Tipping in Europe: How Much to Tip in 46 Countries

Tipping in Europe is optional almost everywhere, because service is already inside the price you see on the menu. In most countries 5% to 10% in a sit-down restaurant is a generous tip, rounding up a taxi fare is enough, and leaving nothing after ordinary service is normal rather than rude.

That single rule covers most of the continent, but it does not cover all of it. A waiter in Sofia or Belgrade counts on tips in a way a waiter in Copenhagen does not, a London bill often arrives with 12.5% already added, and a card terminal in Paris now asks you a question that did not exist a few years ago. This guide gives the practice country by country for the 46 European countries and microstates below, flags where reliable sources disagree, and says so when a number is a rough convention rather than a rule.

Countries that straddle Europe and Asia appear here and on the tipping in Asia page. For other continents, see tipping etiquette around the world. Practice moves, so if something reads wrong for a country you know well, let me know and it goes into the next update.

Service in the price is not the same as a service charge on the bill

These two phrases sound identical and mean opposite things, and mixing them up is the single most common mistake in tipping advice about Europe.

Service in the price means the menu price is the final price. Staff are paid a wage, the wage is costed into the dish, and nothing is added at the end. This is the normal arrangement in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. Denmark has required it since 1976 under its pricing rules, and France has required restaurants to quote service-inclusive prices since 1987. In these countries a tip is a bonus on top of a complete transaction.

A service charge on the bill is a separate line, usually 10% to 15%, added after you eat. You meet it most often in the United Kingdom, in Hungary, in tourist-district restaurants in Greece, Italy, Croatia and Turkey, and in hotel restaurants almost anywhere. Where that line is present, you have already tipped and nothing more is expected.

Two practical consequences follow. Read the bill before you decide anything, because the answer is printed on it. And in most of the European Union a service line has to be disclosed on the menu or price list before you order, which means you can ask for an undisclosed one to be removed. Czech consumer rules work this way, and so do Italy’s price-transparency rules for the coperto.

Tipping on a card terminal in Europe

Card terminals across Western and Northern Europe now ask you to add a tip, and the prompt is new enough that plenty of older tipping guides do not mention it. Suggested-tip screens arrived in French restaurants in 2022 alongside a tax change that made card tips exempt from income tax and social contributions for lower-paid staff, a measure France has since extended to the end of 2028. The payment company Yavin told Connexion France that venues fitting the prompts saw tips triple.

The prompts are now common in the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the Nordic countries, and much patchier in Southern and Eastern Europe. Three things are worth knowing before one appears in front of you.

1. The suggested percentages are set by the venue or the terminal supplier, not by local custom. A screen offering 15%, 18% and 20% in Amsterdam is showing you American defaults, not Dutch ones.
2. “Custom” and “No tip” are always options, even when the buttons are small. Declining is not a faux pas in a country where service is in the price.
3. Cash still reaches staff more reliably in some countries. In Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia and Turkey the convention is to hand the tip to the server, and in the UK the law changed in 2024 precisely because card tips had not always been passed on.

Tipping in Europe at a glance

The table below gives the restaurant convention, whether a service charge is likely to appear as a separate line, and the taxi convention for each of the 46 countries covered. Percentages are conventions rather than rules, and the country sections underneath explain the exceptions.

Tipping etiquette in Europe, country by country

Albania

Tipping in Albania is welcome and never obligatory, and rounding up covers most situations. Albanian hospitality runs the other way round from a tipping culture, so hosts and staff may tell you not to bother, and they mean it.

Restaurants and bars: Round the bill up, or leave 5% to 10% if the meal was good. Bar staff are not tipped unless someone takes an order at your table.

Taxis and tour guides: Round the fare up. Guides are usually given around 10% of the tour price.

Hotels: A few hundred lek covers a porter or a day of housekeeping in a mid-range or higher-end hotel. There is no need to tip a bellboy if the hotel has not got one.

Andorra

Tipping in Andorra follows the Spanish and French pattern of small change rather than percentages. A service charge often sits inside the restaurant price, and anything you add on top is voluntary.

Restaurants and bars: Around 10% if you were pleased and no service line appears. In a bar, loose change on the counter is plenty.

Taxis and tour guides: Round the fare up or add about 10%. A few euros suits a guide at the end of a tour.

Hotels: Roughly €1 to €2 for a doorman or a bag, and €0.50 to €1.50 for a washroom attendant.

Local note: Cash reaches the person who served you. A tip added to a card payment in a small Andorran business may not.

Armenia

Tipping in Armenia is a recent habit that has taken hold in Yerevan and stayed rare outside it. Nobody tipped during the Soviet period, so an older Armenian may genuinely assume you have forgotten your change on the table.

Restaurants and bars: In Yerevan, 5% to 10% is normal, and many restaurants add a service charge instead, so check the bill first. Outside the capital, tipping in small places is uncommon.

