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How Much Should I Tip In Europe? Proper Gratuity Etiquette

Updated: 08/08/2021 by Financial Samurai 60 Comments

Tipping suggestions while vacationing in Europe

Figuring out how much to tip is one of the most awkward things to tackle because tipping is not mandatory. But if you live in America like I do, it’s part of our culture. Not tipping for service feels weird, so we tend to do it anyway even if it’s not a part of another country’s culture.

Although each country in Europe has a slightly different tipping culture, I’d like to provide a rough guideline of how much to tip any waiter or hotel staff while traveling in any country in Europe.

The tipping amounts have been researched through my own travel experiences and speaking with numerous travel industry veterans. And if you’re ever in doubt, you can always tip more!

Tipping Guide In Europe

Some of you might have an anti-tip mentality because you don’t feel people who provide you a service should get anything extra since they are already getting paid to do their job.

Perhaps you don’t like to tip because you’re trying to keep vacation costs low. One of the biggest problems with being frugal your whole life is that it may stunt your generosity to others. Whatever your reason for not liking to tip, I get it.

The way I overcame my parsimonious feelings regarding tipping was by working a close to minimum wage service job as an adult to become more mindful. Service jobs to keep people safe and happy require lots of hard work. Every time a passenger gave me a tip, no matter how small, I swelled with pride. I wanted to go above and beyond for them and the next passenger who entered my car. I was so thankful.

Wages for drivers, waiters, concierges, doormen, room cleaners, and bellhops tend to fall below the median wage of your city. As a result, cash tips can provide a significant 20%+ boost to a service person’s overall income. Remember this the next time you don’t feel like tipping.

I also believe many of us want to tip, but we just don’t know the appropriate amount and fear insulting our recipients. We rationalize that perhaps it’s best not to tip at all and claim ignorance than embarrass ourselves. Well not to worry. The following tipping information will help you tip with confidence the next time you’re traveling in Europe.

Gratuity Suggestions

Concierge: Depending on how much they do for you, 100 € per week or 50 € per weekend is a common amount at a five-star hotel. You can cut the amounts in half for lower star hotels. Although my French Open tickets cost 420 € each (!), they were coordinated by my concierge the day before because I was checking to make sure the weather was perfect.

420 € was a category 3 ticket price, but he found category 1 tickets with much better seating instead for the same price. Finding me 200+ € off for two tickets certainly deserved at least a 50 € tip in my opinion, especially since I stayed at the hotel for a week.

Housekeepers: Housekeepers do not get paid well, and they perform one of the toughest jobs at a hotel. 5 – 10 € per day of service is appropriate. Naturally, if you make heavier use of their services, you may wish to leave a little extra. 

Bell staff: Bell staff also don’t get paid well. The general guideline is 2 € per bag. But I always round up to 5€ for two bags or 10 € for four bags.

Waiters: Here’s a tricky one because gratuity of 12% – 15% is usually included in your restaurant bill. Double check to see. If it is, tipping is not necessary. However, if you find the service to be exceptional, you can always tip another 5% – 10% to provide a total tip of at least 20%. If you order your food at a counter in a pub, you don’t need to tip.

Taxis: Just round up to the nearest one € or ten € . For example, you can give 15 € for a 14.1 € trip or 50 €  for a 48 €  trip. I take Uber everywhere in Europe now because it’s so convenient and about 30% cheaper. You don’t have to fear getting ripped off because Uber tracks where you went. And if you were taken around in circles, simply complain to Uber via your app that you feel you’ve been cheated and Uber will issue you a refund.

Tour guides: Tour guides appreciate tips as well, especially those who spend the time walking around with you and really make you understand the historical significance of what you are seeing. Offering a 10 € tip should suffice. There is no baked in gratuity for tour guides.

When To Tip In Europe?

It’s good to tip as soon as a service is completed. This is especially true for the housekeepers and doormen who might work a different shift the next day. What if you leave a 30 € tip at the end of your three nights, but the housekeeper working that evening is different from the first two? You’ve got to then tell the housekeeper to split the gratuity. Awkward and potentially unreliable.

You can tip the concierge on the first day to incentivize them to take care of you if you are giving a particularly generous tip. But I suspect the concierge will be equally as incentivized to provide good service in anticipation for a tip at the end of your stay.

Leaving a tip in a small envelope or with a note is a particularly nice way to go.

Final Tipping Recommendation

When in doubt, ask someone about the tipping custom for a particular service. For the most part, a 10% tip is considered very generous in Europe. Remember, the people who appreciate your tips work hard and don’t make a lot of money. The more you can tip, the better. You might just get a better table or nicer room the next time around!

As I review this post, I realize this tipping guide is readily applicable for vacations in Asia and the United States as well. Something is always better than nothing. The staff will appreciate any gesture so don’t be embarrassed to tip!

Hope you guys now feel comfortable knowing how much to tip in Europe. Enjoy the travels once you are vaccinated and countries open up!

Related post: How To Travel For Free And Lower Your Taxable Income

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Filed Under: Travel

Author Bio: I started Financial Samurai in 2009 to help people achieve financial freedom sooner. Financial Samurai is now one of the largest independently run personal finance sites with about one million visitors a month.

I spent 13 years working at Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse. In 1999, I earned my BA from William & Mary and in 2006, I received my MBA from UC Berkeley.

In 2012, I left banking after negotiating a severance package worth over five years of living expenses. Today, I enjoy being a stay-at-home dad to two young children, playing tennis, and writing.

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Comments

  1. Lan says

    November 22, 2019 at 4:39 pm

    Recently, I tried to tip at Bhutan in Vilnius. The waiter told me I did not have to. He said the bank would take all the money, just saved the money for the next time. Later, I found out some of those countries, waiters/waitresses didn’t get the tip if I put it on CC. It was also true at some places in Italy even at place like Sheraton Diana Majestic, Milan. At the Holiday Inn in Prague, all the tips I put on the bills at the restaurant on site were canceled out when I received my CC bill. I did give the waiters there some hard currencies when I had them, but I still felt sorry for them.

    Reply
  2. Martin says

    September 22, 2019 at 10:11 am

    I’m from Europe Netherlands. Every body gets a good living wage. We all earn enough to buy or rent a house and go on holidays. The American system with only paying $2.50 for waiters is wrong.

    You don’t need to tip in the Netherlands.

    Reply
  3. Nan says

    June 4, 2016 at 9:47 pm

    Before I travel, I always go to the bank and get a stack of two dollar US bills for when I travel domestic and internationally.

    Reply
  4. Untemplater says

    June 3, 2016 at 7:43 am

    Tipping is so confusing. I always forget to research and then frantically dig out my travel book to see what it says for tipping suggestions when I’m ready to pay for a meal overseas. It always feels a little weird not leaving a tip in a country that doesn’t have a tipping culture, so I just remind myself that when it’s already baked in.

    Reply
  5. Stockbeard says

    June 1, 2016 at 6:53 pm

    Try tipping in Japan, you’re in for an awkward experience. I’ve had waiters chase me in the street to give me my money back. I don’t think your guide applies to all of Asia ;)

    Reply
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