How should I tip in Italy?
| Title: | How should I tip in Italy? | |||||||
| Category: | Banking and Money in Italy | |||||||
| Author: | Daniele Pintaudi | Updated: | Jan 30, 2019 | Views: | 11,827 | |||
| Tags: | tips in italy how tips work in italy tips at italian restaurant | |||||||
Tipping is often a difficult subject since it is so dependent on varied levels of service. In Italy, even more so, since not everyone tips, and not everyone expects tips. Additionally, you will hear many opinions about tipping, so here is a general guide from my personal experience over the years:
When You Are Not With Us
When you are with us, we take care of everything. But many guests plan time in Italy before and after their vacation with us. Here are some guidelines:
Porters/Bell-Hops, Others carrying your bags
Base this on how helpful they were, and how complex their job was. In a hotel where they simply wheel your bags to your room, €1 to €2 per bag is quite generous. If they are having to lug your bags upstairs, or uphill, €4 to €5 per bag is more appropriate. Note: On vacations with us where we stay in hotels, you may wish to tip a porter if you have your bags taken to your room.
Drivers / Taxis
If you have an hourly or daily driver, even though tips are sometimes said to be included in the bill, it is usually very little. 10% of the bill would usually be appropriate. If the driver really went way out of their way to help you, a larger tip would certainly be appreciated. With Taxis, €1 or €2 is usually quite generous if the driver was pleasant.
Restaurants
Tipping in restaurants in not expected in Italy as it is in much of the world. All Italian restaurants have a cover charge (called Pane e coperto). Still little, if any of this goes to the waiters. If you want to be generous, 5% to 10% of your bill will always be very well received.
Tipping the Culture Discovery Team
Our vacations are all-inclusive, so we take care of all of the tipping at restaurants, with guides, etc. while you are with us. However, people often ask about tipping our team. Think of it the way cruises USED to be. Tipping of our staff is always very appreciated at the end of your time with us, but it is by no means mandatory. There is no fixed expectation, and nobody is ever offended. We have had guests leave hundreds of Euros for our staff, and we have had guests leave nothing. Either way, all is well :-). That said, typically our guests will leave a lump sum with our vacation hosts to divide among the team. The total left is then divided up evenly among the staff, based on how much they worked on a given vacation