Should You Tip in Italy?

Should You Carry Around Extra Cash for Tips in Italy?

In the past few years, requests for tips have proliferated throughout American society, and it’s become commonplace to see tip requests on payment screens for all sorts of businesses where tipping was never before a part of the transaction. Across the planet, have these changes also impacted other countries? Tipping has traditionally been quite an American “thing,” but is it now something that’s expected in other countries, too?

If you visit the Vatican, is it necessary to keep some cash in your pocket to tip your tour guide? If you take a taxi in Palermo, should you tip your cab driver? Should you tip the wait staff at the restaurant you visit in Rome? From my recent experiences in Italy, the answer is mostly “no,” but there are some instances where a tip might be welcomed by someone you interact with during your travels.

As an American, I always have some cash in my pocket. Even though some countries I’ve traveled to don’t really even use cash anymore (Iceland, for example – I never actually used any cash there when I traveled to Iceland), I can’t help but have some cash on hand. What if all the credit card machines go down? What do you do then when you need some food or want to buy something? Cash tends to help in those situations.

Let’s discuss tipping in Italy, where you might need to tip, and how much you should tip when the circumstance arises.

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Should You Tip Cab Drivers in Italy?

I took a few cabs in Italy, and it didn’t seem like we needed to tip the drivers. The driver who took us from the airport in Palermo to our hotel seemed surprised that I wanted to give him some money after the trip. We’d paid in advance for the taxi, so it wasn’t like we needed to settle up at the end and I was telling him he could keep the change. There was a bit of a language barrier, but he was still surprised at the extra cash.

Similarly, the cab driver who took us from the airport outside of Rome to our hotel in Rome didn’t seem to expect a tip at the conclusion of our journey. You know how drivers will sort of stand and wait for a few seconds for a tip in countries where tips are expected? Well, our drivers didn’t seem to wait. We had to act swiftly with a tip if we wanted to tip because they were always in a rush to get to their next pick-up.

If you would like to tip your cab driver in Italy, I don’t think there’s anything that says you shouldn’t or can’t offer a tip. Depending on the distance, five euros is probably plenty. If your driver takes your suitcases in and out of the car, I’d say that’s easily deserving of a tip, should you have some extra money in your pocket. The drivers rarely seem taken completely aback by tips, so I’d rate tipping cab drivers in Italy as “tip if you want.”

Do Tour Guides Need Tips in Italy?

The one area where I think it’s nice to tip – and somewhat expected – is with your tour guides in Italy, especially when the guides are working with a big group or are working for a large company that offers tours. From what I experienced, our guides weren’t super wealthy folks providing tours for their own personal enjoyment and leisure. They were there to earn an income for their livelihood.

When we toured the Vatican, our tour guide was fabulous, and me and my traveling partner decided to give him a 20 euro note. Well worth it for the three and a half hours he spent walking with our group through the museum and grounds. Other people in our tour group also tipped the guide, but not everyone did. The guide was clearly incredibly knowledgeable about the subject, and we received a wealth of information during our time there.

Therefore, when the tour ended, we felt it was completely appropriate to tip the guide for his time. The previous night, we also tipped the tour guide (or, well, he was more of a driver), who took us throughout Rome on a night tour of the city to many famous sites like the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. The driver/guide was a stitch and really friendly, so it was quite easy to part with some extra euros as an extra thank you for his time.

Should You Tip at Restaurants in Italy?

Like many other European locales, you don’t absolutely have to tip when you eat at a restaurant in Italy. If you stop for a quick bite somewhere, or you take something to go (like a cup of gelato, because who visits Italy without gorging on gelato?), you definitely don’t need to give anything extra beyond what you pay for the food. Just pay and go, and you’ll be fine.

At a sit-down restaurant, it really depends on whether you should tip. Actually, I take that back; there are really no instances where you “should” tip when you’re eating a meal in Italy. It’s really just a matter of whether you want to in certain cases. If you’re really pleased with the service, you can definitely tip, and the server or whoever you’re interacting with at the restaurant will always appreciate the gesture.

However, always be mindful of the receipt before handing over a tip. Some places will charge a service fee, which is basically a tip built into the overall costs of your visit. When you see a service fee, you definitely don’t need to add anything extra unless you really want to thank the staff for your experience. If you’re really happy with your food, by all means, there’s nothing wrong with handing over a few extra euros as a thank you.

Don’t Feel Pressured to Tip if You’re on a Budget

Tipping isn’t something that’s absolutely required in any circumstance in Italy, and you shouldn’t feel pressured to tip if you’re on a tight budget. While you can always arrange your trip so that you encounter as few situations as possible where a tip might be warranted, it’s still not an action you absolutely have to take every time you encounter someone in a service position.

Tipping in Italy is something you do when someone offers you truly great service. Like the experience we had at the Vatican. It was an absolutely excellent guided tour, and we enjoyed it even more than we thought we would. We had no hesitation in offering a tip. But that wasn’t the case with every interaction we had.

The nice thing about tipping in Italy is that it’s not a mandatory expense that you need to budget for and add as a line item to your itinerary. Simply having a few extra euros in your pocket, just in case you come upon a circumstance where you experience excellent service, is enough. Offer a tip if you feel the situation deserves it, but never feel pressured to do so.

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