Travelers' Helpline: May 2005
All together, the community of Rick Steves' travelers has a wealth of European travel experience. This is your chance to help or be helped. If you've got a question about traveling in Europe, we think there's another traveler out there with an answer...
These posted responses are from the traveling public and are not supplied by Europe Through the Back Door staff members unless specifically noted.
CDG-Paris Best Shuttle???
Any insight as to which is the best shuttle from CDG into Paris, and what do you get for 18-19 Euros? Tipping?
JAUD <email>
USA Wed 06/01/2005
Foreign ATMs
One further word on getting cash in Europe- - I'm not doing a commercial for American Express, but we got one of their cards because you can go to their offices to get cash advances. (We also were told by our bank that we could get cash on our card by going into a bank, and it just isn't true.) Also, they have cashed personal checks, written in dollars, at their going rate for the local currency. Of course, you need to be where they have an office, and you need to have a blank check with you to take advantage of that service.
EH
USA Wed 06/01/2005
ATM Problems
In response to Norm from Canada's response to my ATM network intergration post:I was just using the Visa check card as a simple example. I know there are more then two ATM networks. I have three ATM cards-all are affiliated with different networks, all are attached to checking accounts, and all have four digit pins. I can use all three of them without any hassle at any ATM in the US. But when I go to Europe (or Canada) no single ATM will accept all three of them. Each ATM overseas only affiliate's with a small handful of networks. This is usually no big neal when you are in a big city like London or Paris, just using a competing ATM across the street usually solves the problem. But when you are in a small town with only one or two banks that don't belong to your ATM network you could be out of luck!
Michael Schneider <email>
ny USA Wed 06/01/2005
ATM Problems in Italy
Just a few more things regarding our problem with ATMs in Italy. Next time not only will we travel with 2 different Visa credit cards but 2 different ATM cards. And we will probably charge all accomodations. I don't know if the savings on hotel rooms by paying in cash is worth it. And whatever you do NOTIFY your bank you will be out of the country & the dates. Some of the other travel forums such as Tripadvisor & Fodors has some travelers problems with ATM cards being "eaten" by the machines or being rigged somehow where funds were withdrawn & the person was back at home with card in hand. Interesting but scary!
Stephanie Norris <email>
Al USA Wed 06/01/2005
ATM's Abroad
Actually, ATMs in Canada, the U-S and Europe are well integrated, if you are using them for cash withdrawals from your chequing account. As long as your ATM card issuer belongs to one of the big ATM networks (such as Cirrus, Interac, Star, Plus) you should be OK in withdrawing cash. Most banks abroad (and certainly those in Canada) belong to both the Cirrus and Plus networks, at a minimum. In many countries, however, there can only be four digits in the PIN number, and access to accounts other than chequing is not possible. Your bank ATM card should have the logos of these various networks on them, and your bank can explain which ones they belong to. Visa "check cards" don't exist outside the U-S, as separate from "debit cards," so maybe a problem arises from that issue, only allowing ATM access at Visa-subscribing banks. You may want to check with Visa in the U-S to find out more.
Norm <email>
Ottawa, Canada Wed 06/01/2005
ATM Problems in Italy
Allen - all 3 banks said they just do not give cash advances on Visas. We did not question why. Maybe we should have but I really don't think it would have mattered.
Stephanie Norris <email>
Al USA Wed 06/01/2005
Eurail passes
Many of us here have benefited from rail passes, but there are some things to consider.
Get familiar with some of the national rail websites (bahn.de for Germany, sncf.fr for France, Trenitalia.com for Italy). Find out the normal fare for your legs of travel and compare it to the per day cost of a rail pass. Often you are better off with point to point tickets than using a day of your pass.
Check out the individual country passes. If you are staying in smaller area, they often cost less and they are for 2nd class, which costs less.
In particular, learn about the special fares, like Freedom to travel on Trenitalia, which lets you ride an IC for 15E. Also the Laender tickets on German Rail that let up to five people travel all day on regional trains for 24E or less.
Most importantly, if you intend to ride night trains, make sure you can get a reservation on the specific trains you want to use. Rail Europe is a good resource, but they don?t book reservations on all night trains. Too many people have bought rail passes only to find they can?t get reservations on the night train they wanted.
