it's own (sadly) but we haven't won the race. If anything, the unrest in the middle east is reminding many why they liked the dollar in the first place.