How much money to exchange?

[Deleted]

H and I will be going to Italy for 10 days.  Hotels and train tickets have been prepaid but we will need money for cabs/food/general spending.  We have a credit card with no foreign transaction fees and plan to use that as much as possible.  I feel like we will need some cash but have no idea how much we should take.  Is there a recommended amount per day?

Also tipping?  I know some places it isn't customary.  Tip in Italy or not?

[sunnysally]

Use the ATMs to get money as you need it. The exchange rates are very good, and you don't have to worry about taking too much.

If your bill is 27 Euro and you feel like you had good service, leave 30 Euro.

[sparty04]

I think we exchanged around 500-600 but didn't use it all. Research the exchange rate though. We did it at the airport and realized that we got ripped off once we got into town

[smock]

I always just get cash from an ATM at the airport once I arrive, and it's never been a problem.

[Deleted]

Feb 11, 2014 20:49:46 GMT -5 smock said:

I always just get cash from an ATM at the airport once I arrive, and it's never been a problem.

That's what we do too.

[wanderlustfoodie]

Feb 11, 2014 21:06:12 GMT -5 v said:

Feb 11, 2014 20:49:46 GMT -5 smock said:

I always just get cash from an ATM at the airport once I arrive, and it's never been a problem.

That's what we do too.

Tritto.

[aurora]

I also always get cash at the ATM as needed. The only time it caused a problem was when I forgot that my PIN had changed not long before I left and had to call DH (who was fortunately still at home) to look up the new one. Moral: make sure you know your PIN.

[GilliC]

How much to take per day really depends on your spending style. I would suggest just taking €100 in the first withdrawal and see how it goes. Then you can extrapolate from that to get a better idea of how much cash you're using.

The nice thing about euros is that if you have leftovers, it's easy to use them later! (And you don't have to worry about the place joining the Eurozone before you return!)

[Deleted]

My bank doesn't charge extra to get cash at ATMs, so I usually just do that as I go when I travel internationally to places with easy access to ATMs.

[mdgirl]

Feb 12, 2014 3:33:52 GMT -5 GilliC said:

The nice thing about euros is that if you have leftovers, it's easy to use them later! (And you don't have to worry about the place joining the Eurozone before you return!)

Ain't that the truth! And having leftovers isn't the worst thing in the world because then you're starting your next trip with a little cash and you don't have to hunt down an ATM the second you get off the plane

[GilliC]

Feb 12, 2014 9:35:51 GMT -5 mdgirl said:

Feb 12, 2014 3:33:52 GMT -5 GilliC said:

The nice thing about euros is that if you have leftovers, it's easy to use them later! (And you don't have to worry about the place joining the Eurozone before you return!)

Ain't that the truth! And having leftovers isn't the worst thing in the world because then you're starting your next trip with a little cash and you don't have to hunt down an ATM the second you get off the plane

Until you end up with something like Estonian kroon that aren't accepted anymore!

[Deleted]

I usually get about 100 euro at my bank before I leave the US and then hit ATM s once in Europe. The exchange rates at airports aren't great, and the one at my bank isn't the best, but I like having some cash upon arrival in case ATM is out of money or we forget to go to the ATM at airport ( true story).

[marmarmar]

I usually try to plan how much I'm going to need by researching the fees of museums, how much does a pizza cost here and there, the average beer or coffee price and try to preplan. It really depends in you're in Rom or Venice or Milan or somewhere not so touristy.