JAL
USA Wed 06/01/2005
ATM Problems
ATM networks in Europe (and even Canada) aren't as integrated as in the US. In the US we can just walk up to any ATM and 99.9% of the time your card will work. But across the ocean most ATMs are affiliated with either Mastercard or Visa, but rarely both networks. Even in London, my Visa check card only works in 50 percent of the ATMs. Sometimes I can spend an hour finding the right ATM machine. Always carry about $300 in emgergency cash (stored in your moneybelt of course). If you have to use that emergency cash, replenish it at the earliest oppourtunity
Michael Schneider <email>
ny USA Wed 06/01/2005
ATM Italy problems
Allen...don't we wish we could get a discount on a Visa cash advance! But EH raises a good point that my wife and I follow religiously. We split our spending money into our separate ATM accounts, for two reasons. One, in case one card doesn't work...two, in case one card is lost or stolen. We each leave a blank signed cheque at home, made out to the other's account. If one ATM card goes missing, we have our son or daughter fill in the amount on the right check, and deposit it into the account for which we still have a working ATM card. It's a great safety precaution, and sure came in handy last month when I had my pocket picked on the Paris subway!
Norm <email>
Ottawa, Canada Wed 06/01/2005
ATM Italy Problems
OOPS! I meant cash ADVANCE (not discount)
Allen
Lafayette, LA USA Wed 06/01/2005
Alps in October
Yes, The alps can be hiked in October, 90 percent of the trails will be open.Only the trails at the very top of the high peaks will be snowed in.Keep in mind, that since October is the shoulder season, many inns,pensions and restaurants in the smaller villages will be closed until the skiing season begins. You may have to base yourself in larger towns.
Michael Schneider <email>
ny USA Wed 06/01/2005
ATM Italy problems
Stephanie, could you elaborate on the reasons the banks gave for not giving a cash discount on your credit cards?This is supposed to be one of the benefits of credit cards, that is, presenting your card to the teller and getting cash when the ATMs are uncooperative/non-functioning/just-plain-ornery.
Allen
Lafayette, LA USA Wed 06/01/2005
Foreign ATMs
This is a reply to the Italian ATM questions. We've not had a problem recently in Italy, but had one in Spain a couple of years ago. My card, which had worked in Portugal a couple of days earlier, just wouldn't ever work in Spain. Three calls to the bank all gave the same answer: " we don't see any reason your card shouldn't work." Fortunately, we were with friends who gave us cash for meals and hotels that we put on credit cards. We've also had occasional problems in the Netherlands and France. The lesson we've learned is to have more than one ATM-linked account and more than one credit card. We also carry $100 in cash, which can always be changed in an emergency, albeit at ruinous rates, for some local currency.
EH
USA Wed 06/01/2005
Rental across the channel...revisited!
Well duh... looks like the eurostar site mentions the crossong as a car train. so ta-da easy answer.
Iain, you bring up a good point, and one that i was thinking of earlier and then promptly forgot (along with a myriad of other things i'll "remember i forgot" later!) i do know too well the woes of trying to park a car anywhere near New York City, totally a hassle. I think that your sage advice was exactly what i needed, thx
Tim Goodvin <email>
temecula, ca USA Wed 06/01/2005
Rental Across the Channel
Tim - Bad idea. British drive on the left, Europeans drive on the right. When you take your British car across the channel the driver will be on the wrong side of the car. Driving is Europe is different enough without adding an uneccessary hazard.
If you must have a car in Britain, rent it for there and rent another when you get across the channel.
If you are only going to London, you do not need a car - I know that is difficult for us North Americans to understand, but it is a liability in large European cities where parking is limited and expensive. These cities are OLD, pre-automobile and were never intended for cars.
If you must do what you suggest,there are various ferries from various ports taking you to the continent. It depends where you are leaving from and going to.
Iain Hunter <email>
Edmonton, AB Canada Wed 06/01/2005
Rental across the channel...
OK. dumb question, but i am probably not looking in the right place for the answer. I am renting a car in london for my entire eurotrip. question is, i know there are restrictions by many about eastern europe, but how do i even get acroos the channel with the car? Is the chunnel only for the trains, do i have to ferry across? I'm at a loss, but there is probably an obvious answer.
