Laundry

Coin-operated, yes. Stuff for sale, not often. Coin changer, neve seen one.

Thanks. So where do we get change? Will need a bunch of coins then.

Accumulate it?

Our experience is that the laundromats were staffed and they would do it for you for an additional fee. You could do it yourself and the attendant would sell the soap and have change. They will also use an extractor (not used in the US) prior to dry. A very high speed spinner that removes more water and reduces dry time. Ask your hotel for recommendations.

Some other points: Sometimes there is a central payment machine - you load your chosen machine and then go to the central machine to pay by ing the number of your machine and putting in the money. These often will take small bills. Don't forget that in europe the smallest note is 5 euro so you will likely have more change than you expect. In the UK I believe the smallest bill is 5 pounds so again you may have more change than you expect, but save it if you are going to the laundromat. Sometimes the soap is automatically dispensed centrally so you don't add your own. I've seen this at least twice - once in Italy and once in France. Just check the signs - there are usually pictures to help. Most of the time I've seen vending machines for soap - not so sure about fabric softener. You could buy supplies in the grocery store before going to do your laundry. I've also taken softener sheets with me from home- they don't count as a liquid and are pretty flat to pack. I've also taken empty small plastic bottles or ziplock bags in anticipation of perhaps wanting to buy detergent in Europe and carrying it to the next destination. You can also find places that will do your laundry for you - you pay by the pound.

Annie, I can't remember the details of Laundromats in England, but can tell you about France since I just got back from there. The Laundromats I've seen so far in Paris all seem to be the "central control" type. Each machine is numbered and when you want to activate that machine, you put the coins in a central control panel and then punch in the number of the machine that your laundry is in. Some Laundromats also have a soap dispenser that's numbered (or you can buy soap or fabric softener at the local super market and use that instead). The Laundromats that I used all had change machines. Place a €5 or €10 bill in the machine, and it will dispense coins. Some of the machines I used in Italy recently automatically dispensed the soap and fabric softener, which was included in the cost of the wash. The Dryers in many Laundromats are also activated via the central control panel, however they only seem to run for about 10 minutes so often more than one cycle is needed. Happy travels!

Don't forget to check if your hotel will do laundry and for what cost. In my experience it wasn't exorbitant. In Austria they did it for free; and in France they did a load for eight euros. I'll pay that any day to come back after a day of sight-seeing to washed and ironed clothes!

I've used laundromats in Paris, London, Seville and Frankfurt. I've usually had to go to a nearby shop to get coins, if I didn't have them. I take premeasured powdered detergent in zip-lock bags after I had to buy a large box of detergent once in Paris. But if you are going to do laundry several times, you could buy a box. I also take dryer sheets in a zip-lock bag. You should plan stay at the laundromat to make sure that no one mistakenly (?) takes your things. It's a good time to update your travel diary or read a book.

Some of our best memories comes from doing laundry in Europe. We are usually in some small village, don't have clue how to figure out the machine, and try to communicate with a local to help us. They always do! It has always been an interesting experience.

we did laundry in Amsterdam and the way the machines worked were different than we had experienced. problem for us was that we didnt know how to read instructions in Dutch which we should have been prepared for. we stood around about 10 minutes trying to look up the words on our translator app when another couple came in who were also from the states but lived in Amsterdam and knew the language and helped us.

"So where do we get change? Will need a bunch of coins then." I don't know if they have them in France or Britain, but some banks in Germany have sort of quasi-ATMs that allow you to withdraw money in rolls of coins instead of bills.