When we started planning our vacation to Paris the Euro was about $1.30 USD to 1 Euro. By the time we get there we figure it will be $1.45 USD to 1 Euro. Our budget in Paris is only $2,500 USD for 9 nights not including airfare or hotels so instead of 1,750 Euros we will have 1,600 Euros. That won't stop us. I guess we will just have to come back with a couple of less gifts for our families! LOL.

Wow. That put things in perspective for me, somedayparis. Not to start the hotel vs. apartment argument again. But our Paris accomodations budget for 10 nights is $1100 (775 euros). And we're thrilled with where we are staying (same apartment as last summer).

Oooops. Sorry. I was misreading your post, thinking you were talking about budget for hotels -- rather than the other things.

Never mind.

Fellow Fodor travelers, I will be traveling to Budapest, Vienna and Prague in 6 weeks for a 17 day trip. Obviously I will have to use Euros in Austria, but will I have to use them in Hungary and Czech Republic? My hotels in Budapest and Prague describe their rates in Euros; will I be expected to pay in that currency? Is the exchange rate for the Forint and Koruna more favorable than the Euro? Any suggestions from you savvy travelers will be appreciated.

Hi In,

Use local currency, not Euros, when you need cash. You can get it at ATMs.

Your hotel should bill you in local currency, not E or USD.

If they charge you E, you will be getting a poor exchange rate from local to E, and then you will be charged again for conversion to USD.

Enjoy your visit.

to InMiami -

In Budapest you use the Forint not the Euro. I know that many of the hotels quote in Euros but that's because most of their clientele come from the EU.
Restaurants, items bought at stores, tickets, etc., everything is paid for in Forints.

Things are relatively cheap in Budapest. Doesn't mean there aren't restaurants that can be expensive. But on the whole, you'll find it a bargain. I haven't been to Prague but I know they use their own currency as well.

When you go to Budapest one of the things that makes it do-able financially is that they are not using the Euro yet, even though they belong to the EU.

Have a great time.

Well the good news from France is that it's warm and sunny (warmest April since they started counting.) Everywhere is beautiful - in fact, here in the Perigord we are starting to think that our garden has peaked in April. Not only are poppies and roses out, but even tree peonies and water lilies. Frogs are croaking like mad, but we have resisted attacking)the)r legs (or thighs - cuisses) in French.

We'd love to see more visitors here, to experience this. (And yes, I know this is probably a bad sign of global warming, and we really could do with some rain, but still,as I said, it's looking wonderful.)

I agree w/ Sarvowinner and it's not nit picking. Can't we all just use USD, CAN, AUD or NZD and drop the useless, ambigous $ altogether??

If Europe is your destination of choice, then the euro to dollar exchange rate probably won't matter that much. We did rent an apartment, paying in dollars (for Paris). Everything else will be paid in euros. Once I get situated on the plane and take off I'm on vacation to explore and enjoy Rome and Paris. I will most certainly start with a glass of wine inflight.

Kenav/Ira, if my hotel asks for payment in Euros should I suggest getting cash in local currency for payment? I am staying at the K&K Opera in Budapest and the Maximilian in Prague and I seem to remember a post concerning this very problem with one of these hotels. What if I just offer my credit card, can they still charge me in Euros?

Our local paper's business section reprinted an article this morning (I think it was from the NY Times but not sure) about the high euro and they quoted a few American tourists about the impact/money saving strategies.

I had to LOL at one. A teacher from Brattleboro VT escorting a school trip said she was soooooo glad she had converted all of her US$ to € before she left home!! Now THAT is definitely a money saving strategy - not

InMiami - My guess is that they will charge you in Forints in Buda, and Korona in Prague as those are the currencies. If you were in U.S. would hotels charge you in Euros?

We stayed at a B&B in Budapest and their rates were quoted in Euros. They took cash only. However, we asked for them to figure out the forints, as that is what we had from all our ATM withdrawals. They did. No problem. Again, I think that lodging quote Euros as that is where the majority of people who come there are from.

I'd suggest: e-mail your hotels and ask them the question! Ask for the local equivalency of the Euro that they quote, and that you would like to pay in their local currency. (Keep the name of the person who is e-mailing you back. Print out a copy of their answer and bring it with you when you go.)

"I had to LOL at one. A teacher from Brattleboro VT escorting a school trip said she was soooooo glad she had converted all of her US$ to € before she left home!! Now THAT is definitely a money saving strategy - not "
>>>>>>>>>>>>&g t;>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>

Laugh all you want. When did she do that? Very likely she IS the one who comes out ahead. If she exchanged those dollars three months ago today she would have gotten 6% more euros than she would get today. So even if she paid a bank or exchange agency 3%, she still comes out ahead.
Of course, exchanging them the day before you leave won't get you the same results.

No - I didn't post the whole thing - but she talked about getting the € from her bank last week. So she spent more than the "inflated" €s would have cost her in Europe.

Well, when somebody has done something that brings her comfort, so be it. If she's happy, I hope she can remain ignorantly blissful until she comes home!

NeoP, have you recommended your apartment here previously? I'm making a file of links to favorably reviewed apartments ...

All of you leaving tomorrow, next week, next month - I'm developing an unhealthy envy. Buon viaggio!

Yes, I have mentioned it before, but here it is again. I'm saving more as I am dealing with the owner direct this time.

http://tinyurl.com/zbvew

Neopatrick, that sounds like a great deal on the apartment.

If you don't mind, post a link to it after you've returned.

Patrick, it looks like a really handsome place. And A great area - I've stayed in the 1st, just on the other side of Ile de la Cite, and found it so convenient. Also loved on my first jet-lagged mornings to go for a dawn walk around Notre Dame etc. Early morning, before traffic surges and sidewalks become crowded is a great time to enjoy Paris in a different mood.

Carlux, your description of the France at the moment made me totally forget about the Euro to dollar issue. I'm going there in three weeks, first trip to Europe, first major vacation in over a decade, and I plan on having a great time no matter what the exchange rate is. There's no cost to great memories of a wonderful trip, and that's the most important thing I want to come back with.

We are leaving for Spain in two weeks for a three-week stay. Since booking our hotels in November, the cost has increased due to the exchange rate from US$ to Euro. We want to try to stay within our budget so we will be doing more picnics when day-tripping out of San Sebastian, we'll order the cheaper local wines, we'll avoid high-end tourist restaurants and eat where the locals eat, etc. The first time we were lucky enough to travel to Europe, we had to stay within a strict budget and found that (per Rick Steves) we really enjoyed a more authentic experience. Since then, we've been able to afford higher rated hotels and restaurants which hasn't necessarily translated into having a more enjoyable time. I totally agree with other posts--we're going to soak up the culture and expect to thoroughly enjoy our first trip to Spain. We will, however, make some adjustments so we don't have too much of a shock when we get those charge card bills when we get home.

Patrick, that looks like a bargain to me.