Tim Goodvin <email>
temecula, ca USA Wed 06/01/2005
ATM Problems in Italy
Long story, bear with me. My husband & I had no problems with ATM withdrawals in Rome & Florence but we could not withdraw more than 250 euros each time even though our daily limit from our bank was $600 US dollars. We were withdrawing alot because of the small discount received by paying cash from Rick Steves recommendations on accomadations. When we arrived in Venice we couldn't withdraw any funds. After visiting 3 banks a very kind teller explained that Italian bank laws will not allow more than 250 euro withdrawals daily & no more than 1500 euros for the entire month no matter what your daily limit is from your home bank. Also, none of the 3 banks would give us a cash advance on our Visa accts. but we finally found a reasonable cash company that only charged 5 euros for a Visa cash advance. But you were limited to a 207 euro withdrawal on each different Visa account. This gave us enough money to finish up our trip in Italy before heading into Switzerland. I have posted this problem on several other forums & received many responses such as: no problem with ATM withdrawals, similiar problems as yours & the bank teller lied. Well, I truly don't think the teller lied but he may not have correctly known Italian bank law but what were we to do at that point. Anyway we got it all worked out but I'm convinced just because travelers haven't had this problem before doesn't mean it won't happen. I'm sure it was just an unfortunate fluke for us but I assure you it's no fun being in a foreign country & having money issues. You live & learn & next time we will be better prepared. I will add that during our 5 day stay in Switzerland we had no problems with any ATM machine withdrawing our daily limit.
Stephanie Norris <email>
Al USA Wed 06/01/2005
ATM Problems in Italy
We'd sure love to see a few more details on the problems you encountered with ATMs in Italy....surely there must be a way for you to post a summary that would allow us to decide whether the situation might apply to us. I just returned from Italy a couple of weeks ago and found no problems
Norm <email>
Ottawa, Canada Wed 06/01/2005
VISA - Increased foreign excharge surcharge.
Visa has passed on to its account holders a 1% foreign exchange surcharge for some time. The issuing banks are now free to increase this charge. Effective May 25, my bank, MBNA went to a total of 3%. On a single Hertz rental in Greece that added $27. I understand that there are some smaller, local banks that are NOT increasing the surcharge beyond the previous 1%. Be aware of this change and if anyone knows of an issuing bank that is keeping to the old rates, please share the info with us all. Thanks.
George
Philadelphia, PA USA Wed 06/01/2005
Packing light
Karla - In your situation I would check the bag, but still pack light. Packing light will ensure that you will have room for purchases made in Italy. I do recommend packing an extra set of underclothes and all cosmetics/toiletries/medicines in a small carry-on that you can use as a day pack.
USA Wed 06/01/2005
Help with Packing Light
Hello,My fiance and I will be honeymooning in Italy in mid-June. My question has to do with packing. I am following the packing light rule but I was planning on bringing a good quality rolling suitcase that I would need to check. We will be staying in upscale hotels and not in a position where we will need to move around much with our luggage. Given this, would it still be better to pack just the one carry on?
Karla <email>
CT USA Wed 06/01/2005
Italy B&Bs for Nyka
Nyka - there are many options for Italy B&Bs on the graffiti wall in the Heroic B&B Friendliness section as well as in Rick's Italy books. My personal recommendation for Rome is Patty's Rooms. Check out their website at www.pattysrooms.com for more info. We LOVED it and would recommend it to anyone! Good luck and happy travels!
Renee
Loveland, CO USA Wed 06/01/2005
RE: B&B in Rome, Venice and Florence
Nyka-you might want to try www.cross-pollinate.com where you can reserve online and can offer you, in some cases, small apartments for a really good deal. We stayed at a studio apartment outside Vatican City and it was wonderful. Within a 5-10 minute walk to the Vatican and right around the corner for the grocery store. The name of the place was Appartamento San Pietro and the owner, Silvia was the best. The service also covers Florence and Venice. Good Luck.