Taxis and tour guides: Round the fare up, particularly after a long drive. Guides and drivers on private tours are usually tipped, and there is no fixed convention for how much.

Hotels: Porters and doormen in city hotels accept tips in dram.

Austria

Tipping in Austria means rounding up and handing the money to the server, not leaving coins behind. Austrian menu prices already include service, so the round-up is the whole of the custom.

Restaurants and bars: Round up, or add 5% to 10% for good service. Bar staff who serve your table expect the same.

Taxis and tour guides: Round the fare up or add about 10%. A couple of euros suits a guide at the end of a walking tour.

Hotels: Around €1 to €2 per bag for a porter, and a similar amount per day for housekeeping.

Local note: Do not leave the tip on the table in Austria. Say the total you want to pay as you hand over the money, so a €32 bill becomes “fünfunddreissig” if you are paying €35 in all. Saying “danke” as you hand over a note means keep the change.

Azerbaijan

Tipping in Azerbaijan is not a strong local habit, and most Baku restaurants settle it for you with a service charge. Anything beyond that is a bonus for service you thought was above average.

Restaurants and bars: Check for a service line first. If there is none, 10% is the usual figure.

Taxis and tour guides: Metered London-style cabs get the fare rounded up. Where you negotiate the fare in advance, the agreed price is the whole payment.

Hotels: A few manats per bag for a porter is generous.

Belgium

Tipping in Belgium is genuinely optional, because prices include service and VAT by law and staff are paid a proper wage. Rounding up or leaving a couple of euros after a good meal is what locals do, and skipping it entirely is unremarkable.

Restaurants and bars: Round the bill up or leave a couple of euros. In a cafe, small change on the table or the counter is normal. At a bar, most people leave nothing.

Taxis and tour guides: Drivers do not expect a tip, though rounding up after help with luggage is polite. Tours already include the guide’s fee, so a few euros is a bonus rather than an expectation.

Hotels: A couple of euros for a bellhop. Tipping housekeeping is not customary in Belgium.

Local note: Tipping is often said to be a little more common in French-speaking Wallonia than in Dutch-speaking Flanders, though this is a soft regional impression rather than anything measured.

Bulgaria

Tipping in Bulgaria matters more than in most of Europe, because restaurant wages are low and staff count on it. Around 10% is the working figure in cities such as Sofia, Varna and Burgas.

Restaurants and bars: Leave about 10%, and more if the service was good. Bartenders are usually given small change or the rounded-up total.

Taxis and tour guides: Round the fare up. Guides are commonly given 5% to 10% of the tour price.

Hotels: Hotels do not usually add a service charge, so a small tip per bag and per housekeeping day is expected in Bulgaria.

Local note: Bulgaria adopted the euro on 1 January 2026 and the lev stopped being legal tender on 1 February 2026, at a fixed rate of 1.95583 lev to the euro. Any tipping guide still quoting lev amounts predates the changeover. Dual pricing in both currencies was required until 8 August 2026, so older price lists may still show two figures.

Croatia

Tipping in Croatia is a token of appreciation rather than a duty, and 10% is the figure locals use when they are pleased. Nobody minds if you leave nothing after ordinary service.

Restaurants and bars: Around 10% in a restaurant, more if the meal was memorable. Locals rarely tip at a bar unless there is table service.

Taxis and tour guides: Croatian taxis are metered and drivers do not expect a tip, so rounding up is enough. Guides earn a real part of their income from tips, and a few euros per person after a walking tour is normal.

Hotels: A euro or two per bag for a porter, and a similar amount per day for housekeeping.

Local note: Croatia joined the euro on 1 January 2023 and the kuna is no longer legal tender. Guides quoting tips in kuna have not been updated since 2022, and kuna notes cannot be used or given as a tip.

Cyprus

Tipping in Cyprus is light, and many restaurant bills settle it with a 10% service line. Where that line appears, nothing more is expected.

Restaurants and bars: Round the bill up, or leave about 10% for good service if no charge is listed. Pubs and bars do not expect anything.

Taxis and tour guides: Round the fare up. Guides are often given around 10% of the tour price.

Hotels: Roughly €1 to €2 per suitcase, and €2 to €4 for housekeeping across a stay.

Local note: This section covers the Republic of Cyprus, which uses the euro. The north uses the Turkish lira and follows Turkish conventions.

Czechia

Tipping in Czechia is common and unforced, and 10% is the figure Czechs themselves use. Menu prices in the country are the final prices, which is why the tip sits entirely in your hands.

Restaurants and bars: Around 10% for good service, handed to the server rather than left on the table. Say the total you want to pay when you hand over the money.

Taxis and tour guides: If you agreed a fixed fare in advance, that fare is the whole payment. On a metered ride, round up. Guides are usually given about 10% of the tour price.

Hotels: Small change per bag for a porter, in koruna.

