European currency

I'm going to Spain, France, and Italy next week and am worried about overpaying for my meals and anything from a vendor. I am a pretty good at working the prices down but I don't know how much is too much. I understand that it varies from place to place but I don't think I will be able to tell if I am getting a deal or overpaying for something tacky. Can anyone help? Also, is a better idea to exchange my American money to Euro before I leave or should I wait until I get there?

Don't exchange your money at a commercial bank. Go to an ATM when you get to Europe and use your DEBIT card (not credit) to pull out money in the form of Euros. The exchange rate is usually much better, because it's a European bank exchange rate you're getting. And although you might have ATM fees, many US banks have relationships with European banks and will waive those fees. When you pull out money, pull out large amounts, that way you have to do fewer exchanges.

As for prices, they do vary from place to place. But one person can eat dinner in a nice restaurant for as little as $25-30 if you do a little looking around. That's including an alcoholic beverage and something like soup with your meal. Unless you're trying for some really fine dining, I wouldn't pay more than $40 for one person.

Lunch is cheaper, especially in Italy and Spain. France is where you'll run into the more expensive meals. If you buy some food for a picnic from an Italian, French, or Spanish grocery store, you will save a LOT of money.

Have fun, Europe is great!

Go to a Barclays Bank here in the U.S. and exchange dollars for Euros. It is less costly to do it here. Barclays Banks are international and can exchange currencies for most countries.

Barclays charge 0% commission on foreign currency as well as offering competitive exchange rates. To order, visit any branch or phone us. ...
http://www.personal.barclays.co.uk/.../brccontrol?task=homefreegroup&value=10757&target=_blank&site=pfs - 8k - Cached - Similar pages