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, tipping is 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.
Support our service people
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
Tipping the 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.
Tipping 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.
Tipping 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.
Tipping 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.
Tipping taxis drivers and Uber/Lyft drivers:
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.
Tipping 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.
If you want a tipping guide for America, I wrote one as well. Most readers on Financial Samurai are from America and there's been tremendous tipflation.
Final Gratuity 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.
Related post: How To Travel For Free And Lower Your Taxable Income
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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 ;)
I hate tipping. It’s a ridiculous societal norm and, now that is in fact a societal norm, it has defeated its purpose. If I go out, the server knows the tip is implicitly included and has no incentive to do outstanding work, just enough to not get fired. It’s silly. And most of the time, I don’t notice a drastic change in the quality of service until I start dining at restaurants whose menu prices are $27+. The difference between a restaurant who charges $12 for a burger and $17 for a burger is minimal if and yet my expected bill should be $2 higher for two people; as someone who is frugal, you can believe I go for the $12 burger out of principle. For what it’s worth, I do tip because I feel bad for them.
And I have worked low wage jobs, albeit not in the tip based service industry. I’ve worked minimum wage (and lower for contract work) digging ditches for landscaping and moving furniture in high school. I now work in 911 communications and my “service” can literally save your life. Why does someone who takes my order and brings me food deserve a tip to do their job? Owners should just pay their employees. At this point they don’t want to because the increase in prices won’t equal the increase in cost, so their margins will get slimmer.
I heard somewhere that it is inappropriate, even rude, to tip someone if they are the owner of the business, since they set the prices and presumably already pay themselves a fair salary.
I remember working for less than $2 per hour as a waiter. Minimum wage was lower then, but not that low. Tipping was the only money we really made.
When you tip housekeepers, do you leave a tip every day throughout your stay. I’ve never felt right about how to do it. Like you said, leaving a tip at the end may not get to the right person, but it seems odd to leave a few bucks on the counter every morning.
I tipped the last two nights of my 7 night stay in Paris b/c I noticed it was the same two housekeepers every day who alternated.
I tip, begrudgingly (not towards the service workers, but towards the system). Americans say tipping is their culture, well not surprising. Tipping system is racist (statistically African Americans and POC make less in tips). So, even if you think that tipping is paying a wage to underpaid workers, this does not apply equally. In fact, statistically speaking, tipping favors the young, the female, the caucasian, the blond, and the most tips go to all of the above. This makes the tipping system not only racist, but sexist and ageist as well. I’m not saying that all young, blond waitresses make big money, the overall waiters wages are down everywhere and especially worse for POC. (yes yes we all know that attractive people garner more trust among strangers, get free stuff, and higher raises — so it’s expected that they’d make more tips, hence don’t pretend that tipping is for quality of service).
But not only that… attractive or not, female waiters are pressured to tolerate more sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviors from customers. Tipping and harassment go hand in hand. If a waiter’s living wage depended on tips, he/she is inclined to tolerate inappropriate behaviors.
Economists have found that, even with the service being held equally good, the tip outcome is generally unfair to service workers. They also create rift between front-of-house and the back-of-house restaurant workers, who don’t get paid tips, but are also underpaid. Cooks and chefs requirement (education) are higher than servers yet they get paid lower.
Including service charge in the bill may see an increase in overall bill but this does not alter the overall cost to the patron, and would be more fair to restaurant workers and other workers in the service industry. Tipping (as wage) should be eliminated completely and return to it’s original intended meaning as a bonus for good service.
Never thought of tipping as racist. Thanks for bringing it up.
There’s one big difference in Europe, and that’s the service folks make a higher relative living wage than folks in US.
Have you experienced a lot of racism growing up working service jobs? What race are you and where did you grow up?
thx
Generosity is an important trait for me. I definitely always research before traveling someplace with different customs. I do not want to insult by offering too little or too much. I’ve worked for minimum wage, but have never personally been a tipped employee. Any little bit helps at that pay level. A good waiter who steers you to a great thing on the menu is worth it, too. I love great food and they know what is actually best.
Thanks for this helpful guide, Sam. I realize your focus is on tipping abroad, but I wanted to share this article I read on tipping in the US a few weeks ago. I think your readers may find it as interesting as I did:
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/01/future-of-tipping/433854/
The “voluntary” amount now being charged in many London restaurants is the worst of all worlds. “A voluntary gratuity of X% will be added to your bill and is completely discretionary.” Yes, but you have to ask the server to remove it if you do not wish to pay for it. The UK never had a tipping culture but appear to now be moving in that direction, at least in London recently. The act of asking to have something removed is sure to make many people very uncomfortable. The proprietors are successfully shifting the problem of increasing/providing adequate compensation for their team from them to the customers, North American style. I witnessed several uncomfortable conversations between patrons and staff about removing the gratuity and it was clear the patrons were being forced to lie or make up reasons to remove the amount. They simply didn’t want to pay extra, they didn’t have to, and one ever expected them to in London. The amounts just show up now and they are forced to ask to have the amounts removed. How awkward; the worst of all worlds in my opinion. The NA appoach is blatant and we all grow up with it: tipping is expected, the amount is up to you..