Local note: Some Prague restaurants in tourist streets print “service not included” on the bill or the menu. Under Czech consumer rules a separate service charge is only enforceable if it was shown on the menu before you ordered, so an undisclosed line can be questioned. The sign itself is a nudge, not an obligation. Czechia uses the koruna, not the euro.

Denmark

Tipping in Denmark is not expected, because Danish pricing rules have required service to be inside the advertised price since 1976. Staff are paid a wage that does not depend on you.

Restaurants and bars: Nothing is needed. Rounding up after an unusually good meal is welcome and nobody will chase you for it.

Taxis and tour guides: Fares and tour prices already include service. Round up a few kroner if you want to.

Hotels: The same rule applies. Accommodation prices include service.

Local note: Card terminals in Copenhagen restaurants now sometimes offer a tip prompt, which is a payments-industry habit rather than a Danish one. Declining it is completely normal in Denmark.

Estonia

Tipping in Estonia was rare until fairly recently and is now normal in Tallinn restaurants that see visitors. Locals still tip lightly or not at all.

Restaurants and bars: Check whether service has been added, then leave around 10% in a good restaurant if it has not. Card terminals in Tallinn commonly prompt for a tip.

Taxis and tour guides: Round the fare up, or add about 10%. Guides are usually tipped after a walking tour, with the amount left to you.

Hotels: About €1 per bag for a porter, and more for a concierge who solved a real problem.

Finland

Tipping in Finland is not part of the culture and no one will expect it. Service is included in restaurant, taxi and tour prices.

Restaurants and bars: No tip is needed. Rounding up is done for convenience rather than as a reward, and a larger tip will not offend anyone.

Taxis and tour guides: Fares include service. Guides do not expect a tip and may accept one awkwardly.

Hotels: Housekeeping does not expect anything. Around €1 per bag suits a porter.

Local note: Finland has a long tradition of frugality in everyday manners, which is part of why tipping never took hold. If somebody declines your tip, do not press it.

France

Tipping in France is a gesture on top of a bill that already includes service, and €1 to €2 or about 5% covers it. French law has required restaurants to quote service-inclusive prices since 1987, which is what “service compris” on a bill means.

Restaurants and bars: Leave a euro or two after a normal meal, or around 5% after a very good one. Cafes and bars are not tipped.

Taxis and tour guides: Round the fare up, or add about 10% after help with luggage. A few euros per person suits a walking-tour guide.

Hotels: About €1 to €2 per bag, and €1 to €2 per night for housekeeping.

Local note: France is where card-terminal tip prompts arrived first, in 2022. The same reform made tips tax-free for staff earning under 1.6 times the minimum wage, and the 2026 budget law extended that exemption to 31 December 2028. Tips are the one line on a French bill that goes straight to the person who served you.

Georgia

Tipping in Georgia is appreciated and never demanded, and many Tbilisi restaurants add 10% for you. Georgian hospitality does not treat a tip as part of the deal.

Restaurants and bars: Look for the 10% service line first, then decide whether to add anything. There is no obligation to tip after poor service, and bars are generally not tipped.

Taxis and tour guides: Round the fare up to a whole number of lari. Guides on day trips are commonly given 10% to 15%, with the driver getting about half of that.

Hotels: A lari or two per bag, and a few lari per day for housekeeping.

Germany

Tipping in Germany means rounding up and telling the server the total, usually 5% to 10% on a restaurant bill. Prices include service, so the tip is a courtesy rather than a wage.

Restaurants and bars: Round up to a convenient figure, or add 5% to 10%. At a bar you normally run a tab and settle it with the tip when you leave.

Taxis and tour guides: Round the fare up to the next euro or 50 cents, and add €1 to €2 if the driver handled luggage. Guides are commonly given about 10% at the end of a tour.

Hotels: Around €1 to €2 per day for housekeeping, €1 to €3 per bag for a porter, and a few euros for room service.

Local note: Hand the tip to the server as you pay rather than leaving it on the table. Tap water is often not free in Germany and some restaurants will decline to bring it.

Greece

Tipping in Greece is optional and light, and 5% to 10% covers a restaurant meal. Check the bill first, because tourist-area restaurants sometimes add a service line.

Restaurants and bars: Leave 5% to 10% if nothing has been added. Locals mostly leave nothing at a bar.

Taxis and tour guides: Drivers do not expect a tip, so round up after help with bags or directions. A few euros per person suits a group-tour guide.

Hotels: About €1 per bag, and €1 per day for housekeeping.

Local note: Greece made tips tax-free for hospitality staff up to €300 a month from November 2025, and from the 2026 tax year replaced that with a single annual tax-free ceiling of €6,000. Tips are also exempt from social insurance contributions.

Hungary

Tipping in Hungary is more entrenched than in neighbouring countries, and many restaurants settle it with a service charge of 10% to 15%. Where that line is on the bill, you have already tipped.

Restaurants and bars: Check the bill for a szervizdíj line first. If there is none, 10% to 15% is the convention, handed to the server rather than left on the table. Buying a drink, leave the small change.

