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tipping in Rome

Our cab from the airport to hotel will be 35Euros. What is the appropriate amount to tip? Also we'll be staying in a bed and breakfast that costs 139 euros a night. How much should we be tipping the maid? Any other tipping guidelines would be appreciated as well. Thanks

Posted by
805 posts

Probably 5-7 euros, maybe 10 depending on how much luggage you have for the cab. As for hotel staff, I would do 1 euro a day.

Tipping in restaurants, on the other hand, is not at all necessary most of the time as a service charge (called pane e covierto (bread and service in English) (sp?) is typically applied at 2-3 euros a person.

Posted by
7737 posts

A five euro tip for the cab driver would be fine unless he's VERY helpful, e.g. mini-tour guide, then 10 would be really appreciated. B&B maid should be tipped about 1 euro a night unless you're real slobs, then two a night.

Restaurants can have either a servizio or a coperto or both. The coperto is the charge for the bread, sometimes whether you touch it or not. The servizio is the equivalent of the tip (although there was some disagreement about this topic among the Italians at a bulletin board that I visit regularly). But yes, Italian waiters get paid much better than their US counterparts.

You'll notice two different things if you use a credit card to pay at a restaurant. First, the waiter will likely hover over you while you sign the receipt. It's not personal. They just want to make sure the receipt doesn't get swiped by someone. Second, there will probably not be any place on the receipt for you to leave a tip as part of the charge. Yet another indication that tipping is not very common in Italy.

There are some exceptions - if a waiter really busts his keister waiting on your group, then you should leave a tip above and beyond the servizio. But if you're just a couple, not so much.

Posted by
466 posts

Don't worry about tipping in restaurants and it is built into your bill.

Posted by
32 posts

Nancy..
We just returned from Rome this morning. I found out while we were there that there is a restriction on how much taxis can charge you. Apparently, according to several hotels folks, the city of Rome has put a maximum price cap of 40 euros for a ride within the city. Some friends of mine were solicited for 50 euros by the driver. My buddy simply told the driver he was aware of the restriction and the driver immediatley backed down. Just something to be aware of when your taxi rides are approaching the 40 euro mark.

Posted by
11507 posts

Who would tip 10 euros for a 35 euro bill, this is not Italian I am sure.... that is crazy..

Can anyone familar with the customs in Italy please chime in, frankly I think tipping more then 15 % is American not Italian..

Posted by
2207 posts

I think Micheal has a good appreciation and explanation of the tipping system in Italy. Americans are seen as good tippers and a good Italian waiter will want to wait on you. Their perception of other nationalities is not as positive... Know that all tips are pooled in Italy so if your waiter gives you GREAT service, hand the tip DIRECTLY to him discreetly and separately from the bill. In many restaurants EVERYONE, including management and ownership often participate in the tip funds! That can explain why some Italian waiters can appear indifferent. Most restaurants, if you look closely at the menu, will acknowledge "servizio inclusivo," or service included. If they do not, there may be an "additional charge" added on - Know this before you leave any tip! Most waiters WILL point out if service IS NOT included!

For a cab driver, 10% is the top-end usually... unless you have extra luggage and then most of them will ADD this charge as the cab STOPS at your destination! My biggest "taxi disagreement" was in Paris over this point - The concierge had to come out and rescue me (or maybe the taxi driver!).

In hotels/B&B the maids usually get 1 Euro a day - I often ask for an envelope at the desk and write "thank you" so they know I know... Bellman usually get 1 Euro per bag, unless you're packing your 95 lb. bag!

Concierges are tipped based on their level of help. Simple directions are part of their job... but getting those special tickets (like we scored for The Last Supper in Milan) should be rewarded - the level of tip dependent on how difficult the task was. Since we did the last-minute decision to see The Last Supper again, the tip was MORE than the tickets as it was sold out for weeks. In Italy, it's often who you know - and who they know!

Hope those suggestions help....

Ciao,
Ron

Posted by
2207 posts

An add-on to the previous post. In my previous life I traveled 250+ days a year & had millions of points, often staying at 5-star hotels for FREE: My wife called it her reparations for staying at HOME ALONE!

I knew that because I was a Diamond, Royal Ambassador, or Platinum Member of different groups I would get "special" treatment - yet my room was still FREE, and no hotel likes to give up a $1,000+ room for nothing! I would start a dialogue with the head concierge/manager via email &, because I had Vonage, via phone. I'd ask the concierge if there was anything I could bring from the States, or "how I could help them." The answers were often entertaining - Peanut Butter was a big request!

By the time I arrived, my FREE room had been UPGRADED! We had a 2-story room in the Brussels Conrad, a 3-story suite on the Champs d'Elysées, a canal front room in the Hotel Danielli in Venice, A huge suite in the Hotel Pulitzer in Amsterdam (Ocean 12 filmed there), etc. I would always arrive with an envelope WITH A TIP for the concierge I had been working with. They certainly KNOW the best rooms and will help you get you get upgraded. Yes, my room was free, but those "reward rooms" were often standard rooms in the back of the hotel... Fortunately, that never happened to me!

