Euros

You’ll find that you can use contactless payment for almost every purchase. In four trips to Spain since 2022 I don’t think we’ve used €150. To me, €300 seems like too much, especially if staying in major tourist destination locations. If you intend to take future trips to a Euro Zone country any left over currency can be used on the next trip.

Just draw from the ATM, maybe get a hundred euro, 50 each. You likely may not need any, but I do use cash for really small purchases of a euro or two. I also do run into some cash businesses/restaurants, but those are off the beaten tourist path.

Thank you for your advice…I will bring 150€ for 2 people for 17 nights.
Lorie

That sounds like a good plan...so many places take credit cards. You can always get more if you need it!

I'm one who always needs cash so i will always have some just in case.

I was in Spain this past March and needed cash on several ocassions. From my trip report:

CASH OR CARD: Like most of my trips, we did need cash on several
occasions. 1) One of the toilets was cash only. 2) At one of the
restaurants, we were told the Wi-Fi had just gone out and we would
need to pay in cash or wait for the Wi-Fi to come back. Did we believe
that after seeing other customers pay by credit card? No, but what are
you going to do? I have learned to pick my battles and this is one I
chose not to have so I paid in cash. 3) Our taxi driver, whom the
hotel called for us, on the way to Madrid airport informed us once we
had our luggage loaded and we were seated in the cab that his credit
card reader was not working. Sure, we could have unloaded and waited
for another taxi, but I had the cash and he did charge us the correct
fee of 33 euros.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/we-love-spain-a-trip-report

Following Carrie’s lead, this is from my Spain 2026 trip report.

I used a Deutsche Bank atm once; more to ensure I had sufficient cash for future trips than actually needing cash. The contactless pad worked with my card, so there was no need to insert it. Most places accepted credit cards, but some cash was needed. For example, at two establishments the wireless signal was too weak for the transaction to complete or the readers were legitimately acting up, the bus up to Almodóvar castle, one restroom, self-service laundry, small town admissions, and the city buses in Motril. Total cash needed for 22 days in country was €74. An additional €20 was used, but a card could have been used.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/spain-central-andalucia-may-2026-part-1

We were in a restaurant in Barcelona last weekend in very hot weather when all the electricity in the neighborhood went out, so our meal was ended before we could have dessert. All the waiters and waitresses scrambled to hand-write the checks and we had to pay in cash. Our son, ready to return to the US the next morning, had no more euros. Luckily, I had gone to an ATM before leaving home in France and had enough cash to cover the restaurant bill for all of us. (Tip: ATMs in Spain charge a lot to use.)

We also took a lot of taxis last weekend; I prefer handing a driver a ten or twenty and getting change rather than fiddling with their weak machines that you have to try again and again.

My final reason for using cash is that my French bank card changes 3%. I use 0%Chase or Schwab for most purchases when traveling, but still use cash for taxis and inexpensive purchases.

I'd say you don't need much. But for 17 days 200 might not be outrageous. If towards the end of your trip you find you have too many euros left, just start spending them instead of using a card and, voila, they'll disappear.

Last year, they had a huge internet crash and everyone needed cash.
Cash is good for tipping your housekeeper, small purchases, and toilets.