Tipping in europe

[oceanview585]

Going to several ports in Italy, then Dubrovnik,Barcelona and Monaco...What is customary tipping for dining and tour guides??

Thx for you help.

[avacruiser]

Click here

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=848410&highlight=tipping

[oceanview585]

thx/ I followed your link but there is no info regarding tipping in restaurants/ someone from Europe posted that tipping is not expected/ anyone else with any first hand knowledge?? sounds like one should still tip tour guides/ what about in hotels?

[texancruzer]

please please please do a search for this question.....it has been discussed ALOT. Everyone will give you different answers too. :D

[rubyandstella]

Tips are not expected in Europe, no one will come running after you if you don't. If you want to tip that's fine and if you don't that's fine also. It's not a subject that is discussed to be honest so I really wouldn't worry about it.

[cberge]

please please please do a search for this question.....it has been discussed ALOT. Everyone will give you different answers too. :D

You sound like me,but I gave up even posting this reply most of the time.:eek::D

[oceanview585]

thx Ruby

 

OUCH to Texan and CBERGE...just FYI when you put the tipping in the search you just get all those threads regarding auto tipping on the ship...but thx anyway:o

[texancruzer]

sorry - didnt see you are fairly new.....

 

Go to the main forum area - right after you click on Mediterranean Eastern/Western. Click on the "search forum" Enter: tipping Europe

 

A ton of posts will come up regarding tipping in restaurants, tipping guides, tipping taxis etc etc etc........

 

Hope this helps ;)

[Taxguy77]

Tips are not expected in Europe, no one will come running after you if you don't. If you want to tip that's fine and if you don't that's fine also. It's not a subject that is discussed to be honest so I really wouldn't worry about it.

 

 

?????????????????????

In 1956 4 of us carried our own luggage out of a hotel in Sweden, loaded it in our VW, and were faced with hotel employees DEMANDING a tip (THEY TOLD us how much!) or they would call the police!!!!!:eek:

PS! None of us ever visited Sweden again!

[samavarcruiser]

Gratuities are not mandatory in Europe but if you have been happy with the service you recived, I think you should tip them as a token of appreciation :)

[rubyandstella]

Gratuities are not mandatory in Europe but if you have been happy with the service you recived, I think you should tip them as a token of appreciation :)

 

Yes I agree, if the service is great I will leave a tip.

 

If I do tip, it tends to be in restuarants as you spend a couple of hours there, but I do check the bill first to see if tips have been automatically added and I would have them removed if I felt the service was bad. I would probably leave somewhere between £5 to £10 on the table. I will give a tip in the pub occasionally but not everytime and it's usually just 'and one for youself' kind of tip and tends to be after a few drinks! Taxi's ... I will round up the fare but won't give anything if they are grumpy! I have never given a tip to the chamber maid in a hotel athough I do leave them any loose foreign currency I have left if I am in a foreign country. I don't tip porters as I don't use them ... I like to carry my own bags but in some of the posher hotels your bags are whisked away before you have chance to say no... so in that case I'd give a couple of pounds.

 

LOL Taxguy77 I think I may give Sweden a miss then! I can only speak for the UK and the Med, I've never been to the Baltics.

 

I do tip the recommended amount on a cruise (when in Rome etc...) but I reserve the right to withdraw that and also believe the best place for my money is in my bank and not the cruiseline's for 8 weeks ... so I don't auto tip, I prefer to pay cash at the end of my cruise.

[agabbymama]

Never even gave that much thought. We tip here in the US, so when I travel, I still tip, whether it's a custom where I travel or not. I've never had anybody return the tip.

[cruisemom42]

Tipping in most of Europe is not regarded in the same way as in the US. In the US, restaurant servers, drivers, etc. have low wages that are expected to be supplemented with tips. Not so in Europe. They do not have a "culture of tipping" like Americans do.

 

It tends to be a controversial subject, hence peoples' reluctance to answer. Many Americans somehow feel they are stiffing folks if they don't leave the same sort of tips that they are accustomed to at home. Some Europeans resent that Americans do this because it then becomes expected for them to tip at the same level, on top of their already-higher costs of dining out or traveling.

 

Here are what I would consider some general guidelines based on my travel experience, reading, and talking to others in Europe. There is no "hard and fast" rule....

 

1. In restaurants, you should check to see if a service charge is already included on your bill. If it is, it is not necessary to leave additional tip, but if service was very good people often leave a small amount (e.g., rounding up the bill if paying cash, or a couple of euros...) If there is no service charge added, then leaving an amount of up to 10% FOR GOOD SERVICE is certainly fine. But if service was poor, there is really no need to tip. As I pointed out, the servers do not depend on tips to make a decent wage as they do in the US. (NOTE: A charge for "pan e copierto" is not a service charge; it is a charge for, literally, bread and linens, that is added automatically to some bills in Italy. It does not go to your server.)

 

2. For taxis/drivers, I will give a small tip for assistance with my luggage (maybe 1 euro per bag) and round up the fare to the next euro. If they provided some special assistance (I have yet to experience this....:rolleyes:) I might tip a bit more.

 

3. In hotels I also tip 1 euro per bag for assistance with luggage. I try to leave some change each day for maid service, but I often find they do not take it! (And I am rarely in my room during the day to catch them and communicate...).

 

4. I do not take private tours often. When I did several ship's excursions with my mom several years ago in the Med, we would tip about 5 euro each for a half-day tour and 10 each for a full-day tour. All the tours were excellent and I felt it was deserved. For private tours I have mixed feelings. Some of prices for drivers are quite high, and I tend to feel they are being adequately compensated for their time (again, UNLESS they go well above and beyond) and would probably tip only a small amount to show appreciation.

[Hambagahle]

Tipping practice varies from country to country in Europe. In some - France, Switzerland are two - in restaurant prices the service is already included, by law. So you do not tip but you will not necessarily see something on the menu to the effect that service IS included. In Italy it is included as well, but people seem to leave a little extra anyway. (I live in Switzerland and we do leave a little extra IF the service has been great or if we are in a restaurant we go to a lot, but it is really only a franc or two at the most).

In the UK some restaurants include a service charge, many do not. So there you look at the menu, and see if it is included. If not, tip 10-15%.

 

Taxis - in France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany etc - round up the fare. In the Uk add 10%.

 

It would be great if the EU would pass a law that would make these things uniform...wouldn't help Switzerland, but here it is included anyway!

[cberge]

thx Ruby

 

OUCH to Texan and CBERGE...just FYI when you put the tipping in the search you just get all those threads regarding auto tipping on the ship...but thx anyway:o

This was not directed at you per se,but the wealth of info on this board is really super,and searching is not that hard..you have to be specific..I put in tipping in Europe and while a lot came up sifting is easy if looking for a certain board which was this one..here is a good link to check out...

tipping guideline - Cruise Critic Message Boards