We'll be taking a tour with Celtic tours the end of September. How much do you need to tip the tour guide - and is it daily or at the end of the 11-day tour? This is our first time in Ireland and first time on an escorted tour of this length.

Tip as you feel the service warrants. Tipping is, and should, remain a personal thing. Whatever you do please do not "wait to see what others are giving" as some have suggested to this sort of post in the past.

Having been on many escorted tours normally I wait until the last evening and give the tour guide an envelope. The average is 3-4 dollars a day depending on how you liked the tour guide.
Hope this helps. Also some of the tour companies will give you tip guidelines if you ask the office.

While tipping is personal usually based on the service you receive, I find $3-4/day waaaaay too little.

I have taken walking tours which last about 5 days with two guides. If I am pleased with the tour and their service, I tip them at least $100 each. Since you are going double what I usually do, I would consider a higher amount than $3-4/day.

Again, what is the service they are providing you and the quality will guide you to the correct amount.

Gail

The informational packet you get from your tour company will give you the guidelines for tipping.

You tip the tour guide and the bus driver at the end of the tour.

You also tip local guides (expert guides at particular sites) your tour company provides when they provide the service.

Don't mind what grosenb says, I'm from Ireland and tip what you want to. The only time we tip people in Ireland in when we have a nice meal, and that's it! Never in pubs or anywhere else for that matter, although sometimes I buy a drink for the bar person. When I went to Canada I hated the fact that I had to tip everybody, I suppose it just a difference of cultures but I hope it doesn't come to ireland!

Del, I live here too and unfortunately it is done for tours. A german girl I knew did tours here for visiting germans and they did all tip. Saying that 100 is a lot to tim. The 3-4 per day sounds more reasonable.

The $3-4 per day seems ok. The $20 per day is excessive. We Americans overtip massively while in Europe. A moderate gratuity is appreciated, an overlarge gratuity is gauche.

Tour literature usually gives tip guidelines but often the amount suggested is high. I think that takes advantage of some Americans' concern over tipping the right amount. Any tours I've taken in Europe with people of different citizenship, it's usually the Americans who think they have to tip exactly what the literture suggests, or even over that. And I also feel that if you're travelling as a family you do not have to tip massive amounts for each and every family member. A reasonable amount from the family group is sufficient.