use if euros

Euros are pretty much like US denominations except that 1 Euro is a coin. No need to convert when purchasing items, because you'll either use an ATM to get cash in Euros or use a credit card and the conversion will be done for you. Don't look at daily exchange rates in the International Herald Tribune or you'll be depressed...

http://www.eurocoins.co.uk/ http://www.euro-dollar-currency.com/euro_bill.htm

I exchanged for some Euros ($200) at my local bank before my trip and learned two things..... What the denominations look like and that I didn't want to exchange anymore money before I left. It was fun yet strange that my wife and I had never seen a Euro before.

1,2,5,10,20 and 50 cent coins along with 1&2 euro coins.
5,10,20,50,100,200 and 500 Euro bills. Don't think there's any higher than that. A little gee wiz info on the coins: Each denomination has the same front but the back depends on which country they were issued in. The two Euro coin is the only one with markings on the edge and also differs between countries. Wikipedia has a chart if your interested in that type of thing. The exchange rate has been hovering around 1.40 so just figure if you pay 1 euro for something it's around 1.40 USD. The rate by Oct. could be different (lower.....please!).

Piggy backing on the good advice already given... 1. Definitely save those small denominations and coins where you can. If a vendor is willing to take a 20 or larger and give you change, make use of the opportunity. 2. As someone else noted, your hotel might be more willing than others to break a large bill for you. Think ahead about what small expenses you might need that day or the next. 3. If you're like me, you can easy start to fool yourself that your Euros are dollars. So you see something you like and think "it only costs a fiver!" Know what the bills look like, but also think of them in terms of conversion rate. I see a ten euro note and think $14. I see a twenty and see a $30 bill. It might just stop you from giving into temptation and buying that 7 Euro beer or 10 Euro knickknack you don't really need.

If you try to pay for anything with a 500€ bill, you will not be very popular (unless you are shopping at Versace at the time) :)

I got some euros from my bank before I left, and the bank teller had never seen them before, either. There is also a 1000 euro bill, but no one will change it for you (it exchanged at about $1400 when I was in Rome last summer). Shop owners really appreciate your having the correct change, or close to it - those coins will come in very handy, as will the single euros. I used the larger bills (100s and 50s) at hotels where I paid cash. The hotel desk staff was also better prepared to take the larger bills and give change.

Also 2 things good to know: At the end of your trip if you have unspent euros you wish to exchange back to US dollars, you can only exchange the bank notes, NOT the coins...not even the 1 and 2 euro coins. So, be sure to spend as many of your coins as you can in the day or two before leaving Italy, because otherwise they are just left-over souvenirs or you have to save them for the next trip (which is actually what I do). Also, I think it is quite convenient that the euro bank notes are sized according to value/denomination. In other words, a 50 euro bill is larger in dimensions than a 5 euro bill....kind of makes it a bit easier to keep track of them in your wallet. Whereas all our American dollar bills are the same size, regardless of value. My hubby has a wallet he uses abroad that bought in Florence because it fits the bills better than his American-sized wallet bought at Belk.

Thank you everyone for your input. Am looking foreward to the new experience.

On our next trip we plan on KEEPING at least 200 Euros just so we don't have to go through the whole stateside exchange hassle again. For some reason, probably because I'm a little slow, we didn't think about this on the last three trips and spent out all our Euros.

The current interbank rate for Euros is 1.44, so for easy calculation, just multiply the price in Euros by 1.5 to get your cost in Dollars and you won't be far off. If you have a credit card that doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee (3% is the going rate), use that for things more than 50 Euros or so . The card rate is as good as you'll get. Just be sure to let your card company know in advance when and where you'll be traveling. Also beware of the 500 Lira coin scam in Italy. The old coin looks very similar to the 1 Euro coin and many merchants will slip one or two in your change. See http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/scam.htm

Thank You. I appreciate the advice.

Correction to post: 1000 euro exchanged for $1400, not $2400. Math is not my best thing. Neither is typing.

I was just ready to post that I wanted to travel with you if you received such a deal!!

Ditto on the lira/€2 coin scam - so that nobody gets lazy and doesn't check out the link, I've made it easy on you: http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/scam.htm ...and don't forget to bring back plenty of coins for the toilettes for immediate use on your next European arrival ;-)

We were a little taken back by the euros. First off the euros start out with 5-10-20-50-100. They are paper money. The 1 and 2 look like quarters. The rest are change. So when they give back your money you may think they are cheating you but count the change first then add 1 euro or 2 euro and add up

Maybe a bit off topic, but I was really shocked that when they rolled out the euro (it's been just over ten years now) they retained the 1 cent coin and blown away that they came up with a 2 cent coin...a real waste. However on topic, you will find it difficult to use small denomination coins efficiently, standing there trying to find the right combination just seems to take me long. So I get close using 50 and 20 cent coins, maybe using up a few others. The pile of small coins are good for fountains, a small tip, a street performers bucket, other instances where the amaount need not be exact.

We're headed to Italy last week of Oct thru 1st week of Nov for our honeymoon. Just wanted to say Thanks So Much for the info on the money - ESPECIALLY the lira scam.