Sorry - stupid question but….
I will need to change a few hundred pounds sterling into euros. Can I change my UK pounds at any bank in france, or does it have to be at bureau de change ? And do I need to produce passport when asking to change currency ?
Is it cash or is it in your bank account?
Not a stupid question at all, because the one time I tried it, I found it to be incredibly difficult - we’d just emigrated and I’d driven our car back to the UK to sell it to a local garage, who paid me in cash. Wanted to hurry back to France and brought the money back with me. Then couldn’t find anywhere in my département to change it. Even the local airport at Rodez didn’t have a bureau de change. Eventually I posted the money to my brother in Brighton and he paid it into my Nationwide account.
I’m sure there’s easier solutions…
Bordeaux airport has exchange places. I’m not sure how late they stay open though.
Every Post Office used to be able to change foreign currency, and sell it, but these days you might have to go to a larger branch. If the amount you want to change is significant, you might have to make an appointment in advance, so go and ask beforehand. If you’re lucky they’ll be able to handle it without too much hassle. The rates in banks tend not to be brilliant.
If it’s in your bank account then you could use Lumon as recommended recently on this site.
Do you need to have actual euro notes/coins? Or what about getting a pre-paid card before you arrive? A lot of exchange places charge a hefty fee now so this is better and can use it everywhere.
I just have multi currencies on my wise card.
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/prepaid-travel-cards/
Mat - and others; the £££s are in my UK bank account but will be bringing £££s to france. Just that I will need this sum in cash to cover ‘contingencies’ - and wondered if I brought out £££s to france whether it would be easy to change into euros. Just a thought - called a bit of ‘forward planning’ - and wondered how easy it would be to do the change - might not need all of it changed but - just in case. Will be flying into Toulouse airport - presumably there’ll be a Bureau de Change at the airport ? (Must admit hadn’t thought of airport - just thought about changing ££s to euros when I arrive at french home and popping into local bank). Am in the UK at the moment - Waitrose has a Bureau du Change, and there’s a Bureau de Change on the local High Street !! Think the airport might be the best bet after all - thanks everyone.
Another vote for a Wise account and VISA card from me, unless you really want cash..
I suspect you will get a better rate of exchange in a French bank than at the airport. If you have a UK debit card then you could also draw cash from a hole in the wall in euros subject to the usual cash withdrawal limits per day.
Thanks AM - it’s the daily cash limit that might trip me up !!! But good idea - as a last resort.
There are a few debit cards out there that have nightmarish charges every time you use them overseas. With most debit cards, you pay a non-sterling transaction fee for spending, typically around 3% of the transaction, and a charge if you withdraw cash abroad.
But these cards have another sneaky charge: a spending fee of 50p-£1.50 each time you use your card. Check if you have one of the debit cards from hell.
Close to me then. I will change your GBPs for € at the exchange rate quoted by TorFX plus any expenses incurred.
I would be tempted to open a Revolut or Wise account then exchange the £ to €. You can then just use a cash machine.
It is months since I used any cash at all I now just use a card even for the smallest transactions.
Revolut works a treat for me.
I also used Currencies Direct to transfer the large sum to buy my French property & had a couple of thousand left in my account as the rate they gave for large sums was so good.
I’ve moved this into my Credit Agricole account with no fees.
Last time I called into my CA branch there was a notice on the door saying foreign exchange by appointment only and by some weeks too. The old days of just rocking up with handful of pound notes or travellers cheques has long gone, most use the Wise, Revolut etc cards now
Seems like a good idea to have one’s passport available when doing financial transactions. 
It’s generally an expensive way to do it. I used to use the post office in the UK. You could order online and collect a day or two later.
Sounds to me you are creating an unnecessary problem.
You say the £ are in your UK bank account so I fail to understand why you feel the need to draw cash and bring it to France, those days are long gone.
Do you have a debit card for your UK account, most do.
Simply use your debit card at a French atm and get your euros. Yes there will be a fee but nothing like a French bank will charge to take your pound notes and give you euros.
Indeed. It’s so simple nowadays to just draw oney out in another country using a card. If you go to a currency exchange, you will get the absolute worst exchange rate. The current post office rate is ¢4 lower than what the usual suspects are offering. An airport will be much worse. If it’s only a small amount of money then fine, but if its several hundred pounds or more then the charges mount up.