Autobahn bathroom stop
 

I was told you have to tip at bathrooms, especially off the autobahn, how much change do I have to give? What happens if I say I don't have any money?

I think around a euro is expected for bathrooms in Germany that are attended, maybe less. Nothing happens if you don't have the money, but you should carry change for that purpose. We ran into some pay toilets that required a coin for the stall door to open.

You don't HAVE to tip, though you will be looked at sternly if you don't. A .50 Euro coin is more than adequate. The bathrooms at Autogrilles, etc. are generally clean and well-maintained, as opposed to our free (but often disgusting) gas station restrooms.

You'll find that in some Autobahn Rasthaeuser (rest stops) you now pay your "dues" at a turnstyle as you enter the toilettes. Can't remember how much it is, but it pays to have some ready change on hand.

I'll admit it was atypical to get such a reaction, but when I used the local pissoir in downtown Bastogne and left a .50 Euro tip, I got yelled at. Not speaking French, Flemish or whatever language SHE spoke, I just smiled and walked away.

On a related note, if you need to use an Autogrill toilet remember that you'll get your entrance fee refunded if/when you buy something at the store. And be sure to take a seat - the automatic toilet cleaning device that washes and sanitizes the seat is a thing of beauty.

the turnstiles are .50 e

Oh yeah - I forgot about the turnstiles. We ran into those at some train stations too.

There are two sorts of toilets:

- For those with the turnstiles, you need a 50 Cent-coin and in return you are getting a voucher which is 50 Cents worth - so it is basically free.

- Otherwise, you don't have to tip. If consume something I do not tip. If I do not consume I leave 20 or 30 cents. 1 Euro is way to much!

We found that many restaurants also were attended and a tip was expected. I would reccommend that you hold on to any .50E coins as you travel for restrooms.

50 cents is more than enough, 1 Euro is definitely too much. I usually tip 20 or 30 cents if the place is all right, and zero if the toilet is dirty.

BTW, ask for toilets, not bathrooms in Germany, otherwise people won't understand what you mean.

Restaurants should not expect any money from their guests for using the toilet. It's supposed to be part of the service. Some places will, however, expect a tip from passers-by who don't consume anything but come in to use the toilet and leave.

On the autobahn, be sure to have some little packages of tissues handy. There is generally a charge for TP--if it is available.

Well, at least I was not being too cheap in my tips ;) Next time I will know I don't need to leave as much.

&gt;&gt; <i>There is generally a charge for TP--if it is available.</i> &lt;&lt;

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Definitely has never happened to me.

In France, every rest stop has restrooms, which may be of dubious cleanliness but which are usually fine. Most people prefer to stop at service stations on the autoroute. These are almost always impeccable (perhaps not on a weekend in August) and absolutely 100% free. One of the obligations for having a service station concession contract on the autoroute is to be open 24 hours a day and to provide restroom facilities to everyone, whether they make a purchase or not.

No charge for toilet paper in Germany.

Anyway, having a pack of paper handkerchiefs at hand may be useful in case the toilet paper holder is empty, which happens now and then.

And when looking for the restroom in Germany, look for 'WC' which stands for water closet, I think.

<i>p.s.</i> The TP in Germany is roughly (heh, heh) like our PT (Paper Towels).