Currency

Polska

My first Taucks tour and I'm going on the Romantic Germany trip. For those who have been on this tour, what is the currency most commonly used? When traveling to the Holy Land I could use USD and credit cards. If I need to get EUR, is it best to do this before I leave or withdraw cash as needed from ATMs in Germany? Thanks for all your help. Germany has been #1 on my bucket list and looking forward to it!

smarks50

This question has been posed before and you will find mixed opinions about this. I always take Euros with me as I don't want to find myself someplace without local currency; this can be ordered by most US banks. It is true that you may pay a bit more getting the money in the US instead of using an ATM in Germany but I have heard horror stories of cards not working, people not finding an ATM that works, etc. I would rather spend a bit more (the amount depends on how much cash you are comfortable carrying) and know that when I arrive I am ready to go. For a ten day trip or so, I usually carry about $1,000 worth of Euros for pocket money and I find that this costs me about $20 - $30 more in conversion fees by buying this in the US. Given the cost of the trip and the time and angst I save in Europe not searching for an ATM machine, I don't find this excessive. There are people who don't want to carry the cash and would prefer to search out machines every few days; you have to decide for yourself.

Kathy0529

Check AAA because if you are a member and order a certain amount of money, then I believe there is no fee. You may have to buy them in either cash or check, but if you ask them they'll give you the info!

Enjoy your trip!

joycesw

We did this trip in 2013, our 13th Tauck trip! This trip was my husband's pick, so I was a bit skeptical about how much I would enjoy it! It turns out that I loved it! I loved the food, sights, history and some of the best beer I have ever had!! While I loved the history at the beginning of the trip, when we crossed into the former Eastern Germany, I had the realization that all of this was very recent (in historical terms), and well within my lifetime. Some of the most memorable events were listening to those speakers from the former Eastern sector, explaining what life was like. One speaker, explained that they, as children, would go to a store and ask for chocolate. when it was brought out, they would smell it, and then run off as they didn't have the money to buy it. And, he ended each of his vignettes with, "But, we were happy." We even saw Tom Brokaw at the Berlin Wall, filming a 25th anniversary tribute to the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Oh, wait!!! You asked about currency, and I got off on a tangent! The Euro is the currency used, and I don't think anyone accepted US dollars. Credit cards are accepted everywhere, although, someone in our group ran into a "chip card" problem in one of the smaller towns (it was needed and she didn't have it).
We never get currency ahead of time since we hate to spend the extra fees for cash advances. Somehow, there are always ATM's around. They are very plentiful in Germany. You could even use one prior to exiting the airport. We didn't use one there, but there was one within walking distance of the Frankfort Hotel.

crackers54

In Scotland the cab that picked us up stopped at atm so we could get local currency. I travel with a capital one 360 debit card for cash and have never had an issue. Years ago I had a problem with atm from my credit union in Amsterdam, but worked fine in Germany.

British

Smacks, what on earth do you need $1000 on a Tauck tour, they are virtually all-inclusive

AlanS

We always get local currency at an ATM once we arrive and almost always right in the baggage claim area (Munich, Edinburgh, Naples, etc.) We pick up our bags, get money and look for the driver holding a TAUCK sign with our name on it. The whole process only takes a few minutes.

[Deleted User]

We always use ATMs, but always have Euros left over from our previous trips (usually 100-200) so we can hit the ground running. Of course this constitutes a sort of bet on currency exchange rates (we've lost some, gained some over the years). It also gives us the mentality of "our next trip to Europe." I've told Ms. Portolan to shoot me if I ever say "this is our last trip."

PF606590

We also get a small amount of currency (typically $100 equivalent) at an ATM when we land at the airport. One doesn't need a lot of foreign currency with Tauck, as they take care of most things. We use foreign currency for the time on our own for things like coffee and small things.

U$ are accepted almost everywhere, but you may pay poor exchange rates. If yo use US$, have clean, un-ceased money as my small stores won't take "dirty" money. By the way, most US banks don't have crisp dollars on hand (except at Christmas time). so ask a friendly teller to save some for you.

In some countries, it is hard to find an ATM that uses English.

Good luck

British

Sorry, most European countries do not accept dollars in stores.

Quints06

I have been to Germany several times. It is best to get euros before leaving the U.S. Some small restaurants, etc. do not accept credit cards. I have never had problems getting euros at atm's in Germany and at most German banks you can get euros. The romantic road is a real treat. One of the prettiest places I have been.

British

We have only ever taken money out of ATM's twice on Tauck tours, once in India and once in Italy. We sometimes take a smallish amount of local currency with us, but sometimes none depending on where we are going. Occasionally, if we know there will be an opportunity to buy a special souvenir because we have researched a particular location and suspect only cash is likely to be accepted, we take more. We just find there is rarely time to find an ATM on the tours because the itineraries are so busy. Sometimes there are no stores to buy anything and sometimes every meal is included. To have to deliberately find time to get to an ATM is a waste of site seeing time in our opinion. We do take enough money for our Tour guide tip and keep it separate with envelope and notepaper.