The only places I tip in the US are the restaurants. I don’t use the Concierge service and I always carry my own bags. Yes, I am cheap. We went backpacking in Europe in 2003 and I don’t think we tipped much. I’ll have to check with the missus. She has better memory than I do.
I don’t think we had to tip much in Asia either. It seems the US service sector people are much more dependent on tips.
In my trips around Europe, I found that it’s not very common to tip but no one minds it. I always did give some tip, especially when the food was really good or taxi ride was pleasant. We mostly rounded it up and told them to keep the change. I didn’t tip tour guides, just waiters, and room service.
I just had a conversation about this over memorial day weekend, and generally ascribe to the 15% when tipping. Every now and then especially around the holidays like christmas, we will tip more just to as a nice way to brighten someones day as some servers both deserve and appreciate the gesture.
10% here in Prague will make your server very happy. My American habit of 15-20% makes me a very popular repeat customer, so we always get fantastic service in the places that we frequent. Worth a few extra Koruna.
Keep in mind, though, that servers in Europe are compensated completely different from the US. We pay slave-level wages to servers in the US with the expectation that tips will at a minimum meet the federal and/or state minimum wage. European waiters are not expected to literally live off of tips. That could help ease the guilt of the American feeling like they are under-tipping.
Interesting articles and comments. I too worked a menial job as a “go for” but there was no tipping :( . I think most lower paid individuals would like to be greeted politely, smiled at, treated well and appreciated almost as much as being tipped. Politeness to lower paid individuals is in short supply.
So when I’m out I always mind my P’s and Q’s and try to be nice to staff because I know what it’s like to put up with horrid bosses and worse customers all year long.
Tipping is quite common here. I tip some car guards, if they help me and take my trolley away or hold traffic for me to pull out.
I always tip the petrol attendant. He always makes sure my windscreen is squeaky clean!
When I do eat out and the waiter has been super nice and attentive I tip 20% of the bill. If the waiter wasn’t, I tip less. But I always clean up the table and pile everything neatly on the tray for the waiter to take away (My dad was a waiter when he was young, so whenever we went out, he always insisted that we clean up our mess as best we can. The waiter is there to serve your food and drinks, not be your personal slave.)
Lol, in fact that has carried over into my dating life. I notice these little things about the guys I date; if they have the compassion to care about another person and not be a slob and expect to be served hand and foot.
When I went on a short cruise, I didn’t see the housekeeper to give her a tip but the cost did include tips and they left out score cards which I think was tied to bonuses. I gave the best rating and left super positive comments.
Life is tough for everyone, especially lower paid individuals, why should I make it worse?
This is my opinion. You will probably all hate it.
First of all, I try to avoid partaking in any activities where I even have to consider tipping. I would rather not eat out, not stay at hotels, not take tours, just not be in the position.
I am cheap. I am frugal. Whatever you want to call it.
I don’t make too much money and I don’t like to spend it. So right now I try to avoid having to even be in a situation where I would have to decide on how much to tip. I would rather buy my food at a grocery store than go out to eat with friends and have to figure tipping out.
(I also have friends who like tipping a lot as kind of a display of wealth…it is what it is.)
But yeah.
In an ideal world, I will be making more money, partaking in tipping-based activities more, and give decent tips. But right now I just avoid any such situations however possible.
No big deal. If you don’t partake in activities that offer service, there’s no need to tip at all!
Guys who are smart tend to tip greater on a date than less.
I usually tip well overall, but in accordance with local customs.
However, I find that most people will opt to go with a business where tipping is not required than one that does since it is more convenient and sometimes less expensive. For example using Uber over taxis.
Generally, I have a feeling that technology will slowly start to do away with tipping in the future the way that Uber has with taxis.
I’m Italian and each time I go back home, there is always someone who tries to rip us off by charging or expecting tips, as this is what Americans do.
Let me tell you this. If you go to Italy, even if you receive the greatest service, do not tip and, if you reall want to, 5 Euros are a nice tip.
Italians do not generally tip, and if they do it there is no way that they tip the amounts suggested in the post.
This is always an interesting subject. Tipping often tells you more about the local customs than anything else. My experience tipping in Europe is primarily within Italy. I agree with the above comment and I’m Italian as well. It’s a nice gesture, but not really accepted there. If you do dine in rather than eat at the counter, there’s usually a flat table charge of a couple euros.
I once had a large dinner party in a small restaurant with family and friends prior to my wedding in Italy. The owner and staff were so accommodating of our large party, which took up about half the restaurant. We had even displaced some of the best reserved seats because our party was large and only fit in a particular section of the restaurant. At the end of the night, I wanted to give a tip to show my gratitude and they refused to accept it. Absolutely would not accept it. Here in the US, we’d have no problem accepting it.
Good to get some feedback that Italians don’t tip and don’t appreciate tips. I still think rounding up to the nearest 1 or 10 € is a good gesture. Surely, people who make below a median wage income appreciate a little extra, even though there is a cultural issue, no?
I wouldn’t go as far to say that they don’t appreciate the gesture. I’m sure they do. All I’m saying is that in my experience, they typically just haven’t accepted it.
