Money

Hi Melissa. See the money secion under Travel Tips on this website for a lot of good info.

When you get there. Take it out of an ATM. Let your bank know you'll be traveling so they don't shut your account down. That's the core advice here and consistent with my own experience. The only other point of view is that you may have some peace of mind obtaining enough Euros from a big city bank to get you into town from the airport. But you are almost certain to get the Euros you require from an ATM at the airport when you land - at a better rate.

I prefer taking some local currency with me (100 euros, 100 pounds, etc.) which I buy from my bank. It costs a little more but I like not worrying about finding an ATM for a couple of days after I arrive.

I concur with Sarah. I like having ready money available and not having to look for an ATM while I'm trying to haul luggage, get a cab, find the metro line, check in the hotel, all while being grungy and tired from a long flight. For 50 or 100 Euros, the savings of getting it there is negligible.

Melissa, you get money there just like you would here - at an ATM. You just get Euro or Pounds out...Although some are still around, gone are the days when you went to a money exchange bureau - amen! I, also, went to my local Wells Fargo bank and bought some Euro many years ago...and each time I leave Europe I make sure I bring some home with me (INCLUDING coins for Europeein' toilets heh-heh). We start each trip with something like €200 Euro...That's enough to buy train/metro/bus/taxi fare from the airport and either a meal or some snacks until we get around to going to an ATM. My bank allows me to buy small bills - €5-20 notes; if you're in the airport waiting for your train and you want a €2 espresso in the meantime, good luck with giving them a €100 note :-(