Tipping (guides) in the UK/Ireland/France

This will be my first cruise in Europe and wanted to check to see if there are guidelines for tipping tour guides for tours.

Can anyone provide a general guideline for the appropriate per-person tip for a driver/guide? (Belfast, Le Havre, Orkney Islands, Inverness)?

What about for a 2 hour walking tour (Dublin)?

And on the tipping subject, at US ports, I've tipped the porter $5 when checking in our (2 or 3) bags for the cruise. What is the typical tip in pounds?

Thanks!

I've never tipped the porter when checking in at Southampton. The cases are whisked away in seconds and I'm too busy booking in my car for the valet parking.

We have a minimum wage of £6.31 ($10.50) an hour so we don't have a tipping culture like you do in the US.

 

What about for a 2 hour walking tour (Dublin)?

 

What is the typical tip ?

 

Thanks!

Please don't.

The walking tour is selling you a service. They charge you for the service. That is the price! Tips are not required. (if it is a free tour, then of course you may give the leader a few euro).

Also, prices in europe (even in the shops) include all taxes. What you pay is what you see!

Some restaurants may apply a 'service charge' but this will be mentioned on the menu. If no service charge then max ten percent if you really get outstanding service.

Thank you, vmax. I want to do what is right/expected and your answer helps.

In other places I've been, a tip would be expected for a good tour--but in some others it would be insulting. (Which is why I asked)

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Thank you, vmax. I want to do what is right/expected and your answer helps.

 

In other places I've been, a tip would be expected for a good tour--but in some others it would be insulting. (Which is why I asked)

 

 

We Americans tend to over tip and are resented in Europe for doing so. Max if you would want to tip would be 10% but remember it is NOT expected.

Thank you, vmax. I want to do what is right/expected and your answer helps.

 

In other places I've been, a tip would be expected for a good tour--but in some others it would be insulting. (Which is why I asked)

 

 

 

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No-one in Europe is going to be insulted by a tip ;)

Unless it's a penny, which says so much more about dis-satisfaction than no tip at all. :D

As other posts, tips are the guide's jam, not the bread & butter. And they have to be earned by providing an excellent service.

Many Europeans simply don't tip, or are very selective about which services they tip for. So as long as you can hide your North American accent ;) no-one's going to be offended if you don't tip.

Look on your grammatically-incorrect auto-gratuity as your cabin steward's "wages" in the same way that the tour ticket provides wages for the guide. If you want to reward your cabin steward you'll give him/her something extra in the hand - treat tips for guides in the same way.

Ditto car drivers, restaurant staff (although most treat any service charge mentioned by VMax as the tip, & leave nothing extra), hairdressers, etc. If dining isn't full-service, eg you order at the bar or you pay at the cash register, reduce the tip accordingly

We don't tip porters at the port - the porter you hand your luggage to is just the first cog in the wheel.

And we don't tip barkeeps - though if it's just you & him in a hotel bar, sorting out the world's problems between you, you might want to include him in a round of drinks.

Because of the different tipping culture, 10% is the max & between 5% & 10% is perhaps more usual.

And no-one's going to get wound-up if you get it wrong.:)

JB :)

I've never tipped the porter when checking in at Southampton. The cases are whisked away in seconds and I'm too busy booking in my car for the valet parking.

Clearly, they don't expect anything (which IMHO is how it should be).

In the UK, if you are drinking in a bar where the drinks are brought to the table, it would be usual to round up the cost to avoid change. If it is nearly an even pound, add another by all means.

The point is, as JB says, to tip for service above and beyond. No one is going to chase you down the street if you don't tip (although cab drivers in London might mutter some rude comments), but if someone puts themselves out to make your stay more enjoyable, a tip will always be appreciated and will encourage the service provider.

On the point about London cab drivers. The usual would be to round up as with the waiter service above. However, if the driver gets out and helps with the luggage, then a little more would be in order.

Although you don't have to give the amount you are used to in the States, tip is seen as a token of appreciation. It is a total misconception that we do not tip in Europe. In most european countries, in a bar or coffeeshop you leave a coin on the table or round up to the next amount if you are happy with the service.

Lowly service staff, like maids, baggage porters, dishwashers, have a living minimum wage, but not really more than that. With the saved up tips, they can take their child to the amusement park or have their car fixed.

For some professions, a small tip is customary: hairdressers, beauticians, guides, taxi drivers, hotel porters (especially if your bags are superheavy and the guy is sweating). They normally have a tip box on their desk (in the tour bus there is usually a small basket on the dashboard).

In shops, you never tip.

Some staff are not allowed to take tips (for example civil servants, postoffice, flight attendants, train staff). If you want to give something and they politely refuse, don't insist.

Like John Bull said, giving literally a penny is rude and insulting. It is better not to give anything in that case. We have seen it here at our hotel. The bill was 499,95 and they slid the 5 cents change back towards me over the counter with a generous,smiley look on their faces: "this is for you, dear, for the excellent service". Now THAT is an insult.

Due to the tax system in most european countries, it is better to give cash-in-hand tip than to give a credit card tip, since the staff mostly has to pay tax over tips that are on paper.

Please note: In many countries, you pay the toilet lady for the use of the public toilet. This is not a tip but a fee. There will be a sign specifying the amount. If not, watch what the locals do. If there is no toilet paper in the booth, but it is on the table with the toilet lady, that is a dead giveaway that you have to pay. Generally in the UK, public conveniences are free.

This will be my first cruise in Europe and wanted to check to see if there are guidelines for tipping tour guides for tours.

 

Can anyone provide a general guideline for the appropriate per-person tip for a driver/guide? (Belfast, Le Havre, Orkney Islands, Inverness)?