Taxis and tour guides: Add 5% to 10% or round the fare up. Book a Budapest taxi by phone or app and ask for an estimate, because street-hailed cabs have a long history of overcharging visitors.

Hotels: A few hundred forints per bag, and a similar amount per day for housekeeping.

Local note: Tipping reaches further into daily life in Hungary than in most of Europe, including hairdressers, delivery drivers, masseurs and washroom attendants.

Iceland

Tipping in Iceland is not expected, because service is inside the listed price everywhere from restaurants to tours and car hire. Icelandic staff are paid under collective agreements that do not assume gratuities.

Restaurants and bars: Nothing is needed. Rounding up or leaving around 10% after very good service is accepted and unusual.

Taxis and tour guides: Taxi drivers are not tipped. Guides on tours do not expect anything, and a specialist guide on a long fishing or hiking trip may be given something at the end.

Hotels: Hotel staff are not tipped in Iceland.

Local note: Older guides describe a “15% service charge added to the bill” in Iceland. The figure is folded into the price rather than added as a line, so you will not find it printed on a receipt.

Ireland

Tipping in Ireland has no formal rules, and 10% to 15% in a restaurant is what most people leave when nothing has been added. Check the menu, because some places state a service charge and some do not.

Restaurants and bars: Leave 10% to 15% if no service charge is listed. Tipping for a drink ordered at the bar is not done, though €1 to €2 a round is normal where drinks are brought to your table.

Taxis and tour guides: Round the fare up or add about 10%. On a group walking tour the guide may pass a hat at the end, which is how free tours are paid for.

Hotels: Around €1 to €2 for a porter, and a similar amount per night for housekeeping.

Local note: Irish staff often take pride in service for its own sake, and a refused tip is a point of principle rather than a rebuke.

Italy

Tipping in Italy is modest, and rounding up or leaving a few euros is all that is expected. Italians do not tip percentages, and the charges on an Italian bill are not tips.

Restaurants and bars: Leave small change or a few euros, rarely more than 10%. A “coperto” line is a per-person cover charge for the table setting and bread, not a gratuity, and a “servizio” line of 10% to 15% in a tourist restaurant is a service charge that replaces any tip.

Taxis and tour guides: Round the fare up. Guides do not expect more than the tour price, though a couple of euros each for the guide and driver on an excursion is normal.

Hotels: A few euros for a porter, a concierge or housekeeping.

Local note: The coperto has been banned as a separate line in Lazio, the region around Rome, by regional law since 2006, so Roman bills charge for “pane” instead. Anywhere in Italy, a coperto or servizio has to be shown on the menu before you order to be enforceable. Coffee and snacks also cost less standing at the bar than sitting at a table, which is a price difference rather than a service charge.

Kazakhstan

Tipping in Kazakhstan is straightforward, because most restaurants add a service charge and settle the question for you. Only a small strip of the country west of the Ural river lies in Europe, which is why it appears on both this page and the Asia guide.

Restaurants and bars: Look for the service line first. Without one, 5% to 15% is a fair range in a city restaurant.

Taxis and tour guides: Fares are usually negotiated before the ride, and the agreed price is the whole payment. A helpful driver who handles luggage or gives good directions is worth a few hundred tenge. Guides do not expect a tip.

Hotels: A small amount in tenge per bag for a porter, and per day for housekeeping.

Local note: Street parking attendants in coloured uniforms will help you park and expect a small coin for it.

Latvia

Tipping in Latvia is casual, and 10% is what people leave in a restaurant when service has not been added. Riga restaurants that see visitors increasingly add it for you.

Restaurants and bars: Around 10% if no service charge is listed, and nothing extra if one is. Ordering at the bar does not call for a tip, though table service does.

Taxis and tour guides: Round the fare up or add 10%. Paying the exact metered fare is also fine.

Hotels: A euro or two per bag for a porter.

Local note: Latvia has used the euro since 2014. Guides quoting Latvian lats, written “Ls”, are more than a decade out of date, and a figure such as “Ls50 per bag” that circulated in old tipping lists was worth roughly €70.

Liechtenstein

Tipping in Liechtenstein follows Swiss practice, which is to round up to the next franc and leave it there. Service is inside the price.

Restaurants and bars: Round the bill up by a franc or two after a small meal, and by more in an expensive restaurant if the service was good.

Taxis and tour guides: Round the fare up to the nearest franc. Guides do not expect a tip.

Hotels: Most hotels include service. Around 1 CHF for room service is a courtesy.

Local note: As in Austria and Switzerland, say the total you intend to pay rather than leaving money on the table.

Lithuania

Tipping in Lithuania arrived with tourism in the late 1990s and settled at around 10%. Most Lithuanians do not expect anything.

Restaurants and bars: Around 10% in a restaurant, and there is no floor: small change is a real tip here. Bar staff do not expect anything and may decline, though a tip jar is fair game.