Jeri <email>
USA Wed 06/01/2005
Great Paris Hotel
I'm not sure if this is the best forum to post this, but I would like to give Hotel Relais Bosquet an outstanding recommendation for those traveling to Paris. It's listed in RS Paris book. We booked a twin and paid extra for the bigger room at 170 euros/night (we stayed for a week and wanted a comfortable space to crash). We didn't buy their breakfast, but they give you free coffee/tea service and there's an excellent pastry shop next door. There is also a Monoprix (small grocery) a couple of doors down, and Rue Cler is 2 short blocks away. The staff was wonderful, the location was wonderful, and the hotel was clean and very well appointed. I will go there again if I am lucky enough to return to Paris. The hotel also has great reviews on Trip Advisor. It's not "cheap", but it was well worth it, as our more expensive hotel in London was not nearly as nice!
Seattle, WA USA Wed 06/01/2005
RE: ATM problems in Italy
My family just got back a few weeks ago after spending two weeks in Italy and had no problems using any of the ATMs (and we used a lot of them!).
Jeri <email>
USA Wed 06/01/2005
Stephanie - RE: ATM problems in Italy
Stephanie, I was also unable to access your e-mail but I am very interested in whatever ATM problems you encountered in Italy. I will be there in the later part of June with my family and would appreciate and information that might be helpful. Thanks, Phil
Phil <email>
Huntington Beach, Ca USA Wed 06/01/2005
eurail passes
Sylvia, I second Karen's advice! The friendly RS staff has saved me money every year by suggesting I not buy a pass, based on my travel plans. They'll help you figure out what the best option is for you. And don't worry -- with or without a pass, train travel in Europe is great, even if you've never done it before :)
Kristin <email>
Bellevue, WA USA Wed 06/01/2005
B&B
Hello,
Nyka
Roselle, NJ USA Wed 06/01/2005
ATM Problems in Italy
Stephanie--My provider won't let me access your email. Please email me with ATM problems you experienced, as soon as possible! 8 of us girls are leaving this Sunday for Rome. Thanks!
Darcy <email>
Lewiston, ID USA Wed 06/01/2005
ATM Problems in Italy
FYI to all you travelers out there just to let you know of major ATM withdrawal problems in Italy 3 weeks ago that happened to my husband & I & could happen to you. Without going into detail on this forum if you have any questions just email me. I'll be glad to share our experience.
Stephanie Norris <email>
USA Wed 06/01/2005
Re: Asian travel
Anybody looking for a "Rick double" for Asian travel should watch the Lonely Planet/Globe Trekker series. They are on PBS or the Travel Channel. Sometimes the videos/DVDs are available in your library. Their style of travel is a little more rugged than Rick's, and Ian Wright is goofier than Rick (he used to work as a clown & speaks in Cockney)-- but I find the shows entertaining as well as informative.
Karen
MN USA Wed 06/01/2005
EurailPasses
Sylvia used a Eurailpass last summer in Europe & a Eurail Selectpass Saver just 3 weeks ago in Italy & Switzerland. Easy to use. You just have to do a little more research to determine what if any you need. Personally I love the train travel in Europe & encourage travelers to use it.
Stephanie Norris <email>
Al USA Wed 06/01/2005
Eurailpasses
Regarding Eurail passes, I would suggest looking at the Rick Steves website. He has pages of information. After reading that, you can contact his office with whatever questions you have and they will help you. I love taking trains in Europe, but a Eurail pass may or may not be what you need.
Karen
MN USA Wed 06/01/2005
Cover charge in Italian restaurants?
Hello all! My husband and I are in Italy now, and we're noticing that there is a "cover charge" on many restaurant bills. For example, the cover charge from lunch today was 2 euros per person (at the Osteria la Congrega in Florence, recommended by Rick Steves). It seems to be different from the service charge, but I don't remember this from past trips to Italy. So my question is, when there is a cover charge, should we leave a additional tip, since it's different from the service charge?
Jeannie Y. <email>
San Jose, CA USA Wed 06/01/2005
Eurail Passes
I am planning a trip this summer and am wondering if anyone here has purchased any of the Eurail Passes (Flexipass etc). I am not familar with trains at all and considering buying a pass. However, I find them to be quite confusing! Do the passes just cover long distances, or do they also cover smaller inner city distances? Do I just show them my pass and that's it? If anyone here has bought a pass please let me know your opinion of them. I would really appreciate any help in this area.
Sylvia
Orlando, FL USA Wed 06/01/2005