pamelaca2002

We are two Canadians travelling to London, Paris and various cities in Italy.

Other than our passports, are there any visas or anything we need to obtain?

Also - any helpful travel tips for Canadians?

billy_boy

Your valid Canadian passports would be sufficient in those 3 countries.

Eloise

You will not need a visa for any of the countries you are planning to visit.

As a Canadian, I'm not sure what you mean by "helpful travel tips for Canadians." I would think that "helpful travel tips" are helpful to anyone, whatever their nationality.

Nor do I think that you should plaster the maple leaf all over yourself, your clothes and your luggage. Most Europeans, contrary to some of the opinions expressed here, do not judge visitors by nationality but rather by behaviour. If you are well-mannered and polite, 99.9% of the Europeans you meet will respond in the same way.

pamelaca2002

So - as long as I have my valid passport and a plane ticket - I am all set to go?

margyb

Well..you may want to bring pots of money also

Have a good time!

LoveItaly

Hi pamelaca, yes bring money, an ATM card and a credit card. And hotel reservations! Have a wonderful trip, London, Paris and parts of Italy sound like an interesing vacation.

AnselmAdorne

Hi pamelaca, on the subject of money, your Canadian ATM cards will work at ATMs in the UK, France, and Italy. Be aware, though, that most Canadian banks charge a $5 fee to access a foreign ATM. It adds up pretty quickly, especially if you decide to withdraw relatively small amounts each time.

Scotiabank, however, has an agreement with Barclays Bank in the UK and BNP Paribas in France that allows you to use their ATMs without a service charge. Unfortunately, they don't have a similar agreement with any banks in Italy.

Have a great trip.

Anselm

diddl_maus

I was advised to notify my credit card company that I would be out of the country in case they questioned some unusual charges on the card and froze my card when they could not reach me at home to verify them. I know they do call to check on unusual charges. I took a quick trip to the States and a couple of days I was called at home to verify a large purchase in Minneapolis.

RoyalJelly

A note about Canadian ATM cards. I was in Paris 2 weeks ago, and I just couldn't get a single ATM machine to withdraw cash. I think it's because I have a CIBC Savings account. Previously I had a chequing account, which worked fine when I was in Paris back in 2002. But the machines here in Canada let you choose what account type to withdraw from, whereas the ones in Paris do not. This was after I went to 20 different machines bearing the same PLUS logo as my card had. It even recognized the PIN# and all, but no luck with withdrawals. In the end, I had to take withdrawals of cash from my visa card from change places (not the direct money withdrawals since I forgot my visa pin number as well), and it ended up costing us anywhere from 7-9 euros for every 100 euros withdrawn. So if your account is a savings account, consider either setting up another chequing account for your trip with some money for ATM card withdrawal, or else ask if you bank can register your existing account as both savings and chequing with the ATM machines (that's what the CIBC rep suggested I do when I spoke to them upon my return).