Tipping in Italy -- a refresher course needed
 

Hi all,
I've just booked a car to take us from Turin airport to our hotel (35 euros). It's been a long time since we've been in Italy and I just wanted to refresh my tipping knowledge.

Will I be expected to tip the driver? And if so, how much on 35 euros?
And what are the expectations about tipping in general? I think just cabs and restaurants/cafes will be the issue but if you can think of any other tipping situations, I'd be happy to know them.

Many thanks
gtg

You mean the USniversal rule ?
I tip 0.

You mean the USniversal rule ?
I tip 0.>

Even in the U.S. where wait staff depend on tips for wages?

Whatgoodbye is saying the European stance on tipping - no never - all workers get a decent pay and benefits?

But I think we need to know what Italian residents say about this not some Belgian curmudgeon.

What would Italians do? Not Belgians in Italy.

If you're tipping cab drivers and restaurant servers, I think chambermaids should also be included whether tip is 0% or rounding up or 10%.

Those bathrooms don't clean themselves!

Thenks, 29FEB, I'd forgotten about chambermaids. Which brings up another question. We're staying in a hotel in Turin but renting flats in Bologna and Cortona. Do I have to leave a tip there? I assume the owners have cleaning services come in after each guest.

Still confused about the car tipping issue. Don't know what Belgians have to do with it.

Muskin, there is no universal rule. Five to 10% would be too low here and in the US.

Oh, never mind. I just got the Belgian reference.

Carry on.

I will say this much: when we were IN Italy a few weeks ago (Bologna and Verona) we tipped drivers, chambermaids, bellmen, and even a couple of doormen, and one of the restaurant workers at the place out in the absolute boonies of Bologna for calling us a cab.

ho the hell CARES whether or not their "wages" are "decent?" What <B>I</B> cared about is what they did for me.

Oh, and BTW, that I know of none of them looked at me like I was some kind of fool not from Belgium, either.

Goddess.
Your question was about tipping in Italy.
I answered about tipping in Italy.
Not about tipping in Belgium - thanks for holding me for a fool.
My italian friends and italian colleagues don't tip, so I don't tip in Italy.
But as always threads about tipping derail.
So : since you're US : tip.
Tip the driver, the chambermaid, the policeman, the pilot.
Use Uber, eat hamburgers at McDo, go to a Starbucks and say you know all about Europe.
And of course, if a Belgian tells you not to tip in Italy because he travels to Italy, ignore him.
Happy travels.

"Not about tipping in Belgium - thanks for holding me for a fool."

WH, I really don't know what you're talking about. I said nothing about your comment. Nothing. Nada. Zero. You may be referring to Pal's comments. And as I didn't know what the Belgian reference was about, I looked at posters' profiles and found out. However, if you want to excuse yourself from this thread, feel free.

Thanks, Dukey. This is more or less what I was looking for. I would rather err on the side of being generous, if anything. Can you tell me generally how you tipped (that is, round up to nearest amount of euros on cab ride? number of euros for doormen, bellmen, chambermaids, etc? and in a restaurant, percentage on a bill? etc.)
Thanks

Hi there again. I'm just popping back to say thanks for your time but I just did what I should have done in the first place -- I looked it up in my Fodor's Italy Guide, admittedly oldish (2012) but probably still applicable).

For other posters seeking this same advice, here's a precis of what the guide says:

In restaurants: if a service charge (10 to 15%) is on your bill, it's not necessary to leave a tip. If no service charge appears, leave a tip of up to 10%. ALWAYS leave your tip in cash or the server may not get it.

Checkroom attendants: 1 euro pp
Restroom attendants: .50 euro
More in expensive hotels and restaurants

Cafes: In major cities, up to .50 euro for table service
Hotel bar: 1 euro and up for round or two of drinks

Taxis: Italians rarely tip taxi drivers, which isn't to say that you shouldn't. A euro or two is appreciated, particularly if the driver helps with luggage.

Service station attendants: tip only for special services, e.g. 1 euro for checking tires

Rail/Airport porters: they charge a fixed rate per bag. Tip an extra .25 euro pp if porter is helpful

Barber: 1 to 1.50 euro
Hairdressers assistant: 1.50 to 4 euros for shampoo or cut depending on type of establishment

Sightseeing tours: tip guides about 1.50 euros pp for 1/2 day group tour, more if especially good guide. In monasteries and other sites where admission is free, a contribution of .50 to 1 euro is expected.

