Any suggestions for a stop between Paris & Heidelburg?
 

Hi: I'll be leaving Paris around the 28th of Oct, and I have 8 days before my trip home from Frankfurt. After reading such wonderful info at this site about Heidelburg, I would like to spend a few days there. The trip is about 5 hours from Paris & I'm wondering if anyone has a suggestion for a 1/2-way (or so), stop, for maybe 2 days along the way. I like everything except commercial-store-type places. Thanks. Also, is the Euro from France exchangable in Germany or is it a different Euro? Thanks.

The Euro is the Euro, no matter if the backside is French, German, Finnish, Slovenian or whatever.

Thanks Quo: Only been to he Czech Republic and Italy before the Euro, Would you also know if the rate of exchange is fairer at the airport, the leaving or arriving? Thanks again

Hi V,

> Would you also know if the rate of exchange is fairer at the airport, the leaving or arriving?<

Get your Euros from ATM machines in Europe.

Strasbourg would make a great stop and you may want to take the short train trip from there to Colmar, a cute Alsace wine town that gets rave reviews here.

Strasbourg to me is one of Europe's most underrated cities. right on main rail line or road route to Heidelberg.

Stay in Colmar if you like smaller town gems and day trip to Strasbourg to see its great cathedral, take the boat rides thru its quaint canals, etc.

Second PalenQ's suggestion. Strasbourg and suroundings would make a perfect stop along your way.

Sorry virgi, I cannot tell you much about exchange rates because my purse contains nothing but Euros ;-)

Thank yo for your responses, I don't want to use the ATM because of the service charge now I know that euros are euros so that's good and I will go to to Strasbourg as an interim. I appriciate the input.

Trier is also quite a nice town - it's on the Mosel River, near the French border and Luxembourg. It was a roman outpost around 100-400 AD, and has quite a number of really interesting roman ruins. And, like most German towns in the area, great German wines.

>Strasbourg to me is one of Europe's most underrated cities

I agree that it is a very nice city to visit, but underrated? I found Strasbourg overflowing with tourists, very popular and it has been so for quite some time.

Virgi,

> I don't want to use the ATM because of the service charge

I don´t understand - you don´t want the 3-4 Euro service charge but are ready to take in account much higher losses in the exchang erate?

virgi--how much does your bank charge for foreign ATM withdrawals? Bank ATMs in Europe won't charge you anything.

ialtamiro: first place, I just don't quite understand the exchange rate I guess it means for $1.00 I get 74cents. Now it seems like it's something else. I just figure I'll exchange my american money at the airport in miami for euros and I'll be good to go for the trip.Correct me if there's a better way, please. Also, what do you mean "much higher losses in exchange rate" is there a choice? I mean I have to exchange the money, why would I add the ATM charge on top of that? Maybe I should just ATM & not change the dollar-is that what's best?

Jake1: That's what I asked my bank and they said 2% from them, & (i think)12% from Euurope for the ATM.'s. See, I've never used an ATM - I use credit cards or cash, but I did ask for a pin # in case. OMG - I'm from Brooklyn! :)

Question in general: Is there a fee to exchange the money besides the dropped value of the actual euro?

And, if I have euros left when I'm done traveling, is there a fee to get american money back?

you'll usually get a much poorer exchange rate in U.S. airport than waiting to exchange the same dollars at an airport in Europe for euros.

ATMs and credit cards are by far the best way to change and spend money. changing cash means about a 5% or more loss over ATMs or credit card purchases IME

> first place, I just don't quite understand the exchange rate I guess it means for $1.00 I get 74cents.

No. A bank that moves a few billions from USA to Europe will get 0,74 E for 1 US$. YOU will get less. The banks have to make profit.
Cash exchange rates are always worse than electronic exchange rates. If you pull cash from an ATM you will get interbank rate (0,74) plus a small fixed fee set by your bank. With a cahs exchange you will get say 0,72, which seems not to be much but adds to A LOT if you do an extended overseas trip.

