TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums World Wide Travel how should I go about getting Euros?

Going to Italy in Aug. and I don't know if I should try to get Euros before I go , or get them over there from a bank, an exchange, or a kiosk. A suggestion with an explanation (I'm a little thick) would be wonderful. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you. Phil
PS- any other suggestions about anything in Italy would be welcomed also.

Normally you would do better to get your Euros over there. But it might be a good idea to get a few Hundered before you go. You can get them from places like AAA, if you have a amex you can get them thru amex and many local banks can get them for you also. You could check several places because the conversion/buy rate could vary quite a bit.

Once there then you could use ATM, local bank, etc to do the exchange.

when we went to Italy we hopped into a cab (after checking into the hotel) and the cabbie had no trouble stopping at an ATM for us to use the first day. (grab a business card from the hotel desk so as to easily show any cabbie to get back to your hotel)
it's "banka" (not banko like in Mexico) and "ATM" is used (guess it's universal, not English?)
look for the British flag for English (took me a few minutes to realize the American Flag was not an option)
have a 4 digit pin code (at least back in 2006 that was needed, technology may have changed)
*there might be ATM's at the airport, we didn't look as we had a shuttle/bus to the hotel to catch.

my best advice - if you can, extend your stay, we did 2 weeks and I wish we could have stayed at least another 3/4 days. Rome is easily walkable once you get to the downtown/colisum/trevi ftn area.
Wander away from the touristy areas, just a block or two - you'll save $ on food/suvineers etc and really get a good feel for the area - don't be afraid to "get lost" a bit in Rome, it's very easy to find a cab and with that handy dandy little business card in your pocket really easy to get back to your hotel.
Learn a few basic frases in Italian (ciao (pronounced chow) is hello and goodbye) and that's all I remember from 6 yrs ago (oh and banka/ATM lol)
the buses/trains are good affordable/reliable transportation but be aware that you will be known as a tourist and keep your hand on your valuables, pick pockets are known to watch/wait for the unsuspecting tourist to slip up (I'm female so kept money tucked here and there so it was not all in 1 place, bra's are great wallets for a littel cash).
Vatacin - I was on a tour so we went really early and was let in before the "public" but I've heard that later afternoons are a great time to visit, less crowded, less lines etc...
Don't be afraid to ask the hotel desk staff for directions/help/advice/recomm's etc - a friendly smile goes a long way.
I don't remember much but if you let us know what cities you'll be seeing I might have some tidbits (Venice, Pompeii, Toramina?).
LUCKY YOU - WISH I WAS GOING BACK!

Agree. I went cheap at the reputable bank at the airport and only got about 100 Euros. I figured I could hit an ATM right away after landing in Venice (but there was a SNAFU)so I had to give the cabbie most of my Euros. Our hotel was on the outskirts of venice right next to train station. ATM was about a15 minute walk ---so I'll use a credit card for our train tickets --- some Tren Italia kiosks are finicky and it wouldn't take any of my Visa or Mastercards without a PIN ( I never use them to get cash). So I had to bag the hotel for some cash that I would repay after getting into Venice proper. SO, my long winded moral of the story is the US exchange rate from a major bank wasn't too bad and I should of got 300 Euro's to get me started and not sweat that day.

When traveling in Europe it is a good idea to have enough Euros for tips, etc. We also make sure we have enough to get by for a few days.

After that we do use the ATM's.

If you are going to use your ATM card you need to do 2 VERY important things.

1. Notify whoever you got your debit card from that you are going to be in Italy and the dates so that they do not put a block on it.

When you do that they should give you a number to call in an emergency (lost/ stolen card).

2. Make sure that your pin number is 4 digits and that it will work in Europe. (you can find that out when you call about being in Europe)
Otherwise, it won't work.

3. We always take 2 different credit cards in case one is stolen. I carry one and hubby carries the other. Also make sure you let your credit card company (companies) that you will be in Italy so that they do not block it.

Have a great trip!

Sue