<Traveler's checks are virtually useless, especially since they'll likely be denominated in US dollars if you buy them here>

I agree that Travelers Checks are not useful, but it has nothing to do with which currency they are in. You don't want to purchase Euro TC's either.

Yes, banks in the US exchange for Euros. We go to a certain branch of ours and get them for no cost. We always start w/ $300 worth, then ATM from there at banks, and with our card, are charged 3%. We take out at least 200 Euros at a time. Travellers checks are no longer useful/handy/convenient.

When you get euros at your home bank for "no cost", you have to also consider the rate of exchange you are being given.

My mantra for currency conversions:

There can be two costs for every currency transaction: a conversion fee AND/OR the exchange rate. BOTH are under the control of the bank or exchange bureau.

Just because a bank/exchange bureau advertizes no fees does not mean...no cost to you. They can fiddle with the exchange rate to cover any cost they want.

Repeat: the exahnge rate is not a fixed number. There is a 'newspaper number', but banks take that and add on their costs and profit margin.

One of the many places to confirm real-time mid-market exchange rates:

http://www.xe.com/

Compare what XE quotes for euros with the rate your bank offers you.

There are several ATMS at CDG and one actual bank location I believe. You can check the locations of the ATMS on their website.

You should check with you banks to see what they will charge YOU for ATMs. Banks have different rates for differnt depositrs based on the amount and type of business. (For instance, my primary bank is Citybank and last year they started all sorts of charges linked to ATM usage - but only for some customers. I got a letter listing all of these changes and then saying - but thee fess are waived for anyone with a qualifying amount of business with the bank - can be deposits, mortgages, credit cards etc - and all were waived for me.)

So check the rates for you banks - and fo ryou variuos credit cards - for your accounts - to see the cheapest waay to get money. In any case, CC and ATM are way cheaper than doing anything with cash.

So I guess, I should use my Cap One ATM card (cirrus)--(no fee) and Cap One Venture Visa (no for trans fee) in Paris when I land at CDG and not pay $10 fee to get euros ahead of time from my bank? Yesterday they said the rate was 1.22 something(plus the $10 and $300 minimum exchange) Thanks!

Don't use a credit card to get cash, use your ATM card. A credit card starts charging interest immediately on cash withdrawals. But certainly do use your credit card for charging purchases, your hotel, etc.

Are you sure about that rate? According to XE (URL above in thread), the interbank rate is 1.31 right now.

I always just get cash at the airport -- at an ATM. Some people feel more comfortable having some euros already. But $300 is a lot.

How would you handle needing cash, in Euros for a longer trip, 2-3 weeks with several tours for a family of four that require cash payment at the end of each tour? What is the usual daily ATM limit? Some tours for a family may be 400 Euros, or if we include my parents, if we just pay for the 6 of us at one time, 600 Euros.

We'll be in Rome for a day, then on a cruise, and then spending time in Venice and then Rome again for a few days. We'll need Euros in each port for the tours. Finding an ATM at each port to pay the tour guide doesn't seem efficient. How do people handle this?

Thanks!

I'd use a credit card whenever possible. If your tour operators insist on cash, then you will have to deal with cash.

Banks have different withdrawal limits, but in most cases it's not less than 400 euros per day, so you can take out the cash you need in each port stop for your cruise. I don't find this at all inefficient even though it's something that would have to be arranged in each port. But I guess to each his or her own. The idea of getting a really bad exchange rate by getting euros in advance of the trip seems more of a cost to me. You can lose as much as 10% of the value of transaction on fees and bad exchange rates by getting the cash from your local banks.

If you're concerned about having cash for the next day, just be sure to stop at the ATM at the END of each day (after your tour or sometime along the way) to pay for the NEXT day's tour rather than the one you're on. So really you have to decide if it's worth your time to stop at an ATM in each port or not. I say absolutely yes, but you are the one who has to find an ATM daily if you're doing all these cash-only tours.