Taxis and tour guides: Round the total fare up. Guides on walking tours are commonly tipped a few euros per person.

Hotels: Expected only in top-end hotels, where porters and housekeeping accept a small amount.

Local note: Lithuania has used the euro since 2015, so figures in litas, written “Lt”, predate 2015. Saying “ačiū” as you hand over money signals that you are not waiting for change.

Luxembourg

Tipping in Luxembourg is voluntary, because service is quoted inside hotel, restaurant and taxi prices. Rounding up is the usual gesture.

Restaurants and bars: Leave the change on a modest meal, or up to 10% on an expensive one.

Taxis and tour guides: Drivers commonly receive around 10% or the rounded-up fare. A few euros each suits the guide and driver on a tour.

Hotels: Roughly €1 to €2.50 per bag, and about €1.50 per night for housekeeping in Luxembourg.

Malta

Tipping in Malta sits at 5% to 10% in restaurants, and the Maltese eat out often enough to have firm habits about it. Check the menu, because some restaurants state a service charge.

Restaurants and bars: Leave 5% to 10% where nothing has been added. Bar staff are not tipped unless they take orders and serve at your table.

Taxis and tour guides: Round the fare up or leave up to 10%. Guides are commonly given around 10% of the tour price, and the driver about half that.

Hotels: Around €2 to €3 for a porter or for housekeeping.

Local note: Small coins are the currency of car park attendants, washroom attendants and doorkeepers.

Monaco

Tipping in Monaco is usually settled by a service charge on the bill, and adding to it is entirely at your discretion. Practice matches France rather than Italy.

Restaurants and bars: Nothing extra is expected where a service charge is listed. Where the service was exceptional, 10% is a generous addition. Bars are optional.

Taxis and tour guides: Drivers are mostly self-employed and do not expect a tip, so round the fare up if one helped you. Guides are commonly given around 10%.

Hotels: About €1 to €2 per bag for valets and porters, and €1 a day for housekeeping.

Netherlands

Tipping in the Netherlands is appreciated and never required, because service and VAT sit inside the listed price. Rounding up, or 5% to 10% after a good meal, is what Dutch diners do.

Restaurants and bars: Round the bill up, or leave 5% to 10% if you were pleased. Leaving it on the table is normal here, unlike in Austria or Germany. At a bar, paying the exact amount is fine.

Taxis and tour guides: Fares are high and tipping is uncommon, so round up after real help with luggage. Guides do not expect a tip and will happily take a few euros.

Hotels: Around €1 to €2 per bag for a porter. Housekeeping is not usually tipped in the Netherlands.

Local note: Card terminals in Amsterdam now often prompt for a tip with American default percentages. Those defaults are not Dutch convention.

North Macedonia

Tipping in North Macedonia is uncommon among locals, whose salaries are low, and warmly received when a visitor offers it. Rounding up is the everyday version.

Restaurants and bars: Round the bill up in ordinary places, and leave 10% to 15% in a nicer restaurant if no service charge has been added.

Taxis and tour guides: Tipping drivers is not common, and up to 10% is generous after real help. Use a recognised taxi rank and agree the fare first. Guides are commonly given 5% to 10% of the tour price.

Hotels: Staff do not expect tips, and a small amount in denar is welcome.

Local note: The country changed its name from Macedonia to North Macedonia in February 2019, so older tipping guides file it under the former name.

Norway

Tipping in Norway is not customary, and staff earn wages that do not depend on it. Where the service was genuinely good, 5% to 10% is the ceiling locals use.

Restaurants and bars: Nothing is expected beyond the bill. Leave 5% to 10% after exceptional service, or round up at a bar.

Taxis and tour guides: Tour prices include service. Round up a long fare or after help with luggage.

Hotels: Norwegians do not tip hotel staff, and you are not expected to either.

Local note: Norway is expensive precisely because service wages are inside the prices. If you want a rule, do not go above 10%, because locals rarely do.

Poland

Tipping in Poland is discretionary and 10% is the working figure, and waiting staff on modest wages notice it. Check whether a service charge, “narzut”, has been added.

Restaurants and bars: Around 10% where nothing has been added, and more after very good service.

Taxis and tour guides: Drivers commonly expect around 10%, and rounding up is simpler. Guides are usually given about 10% of the tour price.

Hotels: A few złoty for a porter, and the same for housekeeping.

Local note: Saying “dziękuję” as you hand over money tells the server in Poland to keep the change, so save it until you have your change back.

Portugal

Tipping in Portugal is light and concentrated in tourist areas such as Lisbon and the Algarve. Rounding up or leaving 5% to 10% after a sit-down meal is generous.

Restaurants and bars: Round up, or leave 5% to 10% in a restaurant. In a bar, €1 to €2 after good service is plenty and nothing at all is normal.

Taxis and tour guides: Round the fare up or leave the small change. A few euros per person suits a guide.

Hotels: Around €1 to €2 for a porter or concierge, and about €1 a day for housekeeping.

