Tour tipping

Hi,

Do what makes you feel comfortable while also basing the tip percentage of how outstanding the guide was for the tour. It has been suggested from those who have taken private tours that maybe 10-15% for starters? If they were exceptional, and you feel you got a lot out of the tour itself, maybe a very generous 20%??

You have a baseline. The rest is up to you, the performance of the guide, and what you feel comfortable giving.

"I have never quite figured out tipping etiquette in Europe."

It is not uniform across Europe, but is different in each country.

That linked article has one major boo-boo. It says that "in sit down restaurants it's customary to leave a 10-15% tip." This is only "customary" in Italy for Americans who don't know better. As you will see, most Italians leave nothing, so adding anything at all is generous. Our regular poster Roberto, who is actually Italian, has confirmed this repeatedly on this forum.

I don't know about tour guides.

There is never a need to tip for anything in Italy. You might round up the bill but you don't tip like you would in the U.S. That's purely a U.S. custom and shouldn't be applied to Italy.

Donna

I have removed several posts here. To clarify, all forum members should feel 100% free to share their opinion as long as it is done in a respectful manner. If you feel that someone has behaved poorly outside of our Community Guidelines, report the issue to the webmaster instead of letting it out on the public boards. Our forum needs to be a positive place for everyone involved whether they are posting, replying, or simply reading.

Thank you.

Ditto on being puzzled by tipping etiquette in Europe. Last year in Italy, a small tip, which we customarily leave daily for the housekeeping people, was put back on the nightstand. Okay, we got the message and didn't offer it again. But everywhere else when we offered the same, it was taken. We once took a riverboat tour (in Italy); and at the end, my husband had some cash ready to tip the guide. She, however, made herself rather unavailable at that point. On other day tours, our gratuity was happily accepted. What we try to do is observe what others are doing and follow suit. If it's just you then heed the advice given above. Still not comfortable? Me, too. Just keep in mind that, unlike in the U.S., the salaries paid are not based on the assumption that tips will form a major part of the compensation.