SPB 1 Day Private Tour Tipping Suggestions?

Hi, We’ve booked to go onto St. Petersburg 1 Day Tour (the other day will be in Moscow) with SPB Tours in 2 weeks time. Their website and emails suggest 10% tip to guide and 5% to driver per person for flat rate tour. But it doesn’t mention anything about a 1 day private tour how much to tip and is it per person. It’s just me and my husband so would we need to tip per person (so total 20% to guide and 10% to driver) or do we just tip the suggested amount of 10% to guide and 5% to driver for the both of us combined? Any advice welcome.

It might just be me, but I give a tip commensurate with the service I have been given - I never tip just because "I have to" or the amount recommended.

Finchy1950,

Totally with you on this one!

Tipping is a personal thing and generally done based on our feelings of the service we received. Which is easy to do in our home countries as we are familiar with what is custom. So, it’s always good to have knowledge of the tipping customs of where you are. When we know what is typical, we have a starting point from which to add or subtract based on our personal experience. So Relax Cruiser, I have been uncertain of this same situation because a private tour is so much more personal service and it’s just a few people tipping as opposed to a full bus. So I think the 10 and 5 percent of the per person cost is reasonable. We booked with Tours by Locals in SPB and their website says tipping isn’t necessary but we are figuring that after two days with them, we will tip if the service is deserving.

Below is quotation from "Information for travelers" which was e-mailed when we were in process of booking our St. Petersburg itinerary.

11. TIPPING

Gratuities to the guide and the driver are not included in the cost of the tour. According to Russian standards it’s around 15% of the cost of the tour. As a rule it’s 10% to the guide and 5% to the driver and it’s better to give it separately. Gratuities will be happily accepted in any currency: US $, euro or rubles. However all the gratuities remain solely to your kind will!

Jess

we were wondering the same. 4 of us are doing a 2 day private tour in st p.

the tip would come out to $240

seems like a lot but maybe it isnt?

tipping a percentage of cost of tour can mean a wide variation

we discussed tipping with a private tour shared with European UK USA and Canadians

we came to a consensus that 10 euros/dollars was reasonable per person for full day and 5 for half day

we were wondering the same. 4 of us are doing a 2 day private tour in st p.

the tip would come out to $240

seems like a lot but maybe it isnt?

We had a 2 day tour for just our family of 4. We went with 10% of the cost for the guide and 5% for driver as suggested

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we were wondering the same. 4 of us are doing a 2 day private tour in st p.

the tip would come out to $240

seems like a lot but maybe it isnt?

Tip on the guide portion only. Not necessary to tip on the admissions portion of the trip. When six of us did a two day tour, the guide and driver were 1170 and the admission costs were 1505. We were given this breakdown by our guide and we paid her separately for the two. Thus we tipped only on the tour portion.

Tip on the guide portion only. Not necessary to tip on the admissions portion of the trip. When six of us did a two day tour, the guide and driver were 1170 and the admission costs were 1505. We were given this breakdown by our guide and we paid her separately for the two. Thus we tipped only on the tour portion.

Thanks. I haven't thought about that. Good info.