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Tipping in Portugal

Posted by (Boston) on

Hi-I am looking at past posts and at RS tipping recommendations but am still not feeling prepared for our trip to Portugal. Can you give your opinion on the following that I've picked up from other posts:

-uber/cab/bar: just round up to next Euro?

-moderate restaurant-5-10 extra Euro if good service?

-expensive restaurant with very expensive fixed price menu? Still 5-10 Euro?

-private tour guides who are self-employed and charging a good rate to take my husband and I out for 3-5 hours
-private tour guide who is employed by someone else (who we've paid) -we will likely be buying him lunch but he is transporting us from Porto to Lisbon so a big time commitment.

We would like to be thoughtful but not over the top. I do understand that tipping is not necessarily expected and based on our opinion of the service.

Thanks in advance!

-

Posted by
1955 posts

Americans and other tourists are a bit resented by the Portuguese people for high tipping. They say it ruins it for them. Most of my immigrant friends and myself do tip a bit but not much. For coffee, no tip. For a Prato do Dia in a tasca, round up. A more expensive restaurant, no more than 10%. For myself, a tour guide, self employed, no tip. Employed by a company, maybe €10. I usually don’t tip uber drivers unless they go above and beyond. I have friends who always give them a euro. The Ubers or Bolts run €3-7, around my area. I find I tip less, the longer I live here.

Posted by
141 posts

Jane,
Follow Kathryn's lead

We have visited Portugal 4 times and, like most Americans of means, have to fight the temptation to tip. The prices are so reasonable and the people so warm that it is difficult to not up the tipping.

We try to remind ourselves that the American way of tipping is a result of low wages and a poor social safety net. In America we need to tip because the service workers are not being paid enough, pure and simple

The Portuguese are proud of their country's economic progress. Excessive tips both insult the dignity of their jobs and have a negative impact on the culture.

An "Obrigado, todo bem" and a smile go a long way

Dennis and Elinore

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