Hotels:
concierge: about 10% of bill for services or 2.50 to 5 euros for help with dinner reservations, etc.
chambermaid: about .75 euro/day or 4.50 to 5 euros/week in a moderately priced hotel
valet or room service: minimum 1 euro
(in an expensive hotel, double these amounts)

Hope this helps others and thanks to those who offered me info.

Oh, I'm sure it will convince and placate Whathello.

I love these types of threads, if for no other reason than to see the explosions.

Me too.

Lonely Planet:

"Italians are not big tippers. Use the following as a rough guide:

Taxis Optional, but most people round up to the nearest euro.

Hotels Tip porters about €5 at high-end hotels.

Restaurants Service (servizio) is generally included in restaurants – if it's not, a euro or two is fine in pizzerias, 10% in restaurants.

Bars Optional, though many Italians leave small change on the bar when ordering coffee (usually €0.10 per coffee). If drinks are brought to your table, a small tip is generally appreciated."

Oh, and BTW, that I know of none of them looked at me like I was some kind of fool not from Belgium, either.>

No but perhaps like my French in-laws "Oh you Americans like to throw your money around" when I even leave some lose change on the plastic dish they return bill and change on.

Yes you can tip and give credence to the fact that Americans like to throw their money around - it does a disservice to all Americans IMO.

Do what the locals do and for much of Europe only tip for some extraordinary service - otherwise be just another fat-cat Yank.

Not sure what kind of folks compiled Fodor's Italy tips but here is one source on Italian travels who has a different story:

10 Tourist Mistakes when Visiting Italy: Tipping, Tickets, and More ...
http://www.msadventuresinitaly.com/....pping-tickets-.

<In Rome, waiters / taxi drivers are getting spoiled with foreigners leaving tips and are now often expecting them. But you don't need to tip in Italy. You're probably already paying a supplement through the servizio (service charge) on your restaurant bill and/or the coperto (cover charge), sometimes both.>

<Tipping in Italy. Though regularly discussed, argued and debated, the truth is you don’t need to tip in Italy. Really. Let me repeat that: you don’t need to tip in Italy. Of course most workers will not scoff or refuse a tip (though a few will), but it’s not necessary, and I think it’s a bad precedence to set for foreigners to tip in Italy for simple things like a coffee, taxi rides, or dinner in a pizzeria. Many Italians I know will only leave a tip for very exceptional service (think: anniversary dinner in a Michelin-starred restaurant) or will leave the change (a few euros) when paying cash because it’s easier not to wait for the waiter to make change (think: leaving a 100-euro banknote on a 99-euro bill or a few euros), but it’s a choice of convenience rather than rewarding service, and it’s nowhere near 10 or 20% of the bill. In Rome, waiters / taxi drivers are getting spoiled with foreigners leaving tips and are now often expecting them. But you don’t need to tip in Italy. You’re probably already paying a supplement through the servizio (service charge) on your restaurant bill and/or the coperto (cover charge), sometimes both. You probably still want to tip a hotel porter for bringing up your bags, a helpful concierge or a thorough tour guide, and you can consider leaving 10 cents on your receipt at the bar when you order a coffee, but don’t sweat it.>

Italians in general don't tip, period, as Whathello says. In tourist cities, waiters have come to expect tips from foreigners, but they know better than to expect tips from us.

In rural Italy, which is where I live, I've twice seen waiters run after customers to tell them they forgot their change.

bvlenci knows - read what she/he says - do like locals do don't throw your money around like 'rich Americans'!

And yes waiters, etc love tips - everyone loves money being thrown their way.

Taxis: Italians rarely tip taxi drivers, which isn't to say that you shouldn't. A euro or two is appreciated, particularly if the driver helps with luggage.>

Fodor's Italy

Why we Americans tip cabbies if Italians don't?

fuzzy logic.

Tipping threads are so played out here. It's the same people saying the same thing, telling the same old stories, over and over again.

Hahaha! I don't recall any waiters in Italy or anywhere else in Europe, either city or countryside, running after me to tell me I forgot my change. I think that's pretty funny.

I don't think I've ever participated in a tipping thread before and I'm surprised at the tempest in a teapot. You don't want to tip? Don't tip. You want to tip? Do it.

Geez louise, I wish all my problems were as big as this!