Guess we should jump in here. We have a little experience having spent a lot of time on more then 15 European cruises plus many months of travel just driving around Europe. In fact, we just returned from 48 days of crusing in Europe. ATMs are the way to go and, even with the typical 1% interbank charge (it is calculated in the final exchange rate) plus some possible small fees you will find that ATMs still give you the best rate of exchange. We also recommend using credit cards with CapitalOne being the most desired since they charge no fees whereas most credit cards charge between 2 and 3% (still better then exchanging cash). By the way, travelers checks are obsolete and almost useless except on a cruise since they can be cashed on-board....but you still need to exchange the dollars to Euros. As to using dollars, they are not accepted in most places and must be exchanged for Euros (or the appropriate currency). You should notify both your ATM issueing bank and your credit card companies of your itinerary (do this about a week before your trip). You also should have a 4 digit PIN for your ATM/Debit card and no that PIN in numbers (no letters on most European ATMs. It is also a good idea to get a PIN number for your credit card(s) since that is now a commmon practice in Europe. Credit card companies will give you a PIN upon request.
Hank
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