>Now it seems like it's something else.

Yes, it is not set in stone. It's a market out there.

>I just figure I'll exchange my american money at the airport in miami for euros

... and pay the salary of a few guys in process...

>and I'll be good to go for the trip.
Correct me if there's a better way, please.

The better way has been mulled over and over on this forum.

>Also, what do you mean "much higher losses in exchange rate" is there a choice?

Yes - see above.
There is an interbank rate and a cahs rate. What you see in the internet (xe.com and similar) is the interbank rate.

oh-boy so I'm better off not bringing any cash, (dollars) and just get off the plane in Frankfurt, head for a bank, and use the ATM machine outside for Euros? ( I read somewhere, that the train stations do not take credit cards-does it take dollars?) And then, I should just go to ATM's in different countries for more euros?
Well that's hard for me digest because here everytime people use the ATM's they complain about the fees-charged when they get the bill - must be different there,huh?

take some cash as a backup in case your cards won't work

make sure your strip is not worn

have a 4-digit PIN number

have the ATM hooked to a checking acct or debit card - savings accts may not work IME

why ATMs better - LOWER fees all told - just take our word for it ATMS and credit cards get you the most buck for your euros.

Travelers cheques and cash get a lower bottom line.

Call your ATM bank and credit card issuer and ask about their fees and tell them exactly what countries you'll be going to so they don't block transaction as a security thing.

Most train stations will take American credit cards but, like in France and Holland not in automatic ticket machines because our cards lack a security strip those machines require but always take at ticket windows though sometimes a minimum amount transaction is needed

hostels, McDonalds, etc. all take credit cards and for me that is even better than cash from ATMs - bottom line so i used by credit card anytime possible - supermarkets, everywhere and ATMs for spending cash for trivial purchases where cards are not accepted

By the way the Zeedijk location is very remote for amsterdam. Vondel Park hostel super location. About one zillion other private hostels in Amsterdam in town centre.

Tot ziens!

Ok that solves that- I thought differently so great credit cards & ATM's here I come!!! So, ATM's when I want cash, & credit cards for puchases, like supermarkets,etc. Guess I don't need too many Euros then, right? Thanking you again:)

>oh-boy so I'm better off not bringing any cash, (dollars) and just get off the plane in Frankfurt, head for a bank, and use the ATM machine outside for Euros?

Exactly.

>(I read somewhere, that the train stations do not take credit cards

You have read wrong. But sometimes you have to make sure that you want to pay with CC before the transaction - they may have to use some different software.

>-does it take dollars?)

Why should they take some foregn money? I wouldn´t expect anybody in USA to take Euros, too...

>And then, I should just go to ATM's in different countries for more euros?

Exactly.

>Well that's hard for me digest because here everytime people use the ATM's they complain about the fees-charged when they get the bill - must be different there,huh?

It was hard for me to digest when I spent a few months in Canada that I had to pay a fee to withdraw money at MY bank! I heard it is similar in USA.

And please have your money well-hidden when using those coffee shops or just walking around the city.

Dutch supermarkets don't take credit cards! Make sure you have cash for those purchases.

>Dutch supermarkets don't take credit cards!

...and they screw up debit cards (sometimes). I have bought things with my Swiss debit card in Maastricht and after that the system froze my card. I have called the bank and they said my data was corrupted. I put it down to error but less than one year later I was in an Albert Hein in Vaals and it happened again.
Funnily the transaction itself worked just fine.

O.K. I got it now & those comparisons helped me to absorb the concept. I surely would have been in a money-mess if not for all the help here.

virgi--bank ATMs in Europe will not charge you either a set or % fee. Not sure where your bank got the 12% figure, but it's wrong. Be aware that there are non-bank owned ATMs some places in Europe--these can charge a fee. But it's easy to tell the difference.

Thanks Jake Maybe I heard wrong I kinda got a mental block about getting money that way. I went to my bank for a pin # and asked, and the correct fee is $2.50per transaction so that's good.