Local note: The bread, olives and cheese that arrive before you order in Portugal are the “couvert” and they are charged for. They are not a tip and not a gift, and you can send back what you do not want before opening it. Tipping itself is done quietly, with cash left on the table rather than handed over in front of an audience.

Romania

Tipping in Romania is common across restaurants, bars, taxis, deliveries and hairdressers, and 10% is the everyday figure. Nothing is compulsory.

Restaurants and bars: Leave around 10%, or 15% after service you thought was very good. Bar tips are smaller and often just the rounded-up total.

Taxis and tour guides: Drivers do not expect a tip, so round the fare up. Guides are commonly given a small note per day rather than a percentage.

Hotels: A few lei per day for housekeeping and per bag for a bellhop, and rather more for a concierge who fixed something.

Local note: Romanian coins are worth very little, so tip in notes.

Russia

Tipping in Russia is discretionary and around 10% in restaurants, and it has to be paid in cash. Foreign Visa and Mastercard cards have not worked in Russia since 2022, so a card tip is not an option for a visitor.

Restaurants and bars: Check for a service charge, then leave around 10% in cash handed to the server. Money left on the table can go to the house. Rural restaurants barely tip at all.

Taxis and tour guides: Agree the fare before the ride, then round it up or add about 10%. Guides on private tours are tipped in roubles.

Hotels: Small cash amounts in roubles for porters and housekeeping, and more for a concierge who arranged something.

Local note: Tip in roubles rather than dollars or euros. Several governments, including the US and the UK, currently advise against travel to Russia, so check your own government’s advice before planning a trip at all.

San Marino

Tipping in San Marino follows Italian practice and there is no formal custom of its own. Service is often already in the bill.

Restaurants and bars: Nothing is required where a service fee is included. Otherwise 5% to 10% is appreciated.

Taxis and tour guides: Round the fare up to the nearest euro. Guides are not usually tipped.

Hotels: Around €1 for room service.

Local note: Keep a few euro coins for public washrooms.

Serbia

Tipping in Serbia, called napojnica, is not deeply rooted but is spreading in Belgrade. Service is rarely included, so what you leave is the whole tip.

Restaurants and bars: Around 10% in a good restaurant, and the rounded-up total in a bar or a cheap eatery. There is no obligation after poor service.

Taxis and tour guides: Drivers do not expect a tip, though rounding up has become common. Guides do not generally expect a napojnica.

Hotels: A small amount in dinars per bag and per housekeeping day. Older tipping lists quote figures around 1,000 dinars per bag, which is close to €9 and far above local practice.

Local note: Restaurant musicians who play at your table expect something, and washroom attendants expect a coin.

Slovakia

Tipping in Slovakia is around 10%, handed to the server rather than left on the table. Cash is preferred even when you pay the bill by card.

Restaurants and bars: Leave about 10% where no automatic service charge appears. Bars usually offer table service, and the same 10% or a rounded-up total applies.

Taxis and tour guides: Round the fare up or add 10%. Guides are commonly given about 10% of the tour price.

Hotels: About €1 per bag for a porter, €1 to €2 for a helpful concierge, and €1 a day for housekeeping.

Local note: Slovakia has used the euro since 2009, so any guide quoting Slovak koruna, written “Sk”, predates the changeover. Saying “ďakujem” as you hand over money means keep the change.

Slovenia

Tipping in Slovenia is welcome and not expected, and 10% is the figure in restaurants where service has not been added. The habit has grown with tourism in Ljubljana and on the coast.

Restaurants and bars: Around 10% where nothing is included, up to 15% after very good service, and nothing at all after poor service. Bartenders do not expect a tip.

Taxis and tour guides: Round the fare up to the nearest euro. Paying the exact fare is not an insult. Guides are tipped at your discretion.

Hotels: A euro or two for a porter and for housekeeping.

Spain

Tipping in Spain is casual, and rounding up or leaving 5% to 10% after a sit-down meal covers it. Most Spaniards leave small change or nothing.

Restaurants and bars: Round the bill up in a cheap restaurant, or leave 5% to 10% in a proper one. Cash reaches staff more reliably than a card tip. Bars are not tipped unless there is table service.

Taxis and tour guides: Drivers do not expect a tip, so round the fare up. On coach tours the tip is often collected in a basket, and around a euro each for the guide and driver is normal.

Hotels: In mid-range hotels nothing beyond the room rate is needed. In high-end hotels in Spain, about €1 per bag and €1 a day for housekeeping.

Local note: Older guides tie Spanish tipping to the financial crisis of 2008 to 2014 and urge extra generosity because of it. That framing is long out of date, and Spanish practice today is simply light.

Sweden

Tipping in Sweden is not a local habit and staff may look puzzled when you try. Locals pay the quoted amount or round to the nearest ten kronor.

Restaurants and bars: Assume service is included unless the bill says otherwise. If you were pleased, 5% to 10% is generous. Rounding a bar tab up to the next round figure is the usual gesture.

