currency exchange

We are about to leave for 5 days in Paris, 9 in Edinburgh, and 6 in London. I realize that everyone has a different perspective on %26quot;reasonable%26quot;-- but what is reasonable amount of cash to take with us to alleviate the need for many European exchanges?

And is taking alot of cash a good option -- we are staying in 4-5 star hotels with in room safes.....(How safe is that?) We are trying to figure out how much cash we might really need to spend daily.....

Thanks to all,

j

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We just returned from Amsterdam and we used the hotel safe- which was great. Also, we were told to use the ATM%26#39;s as they gave the best exchange rates. We checked our statements when we returned and people were correct. The best exchange for Euros was through the ATM.

Take some cash to exchange immediately, but check with your bank for ATM rates.

Sounds like a great vacation- have fun!!! (We are headed to Paris next spring- I will look for your review!)

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Good advice re ATMs, especially as you will be dealing with two different foreign currencies (euros in Paris, pounds in the UK). I would suggest, if you want to have some cash with you, take no more than 100 euros (I assume you are going to be in Paris first), and just get the pounds from ATMs when you get into London. There is no need to take risks by carrying large amounts of cash - just take out what you need for a day or two at one time. (Be sure to tell your bank and credit card companies in advance the dates you will be gone and where you will be going, so your cards won%26#39;t be blocked for possible fraudulent transactions.)

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Are ATMs readily available and easily and safely accessible?

thanks!

j

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Of course they are.

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ATMs are everywhere - don%26#39;t do anythign dumb, i.e., things you wouldn%26#39;t do in the US, but they are just as safe there as here.

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thanks !

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Just came back from a similar trip - 7days in paris / 7 days in london.

ATM%26#39;s are everywhere and they are definitely the best exchange rate.

I tried to stick to banks I knew like HSBC /etc but all of the bank ATM%26#39;s were fine. The best exchange rate I got for cash into euro%26#39;s was a stand right behind the Louve near Mcdonalds in Paris. The best exchange rate I got for Pounds was in leciester sq near the offical 1/2 price tkts theater booth.

Hope that helps

Scott

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FWIW...

tripadvisor.com/…7065791

Pjk

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If you want to check where the nearest ATM is Visa has this website to help you.

visa.via.infonow.net/locator/global

And Mastercard/Maestro/Cirrus has this

mastercard.com/us/…index.html

A word of warning. In the UK steer clear of ATMs in 24-hour grocery shops and the like. They may be private ATMs that make a charge for the transaction - probably only a pound or so but there%26#39;s no need to pay this if you use ATMs at banks. Supermarkets will sometimes have bank ATMs too. There%26#39;s sometimes a sign or notice on the screen which says whether there%26#39;s a charge for the withdrawal. Not sure if the same applies in France - I%26#39;ve never seen it.

A good idea is to travel with a couple of ATM cards for different accounts (preferably with money in each account!) so that if you lose one card you still have a backup. Carry them separately, of course.

And don%26#39;t bother to take travellers%26#39; cheques, (except possibly as a backup for emergencies). In shops, the French generally don%26#39;t know what they are. You can change them in banks that have exchange facilities but you can%26#39;t use them like cash as you can in the US. They will generally be refused (even denominated in euros) if you try to use them in a restaurant or shop. Use credit cards for these things and ATM cards to keep a moderate supply of cash topped up.

If you adopt this approach you won%26#39;t need to use the hotel safes for cash.

Incidentally, I don%26#39;t know about American banks but with British banks you get a better rate of exchange using credit cards (eg Visa) than you would get to change cash into euros, either at home or when you arrive.

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make sure your atm pin number is 4 digit. Other than 4 digits, your ATM won%26#39;t work. I stopped taking travelers cheques because it is so much more convenient to use the ATM (and cheaper) You can pick up money at ATMs in the airport if you need to.