Tipping Private tour guides in St Petersburg

I have contracted with a guide and driver for a three day tour in St Petersburg. The guide has given me a fixed price. I believe the guide is an is an independent contractor - not working for a company. Is it customery to add an additional gratuity? If so, how much (%) is customary?

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I have contracted with a guide and driver for a three day tour in St Petersburg. The guide has given me a fixed price. I believe the guide is an is an independent contractor - not working for a company. Is it customery to add an additional gratuity? If so, how much (%) is customary?

Joe,

We'll be in Russia next week and have arranged for private tours in Moscow and St. Petersburg. I've read that it's customary to tip about 10% of the daily tour cost, depending on service. I assume the tip would be split up between your guide and driver however they see fit. Hope this helps. I found this info. here on Cruise Critic by just typing in "Private Tour Tipping".

GeneO

When pricing out tours some of the guides suggested

10% for the guide & 5% for the driver of the total price pp given on the last day

So if you pay $300 pp for a 2 day tour ...$30pp to the guide & $15pp to the driver

Of course it is up to you if you want to tip more or less than suggested

I would ask the person you have contracted what they suggest

We used SPB tours last month and the suggested tip from the tour is $ 25 pp per day to the tour guide and $ 15 pp to the driver. We tipped accordingly so is $ 160 bucks for the two of us for the two day tour and I think that was reasonable. Our guide told us she is a freelance.

Cruise_alot123,

Thanks for your suggestion. That's in the same ball park as I was expecting to tip. I'm waiting for a reply from the tour company we'll be using, Russian Tour Guides, to see what they suggest. We leave next Tuesday for Moscow.

GeneO

I would also think it would depend on the size of group your with..We did a private 2 day tour just the two of us a guide & driver...The amazing visit they gave us and VIP treatment was well worth a generous gratuity at the end of our visit. A trip of a lifetime.

I have contracted with a guide and driver for a three day tour in St Petersburg. The guide has given me a fixed price. I believe the guide is an is an independent contractor - not working for a company. Is it customery to add an additional gratuity? If so, how much (%) is customary?

We have tipped anywhere from nothing to 30% based on the guide. Our average is probably in the 10-15% range.

I would also think it would depend on the size of group your with..We did a private 2 day tour just the two of us a guide & driver...The amazing visit they gave us and VIP treatment was well worth a generous gratuity at the end of our visit. A trip of a lifetime.

Size does matter here if it were just two of us then the tips would be a lot more to make up for the different as if we were in a group of 16. We had a group of 16 so I think the tips were sufficient here for our guide and driver.

In general 10 to 15 percent.

Keith

Size does matter here if it were just two of us then the tips would be a lot more to make up for the different as if we were in a group of 16. We had a group of 16 so I think the tips were sufficient here for our guide and driver.

Exactly what I was going to say. Smaller private groups should base the 10% guide / 5% driver gratuities on their respective per-person tour fee, not the 16 person group rate fee.