Venice Money Exchange

NEVER use a currency exchange or trade dollars for EU! Just use your debit card, and your bank will give you a much better exchange rate than any exchange or even bank in Italy. Withdraw EUs from a bank w/debit card and charge everything else you can. It is the cheapest way! Even at AMEX I pay 9 cents per Eu more than the int'l exchange rate, and they're cheaper than everyone else.

Thanks, Donna. That's exactly what I'll do!!!

There is an ATM in Venice airport, and at banks all around Venice.

Rule of thumb: Use a credit card for major purchases and get cash from ATMs for everything else. Be sure to notify your bank and your credit card company about when you will be in Europe so a computer doesn't freeze your card for suspected fraudulent activity. See this helpful article by Rick Steves.

Some people like to arrive with some euros in hand. If that's you, then you can probably arrange to get euros in advance from your bank. But it's true that nothing beats the ATM exchange rate, esp. if you have a no fee card like those offered by some credit unions and money market accounts. We've bought some euros in advance this year because I was a little concerned about the possibility of a temporary bank shutdown like they had in Cypress. Odds are really good that won't happen, but I just didn't want to take the chance. I bought my euros through Bank of America. It took two days.

I always pick up a couple hundred euro before I leave just in case there is some problem when I arrive with an ATM or if there is a rush. I use BofA, like a PP. For everything else, it's credit cards and ATM withdrawals. I do try to only hit the ATM occasionally, so I start with large withdrawals to reduce the number of fees I have to pay.

Using the currency exchange places at the airport is very expensive. When we went to Venice a few years ago, we exchanged a very small amount of money at the airport in Philadelphia - just enough to get us some cash on hand when we arrived in Venice. We actually found that exchanging money at our hotel front desk was the most economical way to do it. They had a very good exchange rate and did not charge a fee. Alternatively, as others have suggested, the best way to go is just use your debit card at an ATM. Make sure you call your bank in advance and advise them of your travel dates and where you will be. They will mark this on your account. You don't want to be on vacation in Italy and have your card shut down because of suspicious activity.