Tipping - St Petersburg

[kneecap]

My group of 3 are thinking of doing an independent tour in St Petersburg with Alla.

Any suggestions as to what you should tip your guide and driver for 2 days in Russia. (It would be in local currency.)

I never know what the right answer is?!!?:o

[eldercruser]

My first comment is that your guide will be just as happy with US dollars (crisp new ones!) as rubles ( which might be hard to come by).

 

Having said that I think you will be very impressed with your guide's knowledge and organization. Thus, when last in St. Petersburg I tipped more than I usually might. Everyone has their own opinions, but I would suggest $20-25USD/pp/per day for the guide and $10-15USD/pp/per day for the driver as a base. You may want to adjust based on your own thoughts.

 

This has been discussed on another St. Petersburg thread, but I am unable to find it right now.

[kneecap]

Thanks eldercruser!!

I searched for the topic too, but the site always seems to freeze when I do a search. Argh!

[eldercruser]

Kneecap,

I inadvertantly doubled my recommended tip. The amount I suggested should be per person for a two day tour. My apologies.

 

I did find the thread that previously discussed this. It was last summer. Most posters said that a 10% tip split 70% to the guide and 30% to the driver was what they used as a guideline. Using that formula you should arrive at similar numbers as I mentioned. Thus, if the two day tour costs $350 per person, a $25 tip for the guide and a $10 tip for the driver would be a good starting point.

 

Hope this helps in your planning.

[Peregrina651]

Kneecap,

Thus, if the two day tour costs $350 per person, a $25 tip for the guide and a $10 tip for the driver would be a good starting point.

 

Hope this helps in your planning.

 

Eldercruiser and kneecap --

 

Thank you both very much for this thread and for bringing it all together in one place. I hadn't really given it much thought until I saw the thread. I always feel so awkward about tipping. However, these guidelines are so clear and concise that tipping in the future will be so much easier to deal with.

 

Still, let me throw out another twist to this topic. Do readers agree that these same guidelines apply to the ship sponsored bus excursions or do readers use a different formula? I'd be curious to hear what readers have to say.

[Peregrina651]

Kneecap,

Thus, if the two day tour costs $350 per person, a $25 tip for the guide and a $10 tip for the driver would be a good starting point.

 

Hope this helps in your planning.

 

Eldercruiser and kneecap --

 

Thank you both very much for this thread and for bringing it all together in one place. I hadn't really given it much thought until I saw the thread. I always feel so awkward about tipping. However, these guidelines are so clear and concise that tipping in the future will be so much easier to deal with.

 

Still, let me throw out another twist to this topic. Do readers agree that these same guidelines apply to the ship sponsored bus excursions or do readers use a different formula? I'd be curious to hear what readers have to say.

[cdfev]

Two years ago there was a thread about this topic and a recommendation made by a St. Petersburg native. I cannot find it by search. His recommendation was a much lower amount of money than we would expect to give as a tip in the U S.

 

Our group struggled with this when we toured with Red October. We used the 10 % method of total fees and provided this to the guide. I am not sure how she split it with the driver or even if she did.

 

We also took a gift from our home state and gave one to the guide and a separate one to the driver at the end of the tour. They seemed to appreciate the items as much as the money although I suspect that the money was more desired.

[eldercruser]

Peregrina651 asks a question regarding tipping while on a ship sponsored tour. The guidelines I suggested for the private tours are much higher than I (and others) use for large group tours. For these tours I have used a rule of thumb of two or three dollars/pp for a half day tour and $5/pp for a full day tour. If the service was not so good or terrific I sometimes adjust a dollar or two up or down. I usually just leave the tip with the guide and expect him/her to take care of the driver. Occassionally, we have been on tours where the driver was called upon to use all their driving skills, in which case I have left him a couple of dollars in addition to the guide's tip.

 

Interestingly enough, it has been my observation that many folks do not tip at all on these shipboard tours so it is really your call.

 

Hope this is helpful.

[Peregrina651]

Cdfev, thanks for the idea about a gift from our home state. We just booked a private tour for St. Petersburg and I am going to share this idea with the others in our group. We are from all over the map.

 

Eldercruiser, thanks. Your information was, as always, VERY helpful.

[dog]

Thanks for sharing this information. Some of us were ready to ask about tipping.

[SF]

Any suggestions on what type of gift to bring from home besides the monetary tip?

[kneecap]

Any suggestions on what type of gift to bring from home besides the monetary tip?

Totally depends where you're from.

I'm going to bring Vancouver 2010 Olympic lapel pins.