 

What about for a 2 hour walking tour (Dublin)?

 

And on the tipping subject, at US ports, I've tipped the porter $5 when checking in our (2 or 3) bags for the cruise. What is the typical tip in pounds?

 

Thanks!

For better or worse, the guides who constantly come in contact with American tourists have a slightly different expectations -- or at least different points of view -- than the waiter in some remote small village which doesn't attract lots of tourists. Tip what you want but don't stress out about it. In particular, don't worry that the reputation of Americans in general will rise or fall on your decisions.

We don't tip tour guides in our country. You have paid for the service, simple as that.

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We don't tip tour guides in our country. You have paid for the service, simple as that.

Funny, last couple of times I was at the Tower of London the Beefeater stood with his hand out at the end of his tour.... (and it wasn't in the position to shake my hand...)

Times, they are a changin. Personally I usually do tip tour guides, if I enjoyed the tour. Many of them are poorly paid and may well be volunteers.

They normally have a tip box on their desk (in the tour bus there is usually a small basket on the dashboard). .

This goes back to my original question. For an all day tour with a driver/guide, what is considered typical per person?

Is EUR 1-2 per person (or GBP 1-2 ) considered cheap or customary?

Does it make a difference if the tour guide is a one person business?

Thanks!

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This goes back to my original question. For an all day tour with a driver/guide, what is considered typical per person?

 

Is EUR 1-2 per person (or GBP 1-2 ) considered cheap or customary?

 

Does it make a difference if the tour guide is a one person business?

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

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For a tour in a full-size coach, one or two GBP or euro per head is fine, usually to the guide. The driver's box is more hope than expectation ;), though you could split your tip - I used to drive coaches & always looked forward to carrying Americans :D

For a van (minibus) the same or a little more.

For a taxi tour mebbe 5 GBP or euros pp, or 10 for a family.

But feel free to give more for exceptional service.

I've not differentiated between GBP & euros, but if you check exchange rates you'll realise that a GBP is worth more than a euro. That's how unimportant it is to get it right.

And if the driver or guide haven't been good, or express blatant expectations, don't give a tip at all.

I found that the level of tips was a useful guide to the standard of my service. Lousy tips when they should be good was a wake-up call, good tips meant I was doing a good job. And that's the way tipping should be.

BTW, if you decide to tip fairly generously try to be amongst the first off the bus & putting your hand in your pocket. The driver/guide will appreciate you setting the standard. ;)

I do tend to differentiate between an employee (gets whatever tip he's worth) and a one-man business (he's got his profit in the fare), but others take a different attitude. Each to their own, & its no big deal.

BTW, most pubs have a charity box on the bar. If you can't be bothered with waiting for a few pennies change but don't want to leave it as an insultingly-low tip, ask the barkeep to put it in the charity box.

JB :)

Thank you, JB! That was really helpful.

I agree with everything posted but . . . I am planning on taking a day bus tour with Golden Tours and their website states that tips are not included. Indicates to me that I am expected to tip.

I agree with everything posted but . . . I am planning on taking a day bus tour with Golden Tours and their website states that tips are not included. Indicates to me that I am expected to tip.

I'm not surprised that the company publicly states that tips are not included. They're hoping the ingrained behavior of tourists, especially US tourists, will result in some more income for their employees.

If you re-read the thread, you'll note that most of the posters from UK and/or EU countries assure tourists that tipping is not necessary. That said, the thread also has provided very specific recommendations for tipping amounts in various situations if you decide to do so.

Bottom line: Do what feels right and appropriate to you regardless of text on the company website.

I am planning on taking a day bus tour with Golden Tours and their website states that tips are not included. Indicates to me that I am expected to tip.

It may be true that tips are not included, but that does not mean that there is any obligation or expectation that you should tip. With respect, it's your own cultural conditioning ("it is a bad thing to not tip") that has read the extra words into it. You're looking for validation of your belief that you must tip, which is what leads you to the conclusion that if a tip is not already included, then you must pay a tip on top. That's simply not true.

The statement is, of course, undoubtedly a cynical ploy by the tour operator to try to extract extra money from you for its staff. It's a matter for you whether you want to fall for it.

Look at it like this. If the website had said "gifts of diamond bracelets are not included", would you feel that that indicates to you that you should give the staff a gift of a diamond bracelet? Of course not. You and I both know that there is no obligation or expectation of a gift of a diamond bracelet. The language relating to tips is the same, but the meaning that you have extracted from "tips are not included" has come from your own expectations, not from what the tour operator has said.

You're reading more into that than it says.

 

It may be true that tips are not included, but that does not mean that there is any obligation or expectation that you should tip. .

Agreed.

Read into it that tips are appreciated, not that they are expected.

JB :)

Times, they are a changin. Personally I usually do tip tour guides, if I enjoyed the tour. Many of them are poorly paid and may well be volunteers.

If poorly paid, then yes. To me, volunteering is a bit different in that those who do it clearly aren't doing so for the income. I am a volunteer at a tourist attraction (a heritage steam railway), and I do it because I enjoy it and because I am keen to see our industrial heritage maintained. If I am offered a tip (which does happen occasionally), I accept it but tell the kind donor I will be passing it onto to the railway's fund (actually, I usually tell them how many lumps of coal it will buy for us).

We will be taking a car service from Heathrow to London, We were planning on tipping 10% or should we just round up.?

We will be taking a car service from Heathrow to London, We were planning on tipping 10% or should we just round up.?

If you booked in advance, your fare will probably already be a round number. I would say £10 would be adequate but up to £20 if the driver is really helpful.