finally set: tickets...check, hotel reservations...check, visa...check (may i just say that the french embassy was the least intimidating i%26#39;ve been to, and the most helpful...rude french, what?)
so, just a quick question about about buying tickets for the metro upon arrival...do i need to have cash to buy it? i doubt my credit cards have the UK/EU chip, so if I go up to the booth, will they accept my card, or will I have to have cash on me?
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Let%26#39;s just say that a clerk is not going to be amused, even if technically they do accept cards. I assume from what you%26#39;re saying that you plan to take the RER from the airport into Paris? You might want to get just a few euros to get you through that first couple of hours before you hit an ATM - any local bank with an international department should have them on hand (e.g., the big Wells Fargo at Montgomery and Post) and even though they will charge you, it%26#39;s quite possible to get 50 or so before you leave. After that, just take cash from local ATMs (be sure you tell you own bank you are going, so you don%26#39;t have transactions refused as possibly fraudulent - same with credit cards you might want to use there).
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I highly agree with Berkeley, use the local ATMS for cash. The exchange rate will be the best. I stupidly changed money at the airport and got a bad rate. As far as metro tickets, the easy thing for us to do was buy a %26quot;carnat%26quot;, a pack of ten from the station attendant with euros. We tried using a credit card for the RER tickets, yet the screens were confusing and I almost put my fist through the machine! Contrary to urban legend, the people working at the train stations were very friendly and guided us through the whole process. Just MAKE SURE to try and speak french to them first for help. We heard people blurting out english first expecting help and they got poor service.
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Get some euros from AAA before you leave home.
When you get back home, book a dinner at the Jeanne d%26#39;Arc in the Cornell Hotel de France.
www.cornellhotel.com
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Berkeley_travelers:: do I have to go to my own bank in order to get money? I don%26#39;t bank with Wells Fargo...
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You probably will get a slight break on the rate if you can get it through your own bank - if it%26#39;s one of the big ones and they have an international department, they should be able to do it. Even one where you don%26#39;t bank can do it, they just will charge you more. (I would suggest trying on line or by phone first, instead of running all over the city, LOL!) I mentioned Wells Fargo only because I used to go there when I had an account with them - I know BofA also does this.
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A Metro ticket agent will accept a US credit card for the purchase of tickets, Carnets or transportation passes. I%26#39;m not sure you%26#39;d notice if a Metro ticket agent was grumpy or not because you used a US credit card...as they tend to be grumpy under most circumstances.
As for getting a supply of €uro %26#39;..arrival / convenience..%26#39; cash prior to arrival--100 €uro or so for airport transfer fares, sundries, etc...until you locate an ATM convenient to your hotel--unless you bank with a large commercial bank...odds are they%26#39;ll simply order €uors for you through one of the large foreign exchange bureaus...and pass on the same charges and fees that they might charge...plus a fee of their own. For an amount this small,it%26#39;s probably more convenient and no more costly to simply purchase your €uros at your US departure airport Bureau de Change
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Hi --
I always get some euros from an ATM at the airport. CDG for all its sins must still have an ATM somewhere. I%26#39;m sure they didn%26#39;t take it out just because I%26#39;m not willing to go there any more under any circumstances.
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We used a credit card at the booth for our metro tickets. We were buying carte orange for 4 people and carnets for my kids. It adds up, so we used a card pas de problem!
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I agree with KDK%26#39;s post, American VISA and MASTERCARD are accepted at all RATP and SNCF ticket offices. Theoretically so are AMEX cards but they are the most problematic in our experience. We%26#39;ve never had any problems, not one, in 20 years of using our American VISA card for transportation in Paris or France. Ticket machines are the exception. You will need a European %26quot;smart card%26quot; with a chip to use them.
BTW, we went through the San Francisco consulate for our Carte de Sejour visa to live in France and they were really great. Friendly, funny, forgiving, and considerate. They went out of their way to cut through the French government red tape for us.
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following this thread for our upcoming trip to paris. we will taking the eurostar from london. is there an atm at gare nord or will we have to purchase euros before leaving the states. normally we hit the first atm at the airport without problem but will be switching from dollars to pounds to euros. thanks.
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