Question for travelers returning from Italy
 

Would like to know if in Fumicino airport in Rome there is a bank/exchange place open early in the morning. Our flight gets in at 8:00 AM and I need to get euros before leaving the airport. Anybody knows? Thanks

Their should be a 24 hour service

Hi

There are ATMs at the airport. They are cheaper than banks and exchange desks.

I suggest that you convert about 100E *before* you leave. It will cost you a few dollars more than it would at FCO, but you won't have to hunt up an ATM first thing.

I'm intrigued...why would you leave changing your money until you get to your destination?

ditto Ira

Bring some Euros for cab/train/tips & ATM the rest.

ATM's are everywhere. We used one in Amalfi, Todi, Roma . . . etc

Ian

But if ATMs are everywhere, and they are, why pay more to exchange currency at home when you won't need it until after you have passed the ATM at your destination. You guys aren't tipping the pilots, are you?

<<why pay more to exchange currency at home when you won't need it until after you have passed the ATM>>

It's a belt and suspenders kind of thing. ATM's at airports can run out of cash, or have long lines, or eat your card, or have a system-wide software failure...

or meteors... dinosaurs...

Best wishes,

Rex

And if you happen to land on a Sunday morning, when the banks in North America aren't communicating with the banks in Europe, you won't be able to get cash from any ATM machine, functioning or not.

It's a simple deal to get 100€ or so before your trip, and it buys peace of mind, which for me is an essential part of the beginning of any voyage.

Only in the event of (possible, but highly unlikely) problems with the ATM at the airport would I seek out an exchange desk.

Assuming that I couldn't get to my hotel using a charge card to pay for my transport. And then head to the nearest ATM.

Not a suspenders kinda gal....

If you are a frequent traveller to Europe, why not just bring home a little foreign currency for the next trip? Then you can say to yourself, "Golly! I must go back to Rome. I have 100euro sitting here doing nothing." Works for me every time.

Last trip we made, we used the AMT at the Rome airport on Sunday morning.

I found both ATM's near baggage pick-up at Fiumicino to be "out of service" when I arrived last October. I'm sure there are others in the airport somewhere, but I was very glad of those Euros I had from the change booth at Newark, so I didn't have to haul my luggage around looking for them! Well worth the couple of dollars I lost on the exchange rate.

t

We are arriving in Italy on a Sunday morning and plan to use an ATM. Has anyone else had a problem with an ATM on a Sunday?

YES! I have problems ALL the time on Sunday mornings in Europe. Which is one reason I always arrive in Europe with enough euros for my first day's needs. There is some disconnect between European and American banks on Sundays that renders most ATM machines I've encountered useless until late on Sunday afternoons.

Caveat emptor!

I cannot speak to the "Sunday arrival" issue but I can speak to the "broken ATM" issue...I've had it happen when I arrived and was glad I had enough Euros already to get into a cab and into town where there were functioning machines.

Get smart, get some local currency before you leave, and then you are prepared for all situations.

We used the ATM at FCO on Sunday morning two weeks ago with no problems. We needed a large amount of cash because we were paying for our rental apartment in cash upon arrival. We could not take out the total amount from the ATM, but we made up the difference from the currency exchange office located quite near the ATM.

Crikey! We're arriving on a sunday morning and need a lot of cash to pay for our apartment. Thoughts on what we should do?

Sera, I was in exactly the same situation. I had read here of the possible problems obtaining cash from the ATM on Sunday morning and decided that we would take our chances. If the ATM didn't work, we would have to change money at the airport exchange desk. I figured that rate would be no worse, or not much worse, than any rate I would have to pay to exchange money before leaving for Italy.

As you can read in my note, the ATM worked, we supplemented with money from the exchange desk, and all was well.

We are leaving for Rome on 25 March and because we have to pay the hotel with cash I am going to order Euros through our Credit Union before we leave. They will order it for a $12.00 service fee and have it received within 3 days. I plan on ordering about 700 Euros more than the amount needed for the hotel