First - get your tickets in advance via internet if possible.

Second - know the PIN number for your credit card. That's right -- the PIN for your CREDIT NOT DEBIT card.

Third - get in line VERY early.

Our trip was last minute and tickets were sold out for the next three weeks so we could not get them on the internet. I read if you were in line by 8:15, you would not have a problem. I was in line by 7:10 AM and was one of the last people to get tickets. It was Apr 30, which is immediately preceding the May 2 holiday. Maybe that increased the crowds.

There are two completely different lines for same-day tickets, one for cash, and one for credit cards. And they go to two completely different places.

When I finally got to the credit card self service machines (about 9:00 AM) the machine required a PIN number for my credit card. This was NOT the security code on the back of the card. This is a number you get when you get your card, and it is apparently only used in the US when you use the card to withdraw cash. Since I use an ATM card to withdraw cash, I did not know my pin. I was out of luck. The loudspeaker said there were only 100 tickets for that day remaining, and the cash line was a mile long.

Fortunately, a very nice couple from Holland agreed to buy my tickets with their card and PIN, and I paid them in cash. (They would only take Euros, not dollars, as the value of the dollar was dropping daily!)

very good points! yes, most ticket machine are really like ATMs, so be prepared .

how nice of the other couple to solve your problem.
i hope you enjoyed your visit.

OK! I'll bite! Why would you expect folks in Europe to take dollars (presumably US$?) when the local currency is the €?

I love those Dutch they are so friendly. Still me being english and the wife Dutch maybe I am biased.
All machines here in Europe ask for a PIN, like in my Casa Rural you can pay with almost every card on planet earth, but you have to have your PIN code.
Another point to make is please inform your bank you are visiting Europe some cards have been known to be blocked by the banks when used outside the USA.

I called the banks for my credit cards to alert them to my travel and asked about needing a PIN for credit card purchases. None of them had heard of this. Have many of you needed it?

Maureen

i have only needed it for an unmanned machine.

read some of these links
http://goeurope.about.com/cs/currenc...use_europe.htm
http://www.usa.visa.com/personal/usi...0Travel%20Tips
http://stason.org/TULARC/travel/euro...s-cheques.html
http://www.frommers.com/articles/4793.html
Hope something here helps, plus the information I posted earlier.

Thanks,ribeirasacra! That's quite helpful!