You could certainly stockpile cash after you arrive in Rome, but there's a certain risk in carrying that much cash. And you can split the cash withdrawals if you need more than what your bank allows per day. But you need to confirm that with your bank, not with us.

See if your bank has Partner banks in Europe then you pay no fees. Bof A partners with Berclays , BNP Parabis and one in Italy but I forget the name,the bank could tell you!

You can also get a second checking account and a second ATM card, so two of you can withdraw the day's limit. And you can often negotiate with your bank about raising the limit.

I wouldn't expect any problems finding ATMs in/near ports. They're just about everywhere in Europe these days.

Mimar has it right. I too have a Chase British Air Visa card, they charge no foreign transaction fees, and IIRC the exchange rate was reasonable.

ATM cards are the way to go to get cash. Be aware that your bank will probably charge you 1-3% foreign transaction fee for withdrawals, though. I've had French banks turn me down when I've tried to exchange C notes - too many fakes around, they've told me, it'll take several days or a week to verify your currency. There are small exchange bureaus that will change money, but their rates are usually punishing.

I did a six-week cycling tour through the Benelux countries and NE France, finishing a couple of weeks ago. ATM machines are NOT everywhere, certainly not in the villages and small towns - seemed to me that only the medium-sized towns and up had them. There were times, passing through rural France and Belgium, that I was worried about having enough cash to eat on until I came upon the next town large enough to support an ATM. There were times, when it was cold and raining, that the chambre d'hote down the street looked like an awfully attractive alternative to slinging my hammock in a wet forest, but I simply didn't have enough money. Poor planning, to be sure, but that was because I had assumed I could find an ATM just about everywhere in Europe. I learned.

Make sure that your credit card is set up to issue cash advances should it become necessary - have your password/code set up, etc. It's hideously expensive, sure, but this idiot lost his ATM card somewhere in the Netherlands, and I had no choice but to live on those cash advances for the next month or so.

<<ATM machines are NOT everywhere, certainly not in the villages and small towns - seemed to me that only the medium-sized towns and up had them.>>

Well, in the SW of France they are pretty much ubiquitous. My town of 5,000 has at least a dozen of them. Maybe the NE hasn't caught up yet; still wise to be able to plan ahead.

ShellD, these tours are excursions offered by the cruise ship? Or individually booked tours? I'm surprised about paying at the end. Usually you pay when you book. At which point you can charge the cost to a credit card.

I'm surprised to hear about the paucity of ATMs in the Low Countries and NE France. Even the smallest towns in Italy seem to have one or more.

Mirmar - these are all private tours and the majority of them want cash, Euros, at the end of the tour. These are the most common of the tour companies, in Italy, Spain, France and Greece. The only ones I've really come across that want payment when I book are one man operations, and most people are actually hesitant to pay upfront. What would happen if the ship couldn't dock for any reason and you've already paid for the excursion? Especially with a small tour operator? However, I am surprised at the number that don't take credit cards at the end of the tour, given how here in the US it's so easy to swipe cards now with a cell phone attachment.

if you each have an ATM card, each make the maximum withdrawal at the first opportunity, [split it between you] and then top up when needed.

if you can withdraw €400 each at a go, even if the tours cost €600 a throw, you shouldn't have any problems.

ShellD, we have done several similar European cruises where paying cash at the end is the norm. Good choice on that...a way better experience than taking the cruise tours (overpriced, you don't see as much and very crowded) The guides want to get paid :) so they will take you to a bank or ATM during your tour....usually on the way there or back.
This probably goes without saying but be very careful after withdrawing large amounts of money. Friends on our tour were pcickpocketed in Rome. They didn't even know until it was time to pay...hundreds do euros were stolen. We were famine with our cash in money belts and we were discreet and exchanged money in the car instead of in public. Keep careful watch of who is around, use a money belt and try to get the cash out at the end and give it directly to your guide instead of carrying it around,

Have a blast!

Woops, auto correct! We were 'discreet' with our cash in money belts ( not famine!!)