Now, I've used many of my points and living here as opposed to traveling we have really toned our budget down but I still call or email the manager/concierge/head reservationist & talk with them. Having a dialogue will help enhance your hotel experience - as we had last week at Hotel Bernini & Alma Domus in Siena. Upon arrival we were greeted like long-lost friends and it was our first visit to each!

So, develop a relationship. I still have folks in Rome I talked with years ago and now stop by & see them now that I live here! So business has become friendship... Tipping is more than just a form of REWARD in Europe, it's also a form of RESPECT! Good Luck in your Travels!

Ciao,
Ron

Posted by
204 posts

How nice for you, Ron. I hope you did enjoy it because I and and all the other travelers who pay our own way paid for your luxury trips by the higher prices we paid for the items your company sold or services they provided. Frankly I think travel points are the same as holding a gun to the public head and saying, "Provide me with a luxury tour of Europe." Have a good day.

Posted by
2788 posts

Check out "Graffiti Wall - Tipping Tips" on this web site.

Posted by
705 posts

I was in Rome a couple of weeks ago and we went to a restaurant facing the Pantheon mainly to get out of the heavy rain and have a quick bite to eat. The bill came and it had a 15% service charge added but the waiter insisted we leave him a tip, and I mean insisted. Considering we really didn't get any service other than taking our order and putting our meal on the table I thought it was a bit much. Probably out fault for choosing a restaurant where we did but something to be aware of.

Posted by
32173 posts

Some Restaurants in Rome seem to solicit tips. I was at a restaurant in the Campo di Fiori recently, and there was a sign on the board where the menus were posted that said "Tips gratefully accepted" (or something along those lines). I can't recall if there was a service charge included on the bill?

Posted by
2207 posts

Charles - WOW!

"How nice for you, Ron. I hope you did enjoy it because I and and all the other travelers who pay our own way paid for your luxury trips by the higher prices we paid for the items your company sold or services they provided."

It takes about 25-30 nights at a run-down Hampton Inn/Holiday Inn in the middle of nowhere to generate ONE FREE night in Europe, so yes, I indirectly DID pay for it. When you're on the road that much, your family ALSO pays for it, as anyone who has lived that lifestyle understands.

In that lifestyle you have to make trade-offs, and climbing the corporate ladder creates those challenges. Do I miss those hotels and privileges? YEP! But now, I'm living in Rome, working at part-time jobs and I see my wife EVERYDAY! We eat together, walk, & laugh a lot more! My six-figure plus income is a thing of the past...We don't even own ONE car! Back in the day, going to Europe was our way to escape the Blackberry, the email, the cell phone calls at 2 AM, and frankly - our only way to have any privacy.

Would I go "on the road" again? NO. Been there, done that. Do I resent people who have that lifestyle and those privileges? NO, that's their choice and I understand the COSTS of that lifestyle, especially in terms of family. Does it now translate to higher prices for me now? Nope, because I do not stay at those places. I DID NOT need to then and DON'T now... but when you're never home you do try and make it up to your "significant other," & frankly, she's earned that! When you're home 1-2 days a week, your "home-life" balance sheet is always skewed! My 2 boys will attest to that.

I guess I became an expert in how to get & use points, and it can certainly be an art form. But my company (and the hotels I stayed in) was going to charge YOU the same price whether I earned/used those points or not... that's business. Sorry you disagree...

Nancy, sorry to deviate from your topic.

Ron

Posted by
1 posts

Ron...you go. Thanks for the info and your candor. I appreciate the way you live your life. Happy days to you, living like the Romans do.....

Posted by
448 posts

Since we didn't take cabs or stay in hotels, the only tipping advice i can give is re: restaurants, and we ate nowhere chic...the only time we left more than 3 euros (my husband said i was cheap..so i'm not good on math!! what's 10% of 50?..) was at the owner/chef, 2 waiter restaurant where they thought there was something wrong with the food because i couldn't finish it...even then i think we left only five euros..and then got chased for hugs and kisses..Not asking for MORE money!!!

Posted by
2281 posts

YOU GO RON!!! thought charles was very crude with statement, he hasn't walked or flown a mile in your shoes. have friends that did what you did and are happy to be home every night with family and fun time. your wife and kids are happy and you too! life is what you make it.always think if someone is miserable in their life lets make others the same. thanks for your reply

Posted by
12172 posts

Nancy,

Back to your topic. When I take taxis in Europe, I usually only round up the total to an even number, give the driver that amount and let him keep the change as the tip. A 23 Euro ride is 25. IMO tipping over 10 percent is too much unless there is some special reason to tip more.

I think what other people have suggested is valid; if you have a lot of luggage tip more but I have no personal experience with it. My taxi rides are just around town (I carry-on and take public tranportation more often than not).