JulieAgain

We've never taken a private tour, so have not been exposed to tipping such. Would very much appreciate your opinion, realizing it is an individual issue. Please just share what you would do in the same situation.

There will be a guide & a driver; 5 adults; American; $50.50 total per person cost; pickup in Kusadasi; 4 hour total tour time of Ephesus, Terrace Houses, Museum; return to Kusadasi; no lunch; no shopping.

Thanks so much for your help. We are very excited about this trip & our first time in Turkey.

happytotravel

Hi Julie,
We had a guide in Ephesus thru EKOL tours, she was excellent her name was Tuba, but anyway we paid $50 each, for the same as you, however our group actually asked to see the carpets while on tour, and at the end we asked her to take us to a local place for lunch. We went to a place near the port, but it was terrific, we never could have ordered with out her, non of the staff spoke english, but for 10 people we spent about $40 on food and water, tea, and coffee. It was so so good! She also went with one of our people to help her bargain and shop for cashmere and jewelry. She was worth her weight in gold, this is why I feel bad. I collected all of the money to pay her and I ended up with about 60 Euros left to tip her. She was worth much much more than that. The only redeeming factor is that euros get you much more in Turkey than dollars. Have a great trip!

turkeyexpert

dear julie,

i will be frank, since you will not be shopping on that tour, your guide and driver will not be that happy to do this...But of course they will not show it to you in reality.

it is hard to compare the service and the sites between Turkey , Italy and Greece before seeing them with your own eyes. But I can tell you Turkey is far better than the other two. Especially when you think of the service quality in price wise. because be honest, in greece or italy they charge you at least 85 euros for a ship tour, not a private.. in Turkey you get the half price in addition a private tour with a good service. So for the guide try to fix it with 50- up to 100 us, and for the driver 20- up to 30 . You will see that it is worthed.
enjoy Turkey

JulieAgain

Thanks for your replies. I appreciate your help. On another forum site, I was offered 10% from some & from one person - $8 pp to the guide & let him deal with the driver.

My thought was 15-20% to the driver & same to the guide. So, I am inbetween you two.

All I know is that in the instances we tip while traveling (transfer to/from airport, other services, etc), we often go above the 20% because we like the people & want to reward very good service. I also realize that in this instance in Turkey, we may be taking some of the payment away when we don't go shopping & eating! However, the company priced our tour knowing our itinerary upfront.

Thanks again & I'll keep all of your advice in mind.

Julie

happytotravel

Hi Julie,
Enjoy your time in Ephesus. It is so unique. Your plan sounds fine. Do treat yourself to some delicious food, and don't hesitate to shop, the prices are really really low, and it turns out haggeling can be fun. I think you will be really impressed with your guide, so bring a little extra money just in case.

ira

Hi J,

>My thought was 15-20% to the driver & same to the guide. So, I am inbetween you two.<

For $50 pp + a 40% tip, ($350 total) for 4 hours, I'll drive you.

Your guide and driver have set the price at what they consider to be a reasonable rate.

You tip them only if you get extra good service. 10% is generous.

Enjoy your day.

propertravel

10 US pp. for guide and half for driver is a good proportion.

Happy travelling,
Murat