Taxis and tour guides: Guides do not need a tip. Offer a driver a few kronor if you travelled with luggage.

Hotels: Staff do not expect anything, and porters and housekeeping will accept a small amount.

Local note: Swedish waiting staff are covered by collectively agreed wages rather than a minimum wage topped up by tips, which is why nobody in Sweden is counting on yours. Card terminals in Stockholm have started prompting anyway.

Switzerland

Tipping in Switzerland is optional and small, and rounding up to the next franc or two is the whole convention. Service has been inside quoted prices for restaurants, bars, taxis and hotels since the 1970s.

Restaurants and bars: Round the bill up to a convenient figure, and go to 5% to 10% only after service you thought was exceptional. At a bar, round the tab up.

Taxis and tour guides: Drivers are used to being paid the exact fare and will not mind a round-up. Guides are commonly given about 10% of the tour price, and the driver about half of that.

Hotels: Around 1 to 2 CHF per bag, and about 1 CHF a day for housekeeping.

Local note: Tip in Swiss francs. Euros are accepted in many shops but change comes back in francs at a poor rate.

Turkey

Tipping in Turkey, called bahşiş, is a courtesy rather than an obligation, and 10% is the usual figure in a sit-down restaurant. Waiting staff do rely on it to supplement their pay.

Restaurants and bars: Around 10% in a proper restaurant, and nothing needed in a cheap cafe or a lokanta. Tourist-area restaurants often add a “servis” line, in which case you have already tipped. Hand a bar tip to the bartender directly.

Taxis and tour guides: Drivers do not expect a tip, so round the fare up. On a group tour, tip the guide and driver only if you thought the day was well run, and treat the amount as coming from the group rather than each person.

Hotels: Small amounts per bag and per housekeeping day, and a tip box at reception if there is one.

Local note: Tip in lira and in notes, and in cash, because many places cannot add a tip to a card payment. Any tipping guide quoting fixed lira amounts from a few years ago is now quoting sums worth almost nothing, so use percentages instead of the numbers you find in old articles.

Ukraine

Tipping in Ukraine has become a normal part of eating out, especially in Kyiv, and around 10% is the figure. Service is not usually included, though it is worth checking.

Restaurants and bars: Around 10%, going to 15% after very good service. At a bar, round up or leave nothing.

Taxis and tour guides: Agree the fare in advance and round it up. Guides are tipped in hryvnia at your discretion.

Hotels: Many hotels add a service charge. A small amount in hryvnia suits porters and housekeeping.

Local note: Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, and most governments advise against travel to the country. Check your own government’s current advice before planning a trip. The capital is spelled Kyiv, not the older Kiev.

United Kingdom

Tipping in the United Kingdom is settled by the bill more often than by you, because 12.5% is commonly added as an optional service charge in restaurants. Where it appears, nothing further is expected, and you may ask for it to be removed.

Restaurants and bars: Check the bill and the menu for a service charge. Where none is listed, 10% to 15% is the convention in a sit-down restaurant. Tipping at a pub bar is not done, and offering to buy the bartender a drink is the traditional alternative.

Taxis and tour guides: In a metered black cab, add about 10% or round up to the nearest pound. Minicab fares are agreed in advance and need nothing more. Around £2 to £5 suits a walking-tour guide, less in a large group.

Hotels: About £1 to £2 per bag for a porter. Housekeeping is not routinely tipped.

Local note: Since 1 October 2024 the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 has required employers in England, Wales and Scotland to pass on tips, gratuities and service charges to staff in full, with no deductions beyond those required by law, and to keep a written tipping policy. It does not apply in Northern Ireland. Before that Act, a card tip in the UK did not reliably reach the person who served you, which is why older advice insists on cash.

Vatican City

Tipping in Vatican City follows Italian practice, which is to round up rather than calculate a percentage. Service is often already in the bill.

Restaurants and bars: Where no service is included, €1 to €2 per person is appropriate, counted by heads rather than as a share of the bill. At a counter, standing up costs less than sitting down.

Taxis and tour guides: Almost everything inside the walls is walkable. Guides on Vatican Museums tours may accept a small tip at the end, and none is required.

Hotels: The Vatican has no ordinary tourist hotels, so you will be staying in Rome and tipping Italian-style.

Tipping tour guides in Europe

Tipping a tour guide in Europe is normal even in countries where tipping otherwise is not, because guiding is one of the few European jobs where gratuities are a real part of the income. The pattern is consistent enough to state plainly.

1. Free walking tours: pay what the tour was worth to you. There is no ticket price, the guide pays a fee per head to the operator, and the hat at the end is the whole wage. This is the one European tipping situation where leaving nothing genuinely costs somebody money.
2. Paid group tours: a few euros per person is normal. The tour price covers the guide. Anything you add is a bonus, handed over at the end.
3. Private tours and full-day excursions: around 10% of the price. Where a driver comes with the guide, the convention is to give the driver about half of what you give the guide.
4. Museum and gallery staff: nothing. State-run cultural institutions across Europe do not run on tips.

