KayTKay

I'm planning a trip to italy for my husband and me and two friends. It's a third trip there for me, second for my husband, and first for the friends.

I have a handle on tipping in restaurants and cabs and even read the infamous thread about tipping hotel cleaning staff. So, I'm clear on all that.

However, one thing we will be doing differently this go round is taking a couple of classes and doing more tours. We will be doing a cooking class in Rome and one in Tuscany. A food tour as well as a private Vatican tour, etc.

I would appreciate some advice about tipping in these situations. Thank you!

bvlenci

It wouldn't occur to me to tip someone who's teaching a class. I assume the person teaching the class owns the business. The same applies if the tour guide is self-employed.

Italians rarely tip for anything, but people who work for foreign tourist related services are beginning to expect tips.

Joy2

My husband and I took a cooking class in Calabria which cost a lot of money but very enjoyable. So no I did not tip BUT they provided a driving service and the driver also helped with translation for understanding the chef we did tip this individual for his services. It depends if they do extra and make it more than you expected then you should tip. You decide if you want to tip or not.

Christina

I have never heard of such a thing, tipping a teacher, private class or not, in the US or any foreign country and I've taken a lot of classes in other countries.

cathies

Why are you taking an American custom to Italy! You are inflicting your tipping culture on the rest of us.

adrienne

I've taken cooking classes in the US and would never have thought to tip.

janisj

Since you are asking this, I'm not totally sure you do >> have a handle on tipping in restaurants and cabs . . . and all that. <<

KayTKay

Actually I do have a handle on tipping in restaurants and in cabs. I follow the italian customs.

I am not taking my american tipping culture with me. Hence the question.

Sheesh.

I've written a couple of trip reports here. I speak Italian quite well. And I'm not a novice or naive traveller.

Just wanted to know the customs regarding these particular things.

I get the message loud and clear. No tipping for classes. However, I also mentioned tour guides in addition to classes. We will also have a driver one day.

But I guess some would rather berate or attempt to belittle rather than to actually answer.

nytraveler

I would not tip for a class - but if there is a driver that picks you up at the airport and deals with luggage I would tip him. Also if you have a private tour - that is not a guide/owner - but an employee of a tour company - I would definitely tip.

adrienne

I have tipped tour guides if they are not the owner of the business and the tour has been exceptional. I've noticed that tipping has decreased over the past 20 years (I watch if others hand the guide a tip). I always tip student guides. I tip drivers if they are not the business owner.

annw

When I've negotiated a particular fee for a driver or it is set through a car service, I don't tip extra, assuming I've paid a fair rate. Both times this was in Italy.

Tour guides -- private/owner, no, although once in Austria we gave our (small group) leader a modest amount and suggested he "have a drink on us."

These are reasonable questions, Kay; good for you for trying to figure it out.

colduphere

What a civil and helpful group all you Fodorites are!

adrienne

<< What a civil and helpful group all you Fodorites are! >>

I prefer the original compliment of "civilized" rather than "civil" but thanks anyway, cold!

cathies

Cold, we do our best!

kawh

i've only taken 2 trips with a tour group... in both cases, the group sort of got together and decided what they would all tip. (like the 'curb your enthusiasm' episode on 'tip coordination.')

on one of the tours, the tour guide told us what we should tip the driver. i would wait and discuss it with your group... and also see whether you want to be generous or send a message of disappointment.

but i would like to tag onto your question and ask... in italy, if there is no coperto, do you still not tip.. but just round the bill a bit? just making sure things haven't changed.

bvlenci

The coperto is a charge for cutlery and tablecloth; it has nothing at all to do with tipping or not tipping. In many regions, it's lumped together with the charge for bread as "pane e coperto". In Lazio, the region where Rome is located, the coperto charge is no longer allowed. They will still bring you bread, but if you tell them immediately that you don't want it, they can't charge you. Once they've left it on the table, you've bought it.

The "servizio" charge, where it's found, can be considered to be the equivalent of a tip. I wouldn't leave anything at all where there's a servizio charge.

Where I live, in Le Marche, no one, but absolutely no one, tips in restaurants. I've even seen waiters run after guests to tell them they forgot their change. We have very few taxis here, but we don't tip in taxis, either. In places where tourists are more frequent, waiters and taxi drivers are beginning to expect tips, although if they hear a marchigiano accent, or some other regional accent from non-touristy places, they know better than to expect anything.

We don't tip hairdressers or barbers, either.

The one circumstance under which I've consistently seen Italians leave tips is for tour guides and bus drivers, if they were at our service all day long. For instance, our local adult school takes trips to see art exhibits, and they often have a guide who also does a walking tour of the city. In this case, they usually tip the guide, and the bus driver.

Dickie_Gr

My friend from Turin, laughs at the subject.

Says there are two easy ways to spot a fool.

Someone who hasn't spotted that his best friend is sleeping with his wife or someone who tips.

colduphere

Adrienne it's my twitter memory - good but limited characters.

manlygirl

We tipped the taxi driver from the airport in Sicily. We organised the pickup on the internet before we left Australia. He was where he should have been to collect us and he helped with the bags and was very pleasant. He got us to the hotel safely.

manlygirl

We tipped the taxi driver from the airport in Sicily. We organised the pickup on the internet before we left Australia. He was where he should have been to collect us and he helped with the bags and was very pleasant. He got us to the hotel safely.