Leave for Italy Friday, question about cash

We went with a group and there was a tour package that we purchased, so you will probably need more money than we brought, but this was our experience and how we handled it.

Get the Euros here from your bank. It could take a day or so for them to come in. It's easier than paying exorbitant fees in Italy for exchange and having to deal with it when you are tired from the flight.

My wife and I just got back from virtually the same trip. We spent 14 days in the areas you are going. We had a bus driver and a guide for almost the entire trip. Lodging was paid for ahead of time. Many of the daily tours were paid for ahead of time as well. A good portion of our meals were also included.

My wife and I brought $1200 worth of Euros, and came back with around $100 worth.

Some in our group needed to go to an ATM because they ran out of money, and they ended up paying more than necessary for the convenience. The banks were not always conveniently located either.

We had to tip our guides and drivers, spent about $300 total for that. We did charge some stuff to our credit cards, but made sure there were no fees for overseas transactions on them before we left the US.

The bigger cities will have pickpockets in crowded areas. Our guides were adept at pointing some of the known ones. Don't carry your wallet in your back pocket. Try to wear pants with zippered pockets if possible. I bought a money belt, and it worked out pretty well. None in our group were victimized, but it is a thing, so be aware of your surroundings.

Have fun. It's a beautiful country.

Just a guess but I'd expect that most of your cash will be spent on tips for drivers, tours, cooking classes, excursions, etc. Restaurants and hotels are all going to be on your credit card. Idk about the public transportation but maybe you need a few Euros for trains and busses. Just add up how much you're spending on excursions and take about 30% of that in cash for tips and misc

Eta: just remembered a lot of Europe doesn't really tip. Is this the case for Italy?

I always like to take a few bucks with me but the best way to get euros is to use your credit card at an ATM machine from a major bank in Europe. You can do this at the airport.

I've lived in Italy the last three years. You can easily get cash from an ATM. Make sure to decline the conversion the atm wants to do for you. It's a way of making money off of tourist. For example, you take out 300 euro, the atm asks to convert for you at a fee of 40 euro. Nope, decline, your bank will do it for 5 or 10 dollars. And you'll still get the euro even if you decline the conversion. Took me 4 months to figure out and probably 3 or 400 dollars ??

ATM in Italy. That’s going to give you best exchange rate.

Thanks everybody. Appreciate all the input. I'm completely useless at work this week already. Looking forward to this trip. It's our 25th anniversary trip and we're ready to see somewhere we've never been.

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. You can easily get cash from an ATM. Make sure to decline the conversion the atm wants to do for you.

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Also make sure you do this when using your credit card at restaurants. They make ask if you want to do it in Euros or Dollars. Do Euros!

We always order Euro from our bank. We can order online and the Euro is mailed to our house.

We use the Euro for taxis that don't take credit cards (this happens once in a while) and generally to pay for our lunches and a tip from time to time.

I like having some "just in case" cash on our trips.

Use Apple Pay for the credit card on your phone like everyone else, so you don't stand out so much

When using a CC, they will ask about the conversion rate, tell them to let your bank handle it.

I always get a 100 Euros from our bank before I leave