I’d say the same cultural norm exists in Japan as well. Tipping is not expected and even if you do try to tip a waitress for example, the cultural norm there is to not accept a tip.
I tipped in Italy when I went to restaurants. For some places like street foods at Central Market in Florence, all the foods were take-out and self serve, so I didn’t feel 10%-15% tips were required. But it seemed that the people behind counters there just expected that were the amount they would get.
In Europe I tip 10 Percent in restaurants, and seldom other places. I may leave some money for housekeeping, but never the numbers you mention. 10 euros per day is way to much, maybe ok for a week- but still not the norm. I usually tip 10 percent in taxis. I live in Europe and I have travelled all over.
Wow, we love this article! The culture in Europe is so different, and sometimes you can forget how Europeans do the smallest things differently from Americans, like tipping. Thanks for the advice on this topic. It’s super helpful!
I find tipping 15-20% on average for a meal be too much. Yes, I did many low wage jobs growing up. I think tipping should be expecting to be around 5-10% for a average restaurant. I got tipped that much for pizza delivery! I find it ludicrous to pay $10 tip on a $50 meal ( average two meal price). That’s for taking my order and filling my water. Servicing 5 tables an hour gives u $50/hr. Even if u share with cooks, that atleast $30. All that for not having an education and really not that hard work ( I worked washing dishes in a kitchen at minimum wage- even that was easy). Don’t try to tell me washing dishes, serving cranky customers is ” hard work”. Yes tipping is good, but not at the expected rates for average crappy service.
May I ask what you do and at what age you spent time washing dishes and serving cranky customers? I’ve never met someone who has worked hourly service wage jobs and not wanting to tip well or appreciate our service providers. Will you be the first person?
I do not tip at all overseas, especially in Europe. Sure, I’ll round up to the nearest ten or Euro, I’m not trying to be a cheapskate. However, tipping is one of the most economically inefficient systems and practices that Americans force on the world. Check out the Freakonomics podcast on the subject or any of the Economist’s articles on the subject: https://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2015/10/service-compris
In other countries, service staff do not receive the majority of their income through tips. You can not hirer a waiter for $2/hour and they are expected to make up the difference in minimum wage in tips. It’s an archaic, useless system that needs to be done away with, not spread overseas!
Whatever makes you feel happy Spencer. Tipping is not mandatory. A lot of restaurants have a baked in 10-12% tip in Europe to take the awkwardness out, and also help their servers make a minimum salary.
Just know that the service folks aren’t getting rich from their work, and tipping can make a significant difference to their overall income and perhaps their lives.
I think anyone should research the local Culture first. Before I went to South Korea every site I checked said it was no-tip. To them tipping is saying “You suck here is money to go back to school, or I think you are beneath me (so you cause them to lose face, which is a huge no go).”
I was just in Seoul last year and have never heard of leaving a tip meaning “you suck.” Everybody who received a tip from me were thankful. I just rounded up the bill e.g. I left 20,000 won for an 18,000 won meal. I’m curious to read the source of the Korean tipping info you found. thx
Hi Sam,
In Japan the culture on tipping is the same too. My father is Japanese and while he tips quite generously outside Japan (10-15% in Asia and Europe, 20% in the US) he finds the practice almost condescending and demeaning to the service staff. Tipping is considered to be very disrespectful in Japan and is a definite no-no even among my younger Japanese friends in Tokyo. And yet amazingly at the same time customer service in Japan is generally considered to be among the best in the world.
On another note I am a physician- I wonder should patients tip me and other physicians and the nurses too? Or maybe the much lower-paid paramedics and patient aides. Among all the services one will receive in one’s lifetime, medical care is arguably among the most vitally important after all. Can you not argue that healthcare professionals are in a service industry too? I guess my question is which services/professionals do you decide to tip or not to tip?
I tip the requisite 15% out of custom (I grew up and live in NYC) at restaurants and bars. I tip 10% for cabs, food delivery and dry cleaning delivery. I also “tip” all of my building’s service staff like the super, etc by giving checks out at Christmas. If prompted to tip I give even less. If traveling to a 3rd-world or developing country I tend to tip a little more since my money goes far far far more in helping the almost-certainly underpaid service staff there.
Good question. I think the answer is NO because doctor’s make far above the median income in general. However, if a doctor did something amazing like save a limb, a life, or cure a disease, id probably send a very nice gift!
Argh, I cannot find the “lose face” comment anymore. Figures after I post something from memory. I can no longer find the exact reference. I know I checked TripAdvisor, Whototip.net, and 2-3 sites/blogs of Korean expats, but it was all about a year ago a few months before I went. This was second trip as I had gone when I was in the military in 2000.
I visited in August, stayed JW Marriott Dongdaemun. It is outside the center (actually you look over the East gate). However, the staff was very nice and professional. They were great in arranging everything for me (on vacation I like no hassles or stress even if I have to pay more), picking us up from the airport by car and dropping us off when we left. It also had easy subway access and allowed us to do a walking loop of the major sites downtown. Too bad it was wicked hot.
The Hotel included gratuity in the bill. When we ate out I attempted to do the same round up thing too, but it did not succeed all the time.