Ask ten travelers how much to leave at a restaurant in Europe and you’ll probably get ten different answers. The truth is that European tipping culture is a patchwork of regional norms, generational shifts, and very different attitudes toward service work. What feels polite in one capital can feel odd in the next.
Card terminals have added another wrinkle. Below is a look at ten popular destinations, with what’s typical, what’s already built into the bill, and where a little extra cash still helps.
France: Service Is Already on the Bill
French restaurant bills legally include service, which is why you’ll often see the phrase service compris. Service is legally included in all French restaurant bills. That means nothing more is required.
Still, small gestures are common. Round up the bill or leave one or two euros on the table. At a café, no tip is needed for a quick coffee.
Italy: Don’t Confuse the Coperto With a Tip
Many Italian restaurants add a seating charge. Italian restaurants frequently include a coperto or seating charge, but that’s not the tip. It covers the table, not the waiter’s effort.
If service was good, round up, otherwise leave nothing. Some guides suggest a few extra euros or up to ten percent for great service, so there’s a small range of opinion. Check for servizio incluso on the receipt first.
Spain: Keep It Small
Spain is a rounding up country. One guide puts it plainly: round up only, since tipping more is uncomfortable.
Southern Europe generally follows a similar pattern. Guidance for Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece is five to ten percent if service isn’t included, with smaller coins on coffee. In Spain, the lower end of that range fits best.
Germany: Say the Total You Want to Pay
Germans have a distinctive routine. They tip by telling the server the total they want to pay, not by leaving money on the table. So on an eighteen euro bill, you might announce a round twenty when paying.
The usual guidance is to round up to a clean number, since five to ten percent is generous. If you want no change back, the phrase “Stimmt so” does the job.
The United Kingdom: Check for a Service Charge
Tipping is somewhat more common here than in much of the continent. Tipping is more common in the UK than in most of Europe. It’s still modest, though.
Look at your bill first. If a discretionary service charge is already included, you don’t need to add more. For cabs, rounding up to the nearest pound is standard, and restaurant guidance points to ten percent if service is not included.
Switzerland: Included by Law, Rounded Up by Habit
Swiss servers earn service into the price. Tipping isn’t expected as service is often included by law. Visitors don’t need to calculate anything.
Even so, a small nudge is appreciated. Rounding up or leaving five percent for excellent service is seen as kind. One example: rounding a 72.60 franc bill to 75 or 80 shows appreciation.
The Netherlands: A Friendly Round Up
Dutch tipping is relaxed and optional. The advice for Belgium and the Netherlands is to round up to five to ten percent if service was good.
Card prompts are increasingly common here. Restaurants in the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the Nordic countries commonly offer a tip prompt on card terminals. You can accept, adjust, or skip it.
Czechia: Modest but Expected in Tourist Areas
Prague has a slightly stronger tipping habit than many neighbors, mostly where visitors gather. One guide says tipping is customary but modest, especially in Prague and other tourist areas.
For restaurants, the suggestion is five to ten percent, or round up for good service. Watching what nearby locals do is a sensible cue.
Croatia: Around Ten Percent at the Table
Croatia leans a little higher than Western Europe, thanks to its busy tourist season. One guide lists around ten percent in restaurants and five percent for coffee.
Another rule of thumb applies in labeled tourist areas: tipping up to ten to fifteen percent is common when no service charge is included. Elsewhere, rounding up or leaving five to ten percent for great service does the trick.
Greece: Small Change and Cash Preferred
Greece falls into the southern pattern of modest tipping. Guidance is five to ten percent if not included, and coffee needs only coins.
Cash matters more here than a terminal prompt. Card tipping is less reliable in Eastern and Southern Europe, and the safest approach is to carry a small amount of cash.
Practical Notes Before You Pay
Check the bill for phrases like “service compris,” “servizio incluso,” or “Bedienung inbegriffen”, which mean the tip is already covered. Where you do tip, servers often prefer cash because they receive it directly rather than through payroll processing.
Across the continent, tip five to ten percent or round up. Anything above ten percent is unusual.
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