Euros
 

We are going to be in Venice for a day and half before getting on a cruise ship for Greece and Croatia...we are trying to figure out how much cash or euros we will need for our time in Venice as well as at each port. I don't know if we are able to use a credit card for every purchase on our excursions in Venice or the ports or whether some places will only accept euros or whether we could just use cash. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you

"will only accept or whether we could just use cash" Euros are cash. There are lots of ATM's and as long as you have one that works in Europe, you can just get out what you need each day. I used my credit card for major purchases and Euro's for smaller ones.

As a rule of thumb, only use the local currency.

My assumption is that any location that accepts non-local currency will charge me an arm and a leg to give me that "convenience". Uas a credit card or withdraw funds using your ATM card.

There are ATMs everywhere in Venice - you can get Euros easily. We found it best to get as much cash as we could at the ATM (for us it was 300 Euros) since there is a flat fee local bank charge for each withdrawal in addition to whatever your own bank charges you.

Depending on your cruise itinerary, you may need to get other currency (will you be stopping in Turkey?), but in Greece and Croatia (at least in Dubrovnik) there are easily accessed ATMs.

Generally you can use your credit card in most mainstream restaurants, at museums, and in many shops. But it's always good to have local currency cash for such things as public transportation, street snacks, and tips.

&quot;<i>there is a flat fee local bank charge for each withdrawal in addition to whatever your own bank charges you</i>&quot;

Not usually - Italian banks do not charge a transaction fee. The only fee is the one assessed by your own bank.

Use your ATM card to get cash - I assume most/all of your cruise ports of call are w/i the &euro; zone. If so, get a few hundred &euro; in Venice and use it at each stop until it runs out. Then get more &euro; if needed in a later port.

Use your visa/mc for many things and &euro; cash for small purchases.

Euros ARE cash in the countries where the euro is the currency.

There is NOT a local bank fee for ATM withdrawals.

You will probably be able to use your cc for most if not all purchases, but as long as you have a debit card you will have no problem getting whatever cash you need from ATM machines in every port. I would make sure you know what withdrawal limit your bank has imposed on that debit card before you you, and ask to have it raised if you think it won't be enough.

Also be sure to notify your cc company of your travel plans. IME, they are becoming incredibly sensitive to overseas purchases lately and may freeze your account if you don't alert them.

Croatia uses the kuna (not euros) so you may want to limit your ATM withdrawals in Croatia to whatever amount you think you'll actually use.

We never worry about having too many euros as we know we'll be back to use any extras but, as much as we loved Croatia and hope to return someday, that someday is probably not in the immediate future so we tried to be more careful with withdrawals there.

We did find our credit cards widely accepted there.

Oh Duh - I now see you said Croatia and Greece.

Greece and Italy are euro zone, Croatia isn't - but you can use your ATM card to get cash in any country.

When you wrote &quot;whether we could just use cash&quot;... if you mean U.S. dollars, the answer is no. You need local currency.

You might - or might not- find some very tourist - oriented stores that would take $ - but a t a terrible rate of exchange. And those same stores will definitely take credit cards. But smaller places or smaller purchases only cash - real local cash will do.

Since the risk of fraud increases every time you use a credit card, I use a debit card to draw cash from an ATM every two or three days, and only use the credit card at &quot;big&quot; merchants like rent-a-car, train tickets, and hotels.

Hi R,

&gt;Since the risk of fraud increases every time you use a credit card, I use a debit card to draw cash from an ATM every two or three days, ....&lt;

Are you saying that using a debit card at an ATM is risk free?

((I))

Not to be stupid but if I use my ATM card in Venice for example, it will dispense euros not US dollars, correct?

of course it does.

...and deducts the dollar equivalent from your bank account, at a trivial exchange fee (as opposed to perhaps a 30% fee trying to exchange dollars for kuna at a small shop who deems tourists too gullible to know better).

Yes - ATMs <u>always</u> dispense local currency, and some of them offer the user a choice of some others.

<i>Are you saying that using a debit card at an ATM is risk free?</i>

Nothing is free of risk. But handing a credit card to some local whose name you will never know is significantly riskier than plugging your debit card into a bank ATM (inside a booth, if available) and hiding your PIN as you enter it.

I am trying to figure out the same thing. I'll be in Venice a day before and 2 days after my cruise. My cruise goes to Dubrovnik, Greece (1 stop), Bari, Istanbul and Izmir, Turkey. We plan to do cruise-arranged trips in each port except Bari. I'm not as worried about the euros, but I can't decide how much cash I will need for the 2 stops in Turkey and the stop in Dubrovnik. I am aware of the exchange rates, but I have NO idea what things cost. I assume, however, that a lot of places I'll be buying souvenirs (like the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul) I will need local currency in cash. Can someone suggest an amount? Or give me an idea of how much things cost (that wouldn't be purchased at a place that takes plastic).

Also, what is Dubrovnik like? Do you buy things on the street or in stores?

Thanks!

Guidebooks will often give price ranges for restuarants and for site entrance fees so you could check there.

I don't plan to pay anything for museum entrance fees or eat at restaurants in Turkey or Croatia - its all included with the tour or we eat on the cruise ship. So I'm just trying to figure out how much I'd need in cash for souvenir type things.

Again I'll be in:
Dubrovnik: about 6 hours
Istanbul: about 10 hours
Izmir (going to Ephesus): about 7 hours

Thanks!