Euros?

[AnotherDawn]

I typically get euros in the airport when we land, so I have cash from the start. What's a good amount to start with, to minimise withdrawals for the week? I figure DH and I will have breakfast and most dinners on board, will eat lunch/coffee/snacks in port when we can. We're not big on souvenirs, but will spend some.

 

I have no idea what prices are like these days. How much is a typical coffee and pastry? Sandwich or quick lunch? Drinks like bottled water or beer? I understand we're expected to tip tour guides. For those of you who cruised recently, about how much did you spend?

[Host Jazzbeau]

We take the opposite approach: get 100-200 Euros at the start of the trip, then replenish as needed. We don't like to carry a lot of cash, or to bring home more than about 100 Euros at the end of the trip.

 

ATMs are everywhere. Even walking the Camino in Spain we never had trouble replenishing Euros as needed.

[kbella]

I think the price of drinks, lunch, etc will vary depending on the country. We found France to be more expensive than Portugal on our August trip.

[caviargal]

We generally withdraw the maximum allowed and make fewer trips to the ATM. Since we are generally in Europe 1-2x a year, having extra euro at the end of the trip is not a concern for us.

 

A nice sit down lunch will run us about 35E normally, but can be much less or more depending on your preferences. In Amsterdam in April, we had a sandwich made at a market that was 7E and added a bottle of water for another 1E. Another day we had a lovely dim sum lunch that ran about 28E.

 

We stop often for a coffee during the day and enjoy a local pub at the end of our day or after dinner.

 

We buy our water in a grocery store and it is quite inexpensive. I would estimate we spend about 50-75E per day, including whatever transport we use, if any. If we are going a day trip DIY, then we would also have the cost of train or bus tickets to add to that cost.

 

I agree that cost is very much dependent on country visited. We find The Netherlands, Belgium and France to be among the most expensive and Germany, Austria, Hungary and Czech Republic much less so. Italy falls in between.

Edited September 24, 2014 by caviargal

[ewizabeff]

On a 7-night cruise from Vienna to Nuremberg, we ony spent 190 Euros. We stopped at plenty of beer gardens, but we ate all but one lunch on the ship since it was so tasty and parked close to where we were.

 

We get our Euros from an ATM. Our credit union charges a 1% fee, and in my personal opinion we get the best exchange rate there. On this trip, surprisingly, the ATMs we used in Vienna and Prague didn't charge us a fee to withdraw.

[caviargal]

We only go back to the boat for lunch if we are sailing shortly thereafter. We maximize our time in port so probably spend more than most.

 

Our bar tab is about 150E for a week, and we also have costs for laundry.

[Hydrokitty]

On a 7-night cruise from Vienna to Nuremberg, we ony spent 190 Euros. We stopped at plenty of beer gardens, but we ate all but one lunch on the ship since it was so tasty and parked close to where we were.

 

We get our Euros from an ATM. Our credit union charges a 1% fee, and in my personal opinion we get the best exchange rate there. On this trip, surprisingly, the ATMs we used in Vienna and Prague didn't charge us a fee to withdraw.

 

We usually carry about 100E with us when we leave US. This way we don't have to worry about having money for tips, snacks, the unexpected.....then we use ATM's to replenish so we're not carrying too much cash. I try to put everything I can on my Cap. One card for several reasons: no foreign transaction fees, purchase is insured, and they will back me up if something I purchase isn't what it was supposed to be or arrives broken or damaged. Like Caviargal we're in Europe often enough that I always have about 100 E left over for the next trip, but if I didn't want them, I can always adjust my cash flow and use whatever's left for tips.

[nana541]

We actually get 200 - 250 Euros from our bank at home in order to not worry about locating an ATM after a long overseas flight. Arriving exhausted, looking to find an ATM on arrival is more than I want to do....

 

Generally finding a bathroom and baggage claim is about all I'm capable of :)

 

 

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[Hydrokitty]

We actually get 200 - 250 Euros from our bank at home in order to not worry about locating an ATM after a long overseas flight. Arriving exhausted, looking to find an ATM on arrival is more than I want to do....

 

Generally finding a bathroom and baggage claim is about all I'm capable of :)

 

 

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How very true!! :D

[cruisinskier]

We start out with about 500 Euros and replenish as required. Also be careful of those ATM's in airports, train stations, or other tourist destinations. Those are preferred areas for pickpockets to work, looking for fresh meat! We go out of our way to avoid those machines....

[CPT Trips]

We start out with about 500 Euros and replenish as required. Also be careful of those ATM's in airports, train stations, or other tourist destinations. Those are preferred areas for pickpockets to work, looking for fresh meat! We go out of our way to avoid those machines....

 

If you have a European flight connection, you can get your ATM transaction on the secure side of the airport.

[nana541]

We start out with about 500 Euros and replenish as required. Also be careful of those ATM's in airports, train stations, or other tourist destinations. Those are preferred areas for pickpockets to work, looking for fresh meat! We go out of our way to avoid those machines....

 

 

Absolutely agree with this. Travelers are tired, confused and overwhelmed in these locations due to many hours of travel and unfamiliar surroundings.

 

Get some Euros from your local bank before leaving home, yes you will pay a small fee but the convenience of not needing to worry about finding local currency while exhausted from a long overseas flight is well worth the $10 or $20 I paid extra for the $$.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Host Jazzbeau]

We start out with about 500 Euros and replenish as required. Also be careful of those ATM's in airports, train stations, or other tourist destinations. Those are preferred areas for pickpockets to work, looking for fresh meat! We go out of our way to avoid those machines....

 

I can't imagine going through 500 Euros on a river cruise! But if we did spend that much, we would charge it to our Barclay Arrival Plus card and get $13 back. Best conversion rate and no foreign exchange fee. Why leave money on the table?

[nana541]

We think 200 - 250 Euros is perfect....

 

 

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[H2Otstr]

I always have Euros in my safe because we travel to Europe so often. Just recently I lent my neighbor 100 Euros for their trip. All I asked was that they return the Euros at the end of their trip instead of buying them from me. Win-win situation.

[caviargal]

We almost always combine a river cruise with a DIY week in Europe so we do use 400-500E per trip.

 

We never exchange here in the states as it has never been an issue for us to find an ATM and we prefer not to leave money on the table.

 

We also keep Euro in our safe for our next trip.

 

I do understand that for some, the extra cost is worth it.

 

Good news about the euro now - the USD is the highest against the euro it has been in 4 years. We plan to get some extra in November and put it in the safe for next year.

[UKBayern]

We start out with about 500 Euros and replenish as required. Also be careful of those ATM's in airports, train stations, or other tourist destinations. Those are preferred areas for pickpockets to work, looking for fresh meat! We go out of our way to avoid those machines....

 

Agreed. We like to use ATMs inside banks. Less risk of getting pickpocketed, and in the unlucky (and unlikely) event that the machine eats your card, help is on site.