Tipping, a sensitive subject for some; normal for others. People who don’t tip in their home country can sometimes find the concept of leaving a tip awkward and uncomfortable. But if you are heading to Europe or America it is completely normal. Be prepared with the Ultimate guide for tipping in Europe. 

Panic….how much do you tip?, where do you leave it?, is it enough?, are they going to think I’m cheap?

Or on the other side have you left too much? Are you spending all your budgeting money on tips? Oh, so stressful well hopefully this helps answer some of those questions.

Here in Australia we are quite lucky our wages are shall we say “reasonable”; in a lot of other countries their hourly rate is really low, and they rely on tips to prop up their wage.

Tipping in Europe

Europe has a tipping culture, especially in the service industry. A tip is an appreciation of the service that you receive; whether it be in a restaurant; café or bar if that wait staff has gone above and beyond to make you feel comfortable; then they deserve a tip. It is completely up to you how much you leave based on the service you have received

As a general rule of thumb

-A meal at a restaurant a tip of 5% is fair and 10-15% is generous

– If your ordering a coffee at a café just round up if the coffee costs €1.90 give them €2.00

-Local guides €2-10

-If you have done a free walking tour remember this is their job and they are offering you’re their insider knowledge acceptable tipping would be around €5-20 depending on the tour

-Taxi’s – Just round up to the nearest amount

-If you are helped by a porter €1-2

-Housekeeping – if you are happy with the cleanliness and service from the housekeepers you can leave them a small tip in the room when you leave for the staff

Tips can be done on credit cards however the staff member doesn’t usually see much of that money, it is advised that you carry small amounts of local currency for tipping so you don’t get caught out in an awkward situation.

Italy

In Italy, most of the restaurants and cafes include the service charge; to your bill before they bring it to you; you will see the phrase Servizio Incluso which means service included. It should be the equivalent of about 15% of your bill; if you see this there is no need to leave any more money as a tip

Some places don’t include the tip on the final bill and expect you to leave about 10% of your total bill on the table for your server. If this is the case at the bottom of your bill you will see Servizio Non-Incluso (Service not included)

France

The service charge in a restaurant in France usually sits at about 15%, some restaurants include it and some don’t so be sure to check the bottom of your bill.

Some cafes in France also charge a table tax, this means if you want to sit down in their facilities with your coffee it will usually be a bit more expensive (a couple of Euros more) than if you stand and drink the coffee at the bar. So if you’re a coffee fanatic on a budget then maybe enjoy your coffee at the bar. 

Germany

Tipping in Germany sits at about 5% for restaurants and simply round up to the next whole euro for most other services. You will find you will have to pay for public bathrooms which there will be an attendant to collect, this will cost you around 0.50c

Austria, Croatia, Greece, The United Kingdom, Hungary, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain all run at about 10% of the total bill and simply round up to the nearest euro in most other situations.

Tourist Tax

Some of the bigger cities charge a table tax in restaurants as well, this basically means they are charging you a fee to cover the expenses of the table water, and using their facilities. However, in some of the bigger tourist locations, this fee can be HUGE so be sure to ask if they charge a tale tax and how much it is before you sit down.

Always try and eat at restaurants that are away from your typical tourist attractions, the places around huge tourist attractions most defiantly charge you tourist prices which all add up in the long run.

My Tourist tax experience

I got caught out my first time in Venice, at a café on St Marks Square very innocently I ordered a coffee, I stood at the bar to drink it and then got the bill and almost choked the bill was for €10.50 for a coffee, this was 100% tourist price and I learnt my lesson. Look for the smaller cafes and restaurants that are off the main areas. They are usually family-run and more authentic, I can assure you they would really appreciate your business.

As a traveller, it is our duty to learn a bit about the customs and ways of doing things of a country before you arrive. Tipping in Europe is normal, it is the way it works. so don’t get caught out. Make sure you budget in enough money to allow for tipping everywhere on your trip. Make sure you carry some smaller CASH with you so that you can tip the server, don’t feel awkward about it just leave it on the table, or give it to your server it’s a normal custom in Europe something you will have to get used to.

Currencies

Most of Europe has changed over to use the Euro as their main currency however you will come across a few countries that still use their own currency so be aware of which countries use what so you are prepared. XE is a great website to get live currency exchange rates. https://www.xe.com/

Countries that use the Euro

• Andorra
• Austria
• Belgium
• Cyprus
• Estonia
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Italy
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Monaco
• Montenegro
• Netherlands
• Portugal
• Slovakia
• Spain

Some Countries in Europe who use their own currency

• Albania uses the Albanian Lek
• Croatia uses the Croatian Kuna
• Czech Republic – Czech Koruna however they do accept Euro as well
• Denmark uses the Danish Krone
• Hungary us the Hungarian forint
• Sweden uses the Swedish Krona
• Switzerland uses the Swiss Franc
• The UK uses the Pound

For some more money related information check out our post Travelling with your money; we explain the best ways to travel with your spending money safely.