Bavarian holiday

Hello,

My husband and I are living in Munich for a bit, and most places here are reluctant to take anything but cash, so I'd recommend the ATM route. There will be fees from your bank, but often the ATMs from major banks don't charge. We used this method and just made sure to take out the max amount at each go.

South of Munich there are some lovely lakes. Lake Starnberg is popular with vacationing Germans. Tegernsee is more rustic and nice for walks. Also, there are the Alps (including the highest point in Germany!) and Dachau Concentration Camp.

Have a nice trip, we will cross our fingers for sun!

I highly recommend using the ATM. We would take our daily allowance out each time. It would last us several days.

1. Verify your daily allowance...up it if needed.

2. Notify your back of the departure and return date to the US. Sometime they will asked which countries your will be visiting.

3. Use 4 digit numeric pin code.

Travelers checks are out for sure.

Enjoy your travels.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Tom.Luann.Fitzpatrick/Germany_2006

Hi Steve,
...two years ago, Tom and Luann Fitzpatrick took an extended Bavarian vacation. They took some great photos (use your mouse to copy the above link, then paste it into your Internet search box. Touch ENTER on your computer keyboard ... then, when you have the photo thumbnails on screen, click on "slideshow".) You should get a full screen picture presentation -- and maybe find some places you and your wife want to visit in person... Gute Reise! P

ATM's will be the most convenient and cheapest way to get cash overseas.

As everyone says, travelers checks are outdated. Even Rick Steves in his guide books says he has switched over. You get a better rate, there are many more ATMs than banks or currency offices, they're open 24/7, and if you have an account with some banks such as Capital One you don't pay junk fees added by your bank (the European ATMs don't charge you for taking out money).

If you don't have any euro's left over from previous trips, it might be worthwhile to convert a SMALL amount of dollars (say $50 or so) at your local bank so that when you land you have some immediate spending money without having to find an ATM. On that note, be careful in airports; some ATMs there do charge to get money (although they are labeled that they do). I saw ones like that in the Frankfurt airport.

Thanks Mike,

Very helpful. Do the European ATMs charge a transaction fee or a conversion fee?

dI have used nothing but ATMs to buy currency in the past 10 years. No travelers checks, no buying foreign currency from my bank before leaving.

I always hit the ATM in the air terminal where I land so I have money withing 30 minutes of hitting Germany.

You will find ATMs more convenient and cheaper than travelers checks; much easier to use.

ATMs are in post offices, service stations, hotels, banks, RR stations, air terminals and supermarkets.

Be sure to alert your bank that you will be withdrawing funds from the countries you will be in.

First, I would not feel comforable flying to Europe without a few Euro in my pocket. Would you take all the US$ out of your pocket before flying to NY? Problems getting money when you arrive are rare, but the consequences could be disasterous. I always keep a few hundred Euro from my last trip, but I wouldn't hesitate to buy a hundred from my local bank. It's cheap insurance.

"Do the European ATMs charge a transaction fee or a conversion fee?" I have never been charged a transaction or conversion fee by the European bank, but your bank here will probably charge you both. You can avoid most of the conversion fee by using a small bank without foreign currency operations. The "Network" charges small banks 4/10% to convert the currency; major banks pay the network in Euro and then charge you up to 3% for the conversion.

Check with you bank about conversion rates. If they charge you for currency conversion they will probably be evasive about it, "No we only charge a small fee." (They don't consider the currency conversion a "fee", but it will be there.) Be insistant. Make them give you a printout from their Intranet that shows all fee, charges, etc associated with out-of-country ATM usage.

Steve,
My family and I stayed in Schliersee for one week in
2004. We loved it. We stayed at a timeshare that we had exchanged into. You can take the train to Munich for the day. The train station is close to the lake. It is a good location for day trips too. We did drive to Rothenburg and stayed one night to experience the nightwatchman tour. We like beer so we visited Andechs monestary. The lake has a nice path to walk around. If you have any questions let me know. We really enjoyed our stay in Schliersee and it was our first time to Europe also.

We were in that area last year. I second the Andechs monastery. Beer was great. Go to the Zugspitze in Garmisch, Germany's highest peak, and ride to the top. Part of it is in Austria. Linderhof, one of Ludwig's extravagances and Ettal aren't too far away either. Both worth visiting, especially in the fall. It was beautiful last year. It is also mushroom season and we tasted some awesome variations of German cuisine featuring them.

My bank is Bank of America. They have an agreement with Deutschebank. When I used their ATMs, there were no fees at all by either bank. Call your bank before you leave to notify them you will be accessing funds while out of the country. Also, you might want to raise your daily withdrawal level.

I usually get some Euros before I leave so I don't have to look for an ATM as soon as I land. Peace of mind while struggling with jet lag. Lately, I just save the Euros I have left from previous trips to get me started. I don't really use traveler's checks much anymore. I have several I bought a few years ago, in Euros, that I carry around just in case. Last year in Munich, Deutschebank was having trouble with their ATMs on a day when I needed to get currency. I did have several TC in Euro and found a place that did not charge me a fee to cash 200 Euro. I was surprised and pleased. Usually the ATMs work fine however.

Have fun.