get euro's at home or over there

hi, you may want to check what your bank charges for international fees too while youre at it. my credit union charges 6 USD flat fee and then whatever the "going" rate for conversion is. just a comment. most of the times, the money isnt on site and will need to be shipped/expressed in so you maybe cutting it close. happy trails.

Hi neighbor! :) I like to buy some local currency (100 euros or so) in the U.S. before a trip. I like that system because I don't have to look for an ATM the day I arrive. Once you're in Europe, get cash from ATMs.

get them there @ airport ATM

I want to share an experience with you. My family flew to Edinburgh Scotland. We had a connection in Gatwick Airport, England. We tried the ATM at Gatwick and could NOT get any british pounds. We were quite concerned. We tried the ATM at the Edinburgh Airport and got money easily. My advice would be to get about $200 USD worth of Currency here before leaving for Europe. That way if you have a problem, it can get you through a day or two and give you the chance to find a bank during daytime hours and come-up with a solution.

I forgot, if going to Ireland - don't you need british pounds rather than Euros? Make sure you get the correct currency. GBP are generally $1.50 US money for every 1 British Pound.

hi, i think the Belfast area is still under UK rule and is using UK pounds.
the rest of the country is using Euros. im sure if im in error, it will be corrected. happy trails and dont take any wooden nickels.

Just to clear up the confusion: Both Heathrow and Gatwick have currency machines all over the place from which you can get sterling coming out your ears - - but they're all the TravelEx deals, so use them gently. The same goes for Turnhouse on the arrivals level, but if you run up to the departures level, there's bank atms around the corner from the Nero coffee place. Dublin airport has bank atms. The Republic of Ireland uses euro. Northern Irleand uses sterling, but left-overs are hard to get rid of in the rest of the United Kingdom. It's hard to stand anywhere in the core part of any major city and not see a half-dozen bank atms. When you get out in the burbs, you might have to walk a couple of blocks. Any small town that has a gas station and two restaurants will have an atm.

Michelle, My suggestion, based on the method I use..... Obtain €50-100 from your local Bank to use for expenses until you get settled at your first hotel. That will give you some money to buy lunch, coffee or pay for Taxi fare. After you've checked in, ask the front desk staff where the nearest ATM is and then top-up your cash supply. As Ed so aptly pointed out, you likely won't have to go far to find a Bank ATM. As mentioned previously, the Irish Republic uses Euros and northern Ireland uses Pounds Sterling. As with any trip, be sure to notify your financial institutions and credit card firms that you'll be travelling, so they don't "freeze" the cards when they detect activity in Europe. Note that your travel funds must usually be in a chequing account with a four-digit PIN. Happy travels!

As Ed implies, no need for cash prior to arrival. You can easily find an ATM as soon as you need. You can use your credit card for any of the uses mentioned as reasons to have some cash.

hi, a comment and this is my personal opinion. chances are you will be withdrawing around 300 USD for that or maybe a little more. Depending on how the fee structure is and what your bank does, it may not be that expensive to do a w/d or get the money here. a one time purchase may not be that bad, but if you make a habbit of it, it could be expensive tho. happy trails.

I think Ray makes a good point. Sometimes people start to obsess over small travel costs. It's a good idea to have some local currency in your pocket upon arrival. If you have to spend $10 or $25 to get some before departure, that's neglible compared to the cost of your trip.

We always get the currency of the countries we travel to prior to leaving. Having a few hundred dollars worth of pounds, euros, lira, or HK dollars just means you skip the line at the ATM and proceed to your hotel with small bills to pay the taxi or buy a metro ticket. WE use ATM's once there if we run short but we much prefer to have it in hand upon arrival. Our BofA can get the currency of most countries in a day or two from the regional bank. specify mixed denominations so you won't get stuck trying to pay a 10 pound taxi fare with a 50 pound note.