Currency exchange

Most, if not all travelers but i, here will say, get in-country, find an ATM at the airport and use your Capitol One card that you got just for the trip because the exchange is the best. I being in the minority of opinion, would say, exchange what you realistically expect it to cost, cash, to get from the airport to your hotel. I usually prepay the first two nights of the hotel. For me and my wife that is usually two hundred Euros. We have never been sorry that we did that and suffered the bad exchange rate at the Arbitrage Bars. Now through out your trip you will be making the max withdraws, and save up so that you can then get the 10% or so discount for setting the hotel bill in cash.

Thank you. That sounds quite reasonable.

Remember that you have many ATM's in Europe that are not bank ATM's, and service charges and the cost of currency will likely be higher. Travelex and American Express machines would be examples. There are also unfamiliar name ATM's.
We always make sure the ATM's we're using are banks' ATM's. Look close in airports and you're going to find'em.

That's good to know! Thank you!

As others have said, the best way to obtain cash in Europe is to use an ATM. I'd suggest taking at least two ATM cards in case one card malfunctions or is retained in the machine. BE SURE to notify your financial institutions that you'll be travelling so they don't freeze your cards when they detect transactions in Europe. At least one credit card is also advisable.

I'd recommend packing along €100 or so during the trip to pay for travel expenses such as meals, taxis or whatever. You can obtain the cash at your local bank or credit union (allow some time for this, as they may have to order the Euro from a central location).

One word of caution when using ATM's. You'll likely encounter the Direct Currency Conversion (DCC) scam, which will cost you more and line the pockets of European banks or merchants. If you see a choice on the machine to have the withdrawal processed in your home currency OR in the local currency, always choose local currency and have your bank do the conversion.

All of these tips are so helpful. Thank you for the heads up about the ATM ......I will choose local if given the choice. Heading to the bank tomorrow for another debit card just in case.