[bonrich]

My wife and I are planning a trip/cruise to Italy in the fall. I purchased a "tip pack" of Euros from AAA. But to my concern they contain large denominations with a couple of 1 and 2 Euro coins. Where can I exchange some of my larger bills for smaller denominations? I asked Citizens and they don't have them in inventory and would have to order from NYC with a $15 fee. Any suggestions out there?
Thanks for now.
Dick B,

[PennBF]

You may want to hold the larger bills and use them to get change when you purchas something. When you return you will most likely not be able to exchange the coins as they are not accepted. It is important to have bills to exchange back to dollars and a minimum of coins.

[D&Lsunfun]

we just returned from a Viking River Cruise to Europe, visiting 6 countries and using 3 different types of currency. what we did was open a debit account at citizens bank with an amount of money to use on the trip. when we arrived in the country located a atm box in front of a bank and withdrew the amount we may need for the day. the service charges were small, from .70 cents to $1.25 per transaction. we had the correct currency and obtain smaller amounts, so we didn't have too much foreign currency to exchange or spend away. when we received larger bills, we just bought items to receive change, it worked for us.

[bdabob]

There will be a currency exchange kiosk in the airport/train arrivals area which can break the larger bills for you.

[mickey100]

If you get a Schwab debit card, you can use the money machines in Europe to withdraw money, and all fees are reimbursed for your account. In other words you pay no transaction fees.

[dplars]

You didn't mention the size of the larger bills, 500 and up you may have problems cashing at local merchants but smaller should be no problem. Have fun.

[bonrich]

Thank you for the responses. Just thought I would need some smaller amounts for tipping at the airport and hotel since what I have in our "tip tick" is 5's, 10's and 20's. But if I can break them down at the airport, that would work.