On our cruise this summer, we will be taking some shore excursions and/or transfers that are quite costly. For example, we booked a car transfer from Civitavecchia to Sorrento, including a stop in Herculaneum, for 5 people at a cost of 550 euro. The booking specifically said "gratuity not included". In this case the driver is not really a guide, basically just a driver (at least he's not going to guide us at Herculaneum).

How much do you tip in this circumstance? 15-20% seems like adding an awful lot of money to something already fairly costly. What seems fair?

We may also book a private tour in one or two of our stops, with similar costs (from 350-500 E for 5 people). In those cases the driver is also a guide, and may include guiding at sites, or walking tours. Not sure if that makes a difference in deciding the tipping amount, so same question...what's approprate?

No tipping is necessary. Please don't tip the driver or anyone in Italy for that matter.
Tipping (mostly by North Americans - no offence intended) is creating a culture of expectation - hence the *hint* on your booking. As you said, you are already paying enough.
Don't tip tour operators, guides, drivers, maids in hotels. Leave some change in restaurants when you pay in cash - a few euro from your change is all and only if the service has warranted it. Don't add anything to your restaurant credit card - you'll find there is no space for adding a tip anyway in most cases. Maybe round up for cab drivers as well but if it's a fixed fare (as Naples has with cabs) then the amount stands - no tip.

that said sometimes package tour guides bascially depend on any income from tips that are even often mentioned right up front in tour brochures.

It is hard to tell how the tour guides get paid - if they get paid a living wage like hotel maids, wait people in restaurants, cab drivers, etc no no European would tip more than rounding off to the nearest euro maybe.

But tour operators may do like American restaurants do and have folks they pay slave wages to because of the expected gratuity - you will certainly be able to tell if the guide panders for tips or not - on French museum, castle tours, etc it is common for the tour guide to stand at the exit with hand extended.

the OP's tour says "gratuity not included" which probably means the driver or guide is solely paid by tips IMO. In which case do like you would at an American restaurant where you do not have to tip but then you are getting services for free - shame on the tour operator and shame on American restaurants for doing this shameful IMO practice. Service should always IMO be included like it always is in Europe it seems.

<<the OP's tour says "gratuity not included" which probably means the driver or guide is solely paid by tips IMO.>>

why would you assume such a thing, Pal? the vast majority of the people you mention will be on minimum wage at the very least. taxi drivers most certainly are not on "tips only" - if they were, they'd starve.

<<that said sometimes package tour guides bascially depend on any income from tips that are even often mentioned right up front in tour brochures.>>

that would be very surprising as it would be illegal. Why would they do it if they weren't being paid?

<<It is hard to tell how the tour guides get paid - if they get paid a living wage like hotel maids, wait people in restaurants, cab drivers, etc no no European would tip more than rounding off to the nearest euro maybe.>>

exactly. that's what we do.

annhig - private tour guides do not always work legally - I ran group tours for a few decades and knew a little about their in-and-outs and unless changed a tour would not pay a guide for say a bus tour but would and still do in their brochure be quite up front about what the guide's gratuity will be - why would they do that if the guide were already well paid.

And this is a common practice in the tour industry I understand even today.

Guides will in any case work for less if they are guaranteed a tip. I think you may be a little naive about this, respectively.

again on some bus tours I know that this is the case - the bloke who goes along with the bus gets their moolah from the expected gratuity mentioned up front in the tour brochure. Folks on such tours report there is a huge pressure to give the guide a good tip - again if they were paid Europe's liberal minimum wages and benefits I do not think that would be the case.

I've been out of the tour business some years so things may have changed but I really doubt that. And this is not for all tours but many that I knew did this type of thing.

Guides will in any case work for less if they are guaranteed a tip. I think you may be a little naive about this, respectively.>>

but they are NOT guaranteed a tip, that's the point. Are the tours that you are talking about aimed at the american market? it is well-known that americans expect to tip - there are numerous threads here that attest to that. The guides have a vested interest in giving the impression that they are reliant on tips, which americans would readily believe as it's in tune with their expectations. it wouldn't work on Brits, and even less well with the rest of Europe.

I still find it difficult to believe that a tour brochure actually says that we pay our guides peanuts as we expect you to tip them.

I still find it difficult to believe that a tour brochure actually says that we pay our guides peanuts as we expect you to tip them.>

They of course do not say that outright many I've seen say a tip is expected to the tour guides who are with the bus the whole way and it is not a meager sum - people have complained about this knowing that if they do not tip then they are gipping the tour guide not the company. I presume the company pays the tour guides less or why would they say a tip is expected and not a minor one either.

We differ but I believe I have to right take on this but hey what do I care. Those tour guides must be millionnaires then by now. You may be right but I respectively do not think so based on my knowledge of things as such.

I do agree that many Europeans in the service industry who are paid the mandatory liberal benefits and minimum wages - wait staff especially may especially work on naive Americans to give them tips and that this is endemic - and shamful but understandable and we would do it too.

But believe me bus tour guides have in the past at least been paid very meager sums or nothing and told they would be liberally tipped. Maybe this is no longer done but I doubt it.

This I am sure about - with some American guided tours

Okay, this is interesting, but not particularly germane.I'm not talking about organized bus tours, I'm talking about expensive private limo drivers that may also give some local info, but I think are more drivers than guides. And I find it hard to believe they are getting paid slave wages.

