Lame question about laundromats in Europe..
 

Ok guys. I have been to Europe many times, however..I have never done a load of laundry in my life. I don't feel like learning just before a trip. I usually just pack a lot if I'm going on a long trip.

Well, I'll be gone for three weeks and don't really want to take a huge bag..

At most places here (nyc), one can drop off clothes at a laundromat and have it done for them. Do they have this service at European laundromats? I will need to get laundry done in Paris, and possibly Budapest.

Any help? No flames please :-)

Christine

If you are not going to do it yourself, then here in Spain you should go to a "tintoreria" (dry cleaner's ), they also do the laundry for you, not just dry clean :) In some cases , there are people to help at laundromats but there are not many here. Where in Europe you want to go ? :) You know, it's very different from country to country...

I don't know about Budapest, but Paris and every other European city I've ver been in has laundromats where you can drop your clothes off and pick them up cleaned.

In France they are generally called blanchisseries. You'll need a bit of French vocabulary to choose from the options: just washed and dried; washed, dried, and pressed; drycleaned, etc.

And be prepared to pay a small fortune.

As above, depends on the country. Yes there are places to drop off laundry in many cities, just like you describe in NYC.

By the way, we assume laundromats in US are the ones with the coin machines that as I said before are not very common.

Kenderina and Suze, I did say in my post Paris (France) and Budapest (Hungary)..of course it varies from country to country, that's why I specified!

StCirq, thank you for your reply..it sounds like I won't have too much of a problem with that in Paris (My french is pretty good)..maybe I'll skip trying to get it done in Budapest! :-)

Sorry, Christine !! I didn't read it right :)

OK then (sorry I missed reading your destinations) yes you can find a place to wash your clothes for you somewhere in Paris.

Many of the hotels I have stayed at in Europe have laundry service available. Check with your hotel.

That was my thought also after I posted above, if money is not an issue just have your hotel do it for you.

One of the things I appreciate about Rick Steves is that he often gives names and addresses of laundromats in the helpful hints section of his guidebooks.

I travel with only a 22" suitcase, no matter how long I'll be gone--last summer it was for nine weeks--so being able to find a laundromat from time to time is essential.

I've used them in Salamanca, Chester, Siena, and I don't recall where else.

Oops! Didn't pay close enough attention. I was concentrating on do-it-yourself places. I didn't see anything listed in Rick's France guide, anyway, but it's an old one.

I'd be very surprised if there were not lots of places where you could drop off laundry, although that would depend on the location of your hotel.

Don't know where you are staying in Paris but close to the 5th and the 6th , there is a drop off laundramat on rue de Grand Augustines. I finally learned how to do it myself on our month long trip this year. Went to ta place on rue de Seine, loaded the clothes, stood in front of the machine to pay and looked stupid. Someone came right over and helped me, looking stupid always elicts a helpful response. Started the machine , went across the street to Paul and by the time I finished breakfast the clothes were ready for the dryer. Walked along the rue de Buci market and shopped for a bit then went back to fold and take the stuff back to the hotel!

I've done my own laundry in Paris, Madrid, and the Cotswolds; dropped it off at laundromats where they wash, dry and fold (not iron)in Berlin and Florence; and had it done at laundry/dry cleaners in London. The first option is, of course, cheap; the second not bad; and the third pricey. However #3 isn't nearly as expensive as having them done by the hotel, which I've also done. In Madrid my wife and I spent a pleasant morning doing our laundry, going around the corner for hot chocolate and churros, and helping a young Spanish soldier who knew nothing about doing wash. So staying around the laundromat proved, in this case at least, to be a nice way to meet a local whom we otherwise wouldn't have encountered. We found the Madrid laundromat in the Lonely Planet guide beforehand; in Paris it was a target of opportunity, located diagonally across from the hotel. When I travel, I always think out how I would live wherever I am, so taking time out for laundry can be travel enhancing, whether I meet locals or not.

To our knowledge, self-service laundromats are not common in Budapest, one has to use a drop-off service, which is what we did.

Thanks, Michael, that's good to know!

I'll be in an apartment in Paris, in the 18th. The ad says a laundromat is nearby, so I should be fine.

thanks!

Miss Z...Although I am not a fashionplate, I usually am tidy and told I smell "good" by he who matters. I travel light and never sink to the laundry mat. I am very careful about selecting clothes and do hand washing in the sink. It takes 5 minutes if done on an as used basis...just take some cold water powder (woolite for example)..totally hastle free and the price is right. The only difficult thing is carefully considering what you pack.

I've done my own laundry in Paris which was actually pretty easy at the laundromat.

I have also used hotel laundry service in St Remy which was ridiculously expensive. Next time I will probably do the laundry myself.(8 euros for 1 pair of underwear!!)

Some Paris laundromats will do "bulk" washing, without ironing, which is considerably less expensive. Some dry cleaners also do washing, at least of shirts and the like. Some places farm out the whites that customers bring them such as bed linen, and in that cases the delivery time can be pretty long, as much as a week

I saw laudromats in Budapest (on the Pest side), but did not avail myself of their services or make any inquiries. At least they exist.