postcards from Europe

Yes, of course.
A Spanish stamp will not work in France, and an Italian one will not work in Germany.

When you buy the postcard, ask if they sell stamps, they sometimes do. Make sure you tell them which country it is for. International postage cost more than internal.
If not, you can usually buy stamps from Post Offices, but different countries' Post Offices have different rules. You can also ask at your hotel. Hotels sometimes have stamps to sell to guests.

Yes, you must buy postage in the country you intend to mail a post card from just as you would need to buy US postage stamps to mail postcards from the USA to Europe or any other place. It is quite easy to find places to buy stamps in Europe. The ideal place is the post office so you can mail it where you are. You can also find stamps at newsstands, tobacconist shops, and even in airports and train stations. A short time back I sent postcards with stamps bought at the airport in Frankfort, Germany (it is always open). You can also buy postcards at post offices.

I knew you all would have the answer. I hope by this summer I will be able to answer questions for other "newbies". :)

Hi Kathy -- on our BOE tour last summer, it was easy getting stamps in Germany and Austria. Both the shops and our hotels had them. Italy was another story altogether. Apparently, most places that sell cards and souvenirs in Italy no longer sell stamps. I was never able to find stamps (or locate a post office, although I had an interesting journey following some signs that led nowhere) anywhere in Venice. In Florence we found a post office but had quite a wait until our number was called and we were served. It was definitely harder than I would have thought. And expensive! We were able to buy stamps in Switzerland and France without too much trouble.

Another option is to use an ap that let's you create and send your own postcards using your own photos. We used Postgram (which I downloaded for free on my iPad before our trip) but there are others as well. Super easy to use. You add the photo, text, and recipients address. I think it cost 99 cents (way cheaper than a card plus postage). It is sent through the mail, so the recipient gets an actual card...and it gets there quickly. So instead of a postcard of the Rialto Bridge, for example, you can send a postcard of yourself standing on the Rialto Bridge. I don't know if you plan to take an iPad or iPod with you, but I would highly recommend doing so. In addition to aps like postgram, I found the maps, city finder guides, translation aps, etc to be a great help. Plus I wrote blog entries while on the tour bus daily and posted them when we got to the hotels with wi fi.

I love it! Well both have our Samsung phones and I'm planning on having an international plan for our trip (even if it's only on my phone). How do you print the postcards, Ruth? I've got Rick's Paris, Amsterdam, and Italy books on my Kindle app (I use my phone for this) plus I have other map apps and I find google maps to be pretty good (at least in NYC). I also have the physical Streetwise maps of Amsterdam and Paris since that's where we'll have a lot of time on our own.

Hi Kathy -- you don't print the postcard...you include the recipients address and postgram mails it out for you. Our friends loved this (we connected with their Dutch ex-exchange student before the official start of our BOE tour and sent them a postcard with him and our daughter in the Netherlands...it was a great card!). If postgram doesn't work on an android device, I'm sure there is something comparable. Definitely download some of trip advisors city guides. When you're tired after a long day and want a good meal it is great to be able to instantly see all the places within blocks (or sometimes feet) of where you're standing at the moment!

"...purchase postage specific to each country..." Yes, the cost of sending a postcard back to the US varies from country to country, regardless if they use the Euro on not. Between Germany, France, Austria the postage is most expensive in Austria to send cards back to the States, at least 1,40 Euro or 1,70 Euro based on cards I sent back last May of 2014. Germany had the cheapest postage going the US...75 cents. A few years ago it used to be one Euro.

In Germany the post office is usually found inside the train station (Frankfurt Hbf, Hamburg Hbf, Berlin Friedrichstrasse and Ostbahnhof, ) along with stamp machines or they're located outside near the station, ie across the street, as in Munich, Hannover, Berlin Bahnhof Zoo.

DO you mean Postgram or Postagram?

SOunds fascinating.

Thanks.

Sometimes you can buy stamps from the hotel front desk. In Italy, the "tobacco" shops sell stamps.

Well, I'm back from my trip. Postage was easy to find in Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, and France......Italy postage was easy enough to find but expensive! It also had a QRT code on it to trace the mail (not that I cared to do that).....it was 2.20 euro :(

I was last in Italy too long ago (almost 14 years now) and found that postcards took about a month to arrive in the States from Italy. I thought they'd gotten lost! Just wanted to say if you expected them here by now and they aren't, wait another week or two before you assume anything. :)

In Italy, postcards from Venice and Florence arrived rather quickly, however, postcards from Rome are another story for us. Have been waiting two years come June for one, and six-months for another to arrive. And, one of them was mailed from a post office. Glad you were able to find the stamps rather easily.

In Italy you may buy stamps from post offices (when you take a ticket for your turn ask for "servizi postali") but is often easier and faster to buy stamps from tobacconists (marked with a sign with a white T on black background).

I mailed us a postcard from the Vatican because I wanted the postmark......I mailed it on April 30th from inside Vatican City and it was in my held mail when we returned on May 12th. Not sure when it arrived but the postmark was May 2 (understandable since May 1 was a holiday).

Kathy, I think the Pope sent that on in good time, lol!