What kind of money should I take for Italy, France and Switzerland?
 

Hi, I thought I was going to get away with strictly Euros for these three countries but I have been going through the threads and I am getting conflicting information. Some say they are not taking Euros but Swiss Francs in Switzerland. What about France? Euro or French franc? Italy - Euro or lira? Thanks for your help.

You will have to take Euros for France and Italy, swiss francs for Switzerland.

Carole:<BR><BR>Euro are the only currency in Italy and France. The Lira and French Franc have gone. Euro bills are widely accepted in Switzerland, especially in the border and tourist areas. As it is not an official currency in Switzerland, the exchange rate at a hotel, restaurant or store will be worse than at a bank. Expect to be given Swiss francs as change.<BR><BR>Enjoy your trip<BR><BR>Phil.

The other replies correctly explained what currencies to USE in each place. But you do not need to TAKE any with you. You can easily get any cash you need in each country from local ATM machines and at a better exchange rate than taking any with you from home.

Thanks Janice, Phil and David. We always use our credit card when we can and also ATM card but we just wanted to have some cash on hand. Thanks so much for your replies.

You can get your first currency at the airport upon arrival. There are convenient ATM machines in every major airport and you will have at least 1/2 hour wait for your luggage - so hit the machine then.