Blueeyedcod says don't tip anybody....an answer I like, and which does seem to agree with what I've read (at least as far as waiters and chambermaids). Anybody else have an opinion?

don't tip anybody.

Italians generally regard the practice of needless giving away money as idiotic as such tipping is anything but widespread.

My understanding is similar to Blueeyedoc's -- <b><u>don't tip</b></u>! If tips are NOT expected -- or if the <b>only</b> expectation for tips is the result of previous (inappropriate) tipping by those from the US (or others), then <b>don't do it</b>!

One reason for NOT tipping in a culture in which tipping is not expected is that it can result in a bias against locals or others from non-tipping cultures. Some people think that unlikely, but think again! That has begun happening in China – a culture in which tips were not traditionally normative. By 2010, locals couldn’t get a taxi at Beijing’s main train station because drivers refused to take them, focusing instead on foreigners, from whom they had come to expect tips and unmetered fares.

Another reason for NOT tipping in a culture in which tipping is not expected is that doing so can contribute to some negative stereotypes about Americans (or others) who tip – that Americans are culturally insensitive, think we can buy anything and/or anyone, don’t understand the value of money, don’t appreciate the professionalism of those with whom we interact, want to flaunt our wealth, are stupid or careless, etc. Why would one want to contribute to these stereotypes? And why PAY to contribute to these stereotypes?

Thanks, china_cat, for asking the question -- your willingness to learn the appropriate norms is to be commended!

Listen to BC and annhig - tips aren't expected. If you do tip anything at all just a very small gratuity.

janis - do you ever tip those private car drivers you are on about so much for airports or do you ever give Rabies Tours guides a tip - the tour you rave about so much. I bet you do.

But I agree with all that is said above - do not tip anyone providing a private service - they are paid well I would think.

But the fact that some bus tours simply do not pay guides is a fact - it's terrible but that is true - but that is the only case - I would never tip anyone else offering a service - my comments are just on American grou bus tours and the thing in the conditions that gratuities are expected - sometimes giving the amount - that I assume is how they pay their guides.

But in Europe no no tipping for anything else and this group tour thing is an outlier and it does in fact happen.

I loathe Americans giving tips in Europe - usually out of ignorance - so I agree on all that.

Even a very small gratuity that janis gives is anethema to my French friends - everytime I try to leave small change they say no - save your money - so even that very small gratuity is frowned upon and you are not expected to do that. Except in British pubs - there folks often do say keep the change.

Taxi drivers in Italy are middle class with good incomes, if you tip your doctor or your lawyer then you might tip a taxi driver in Italy.

the thing I hate about tipping - or having folks depend on their wages for tips like in the U.S. - it makes servers grovel for tips - I much better like the Europe wait people who do their job professionally if at times without much humor or palavering we get in restaurants here - sometimes this comes across as rudeness and IME can be as the wait person does not have to molly coddle folks for their incomes but IME do their jobs as professionals - and yes if you tip your doctor or supermarket cashier then tip in Europe.

I never ever have tipped in Europe and this is what European want Americans to do - in fact they sneer and laugh at 'rich Americans throwing their money around'.

>>janis - do you ever tip those private car drivers you are on about so much for airports or do you ever give Rabies Tours guides a tip - the tour you rave about so much. I bet you do.<<

Uh -- no. What gave you that idea????? I do tip cab drivers a small bit if they help w/ luggage or something.

How do you think I feel Pal.

We are staying in the United Kingdom this October. Actually, The Turks and Caicos which are beautiful but over-run with tipping mad Yanks.

I looked at one comment left by an American guest, he had tipped :

The reception
The bell boy (what ever they are)
The bloke who phoned for a taxi
The maids
The maids who turned down his covers before going to bed (for some reason)
The Cabana man (whatever that is)
The person who parked his hire car
The waiting staff
The wine man

Every day!!!!

I added up each of the suggested levels he was arguing to leave for each staff function. It came to $130 a day.

I'm offering to do the lot for $100 a day all in, its about 35 minutes work a day.

T&C is one part of the British Empire which has been invaded without us knowing.

"Uh -- no. What gave you that idea????? I do tip cab drivers a small bit if they help w/ luggage or something"

Thank God, for some sanity.

So janis to be clear no one is expected to or ever gives tips to Rabgies tour guides/drivers and no one should. and those drivers do not try to work Americans for tips - well if not work - gladly accept it and do something to get them - like the old French museum and castle, etc. tour leaders - always always hand their hands out at the end of the tour and everyone - French and Americans gave the outstrechted hand they had to brush by at a narrow exit some baksheesh.

I have not seen this in recent year but once was. So you never ever tip any tour leader like a Rabies one? Never ever?

21.Should we tip the driver/guide - and how much?
What can we say - they love it! The amount is entirely at your discretion.>

Seems even your favored Rabbies Tours which you rave about solitic tips - would not you say be this from their web site - should not a responsible company say 'our guides are well paid' and tipping is not expected.

ALL tours act like Rabbies is my point - even your Rabbies one - and if you do not interpret that as a solicitation that tips are expected then....

And one might think that if the drivers get a good amount in tips they may work for less? Does not that make sense to you, seriously?