A couple of points.

make sure your pin is only 4 digits for use in Europe, and remember it by number not by letter.

if you use exchange services, you lose 10% or so on the exchange, and then risk getting too little or too much cash changed. You'll probably err on the high side so you don't have to make a second trip, and then will end up with extra foreing currency you have to convert back and lose another 10%

Credit cards charge an outrageous cash advance fee if you use them as an ATM card.

For purchases, credit cards charge 1% FX fee plus another 1-3% depending on the issuing bank. This fee is hidden in the exchange rate harge when the currencies are converted. So if you use ATM's, you'll save 1-3%.

The best route is to use ATM's as much as possible and credit cards for large purchases. Don't want to carry too much cash and be a crime victim.

If you absolutely refuse to have an ATM card, look into travelers checks. AAA issues them for free I think. You'll save on the conversion cost if they are issued in the local currency. I would expect the fees for these and the applicable exchange rate would be better than exchanging cash at the airport, plus they probably could be cashed in more places than would exchange foreign currency and are probably safer to carry.