For those interested in a centrally located place for money exchange, I%26#39;d recommend a place I found on Champs-Élysées (which is the LAST place I%26#39;d expect to find a place with good rates). The name of the place is Nova Cambios (Change du Lundi au Samedi). The address is 34, Champs-Élysées. It%26#39;s located between the Gap store and Cafe Madrigal).
Champs-Élysées is mostly filled with flashy money exchange places with horrible rates. So I was surprised to see a board with a great rate. Yesterday they gave 0.69 euros for every $1 USA. So they were giving $69 Euros for every $100 US dollars you exchanged. It didn%26#39;t matter how much you were exchanging. That was just slightly below the official exchange of the day.
There was a little shopping center which was totally dead. I didn%26#39;t see even one person in the building. I went to the office and there was a guy working behind a glass counter (like all the money exchange places). I confirmed with him that the rates were NET and confirmed I%26#39;d get 69 Euros for every $100 US dollars. Sure enough he said yes. I exchanged $1,000 dollars. Quick and easy. No fuss and easy.
Most of the posts on the Trip Advisor board mentioned other places in the Opera District. In fact, today I exchanged money at Comptoir Change Opera located at 9, rue Scribe 75009 and the rate they were giving was less at 68 euros for every $100 US dollars. I exchanged $1,000 at Comptoir as well and no fuss, no problems and quick and easy with no lines.
These days most people probably just use ATM machines to take out money but many banks sometimes charge high fees to take out money both on the customer side as well as the ATM dispensing money. I live in South America where they don%26#39;t like exchanging $20 bills, especially older bills or bills that are ripped or torn or have writing on them. So I just used these bills that I had. No problems here at all changing.
I%26#39;d highly recommend Nova Cambios. The guy gave me a business card and on the card it says they have another location at 10, rue du Colisee (between the Disney store and la Poste).
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Unless you need more than your limit, you would still be better off using an ATM.
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Yep. I mostly use ATM and credit cards (although here in Paris LOTS of places don%26#39;t take American Express).... but people will ALWAYS have a need to carry cash around and exchange cash. It will probably be like that forever. Just look at the lines at many of these exchange places. My point was just to walk a few blocks down and use this one where the rate was so much better than the large flashy in your face places with really horrible exchange rates.
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Actually, another good place on the Champs Elysées is the %26quot;Change du Claridge%26quot; at the back end of the Galerie du Claridge. People who need to exchange money should avoid like poison anything directly facing the street. And don%26#39;t even think about those places at the airports or the train stations!
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kerouac2,
Thanks. I%26#39;ll check your place out this week. I have some more money to exchange before I hit the French Riviera. Thanks for the tip.
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I recommend one of these locations. Each time I have checked into their prices (ignore the %26quot;no fees%26quot; hype), I have calculated their take somewhere around 3% which is no more, even less than most people pay to use their credit cards:
http://www.bureaudechange.fr/
http://www.ccopera.com/
http://www.fcochange.com/
The CC Opera office is next to the Roissybus drop off point and near American Express. Anyone interested should first take a look at the exchange rates offered by AE then go to CC Opera.
Next time I%26#39;m near Nova Cambios or Change du Claridge I%26#39;ll certainly take a look.
Many people need large euro amounts to pay for apartments or gites.
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If anybody wants to BUY dollars in Paris, the best places are the ones that give the absolutely worst rates for SELLING dollars.
They have already made so much profit that they don%26#39;t worry much about an additional profit.
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