Tour prices and availability change constantly, so the widget below pulls current tours and prices rather than quoting figures that would be stale by the time you read them.

Tipping drivers, and when you can skip the question

Tipping a driver in Europe means rounding the fare up, in every country on this page without exception. No European taxi convention asks for an American-style percentage, and 10% is the top of the range anywhere.

There are two ordinary ways to remove the question from your trip altogether. Trains and long-distance buses carry no tipping expectation at all, which is one reason so much European travel between cities happens on rails, and you can compare routes and operators across the continent through Omio’s Europe-wide train and bus search. For trips where the timetable does not reach, driving yourself removes both the fare and the tip, and rural Croatia, Iceland, Ireland and Portugal are far easier with a car than without one. DiscoverCars compares hire cars across European suppliers in one search, which matters most in the countries where a station transfer would otherwise mean a negotiated taxi fare.

What to carry so you can tip at all

Carrying a little cash is what makes tipping possible in the countries where it matters most, and the list of those countries is shorter than it used to be. Cash is close to essential in Russia, useful in Turkey, Serbia, North Macedonia, Albania and Ukraine, and merely convenient across most of the euro area. Two habits are worth building.

• Keep small notes in the local currency. Coins are near-worthless in Romania and Turkey, and no use at all where the tip is meant to be handed over rather than left.
• Check the currency before you assume it. Bulgaria moved to the euro in January 2026, Croatia in 2023, Lithuania in 2015 and Latvia in 2014, and older tipping guides still quote sums in currencies that no longer exist.

Checking a bill, a conversion or a service-charge line is easier when the phone has data the moment you land, and an Airalo regional eSIM covers most of Europe on one plan without swapping the physical SIM. The code HARRY5578 takes €3 off a first order. An eSIM is a data plan on a single phone rather than a shared hotspot, so it suits a solo traveller or one person per handset.

Tipping in Europe FAQ

Do you tip in Europe? Yes, but far less than in North America, and never as an obligation. In most European countries 5% to 10% in a restaurant is a good tip and rounding up is normal, because service is already inside the price.

Is it rude not to tip in Europe? No. Leaving nothing after ordinary service is unremarkable in almost every European country, and it is completely normal in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

Which European countries expect a tip? Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine come closest to expecting one, because restaurant wages there are low enough that staff plan around it. Around 10% is the figure in each.

Should I tip in cash or on the card in Europe? Cash reaches the person who served you more reliably in Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Spain and Turkey. Card tips are safe in the UK, where employers have been legally required to pass on 100% of tips since October 2024.

What is the difference between a coperto, a couvert and a service charge? A coperto in Italy and a couvert in Portugal are per-person charges for the table setting, bread and olives, not tips. A service charge is a percentage added in place of a tip. All three have to be disclosed before you order.

WonderfulWanderings Pro Tips

The 5 tips below come from the law, tourism-board and currency checks made for this page in 2026, and each one corrects something older tipping guides still get wrong.

1. Stop looking for a service charge in Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Guides that quote “a 12.5% service fee in Austria” or “15% included in Dutch bills” are describing service inside the menu price, which is not a line anyone adds at the end. Nothing is added to the bill in those four countries, so a tip there is a bonus on a transaction that is already complete.
2. Ignore every figure quoted in lev, kuna, lats, litas or koruna. Bulgaria moved to the euro on 1 January 2026, Croatia in 2023, Lithuania in 2015, Latvia in 2014 and Slovakia in 2009, so those sums cannot physically be handed over. One widely copied list told readers to give a porter Ls50 a bag, which was roughly €70 for carrying one suitcase.
3. Expect a Roman bill to charge for “pane” rather than “coperto”. Lazio banned the coperto as a separate line by regional law in 2006, so restaurants around Rome list bread instead. Anywhere else in Italy a coperto or a servizio only holds if it was printed on the menu before you ordered, which means you can ask for an undisclosed one to come off.
4. Tip on the card in Britain, but not in Northern Ireland. The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 has required employers in England, Wales and Scotland to pass on tips in full since 1 October 2024, with a written policy to back it up. Northern Ireland sits outside that Act, so cash is still the safer route there.
5. Bring roubles if you go to Russia at all. Foreign Visa and Mastercard cards have not worked in the country since 2022, which makes a card tip impossible for a visitor. Several governments, including the US and the UK, currently advise against travel to Russia, so check your own before you plan around any of this.

About the author. This guide is written and maintained by the Wonderful Wanderings editorial team. Wonderful Wanderings was founded in 2012 by Sofie Couwenbergh, and the site has been covering European travel from a base in Belgium ever since. The team tracks tipping practice, service-charge law and currency changes across the continent for independent travellers, including the tours, hotels, trains and hire cars worth booking, and updates this page when the rules and the currencies move.