A Guide to Tipping in France (2024)

FAQs

How much do you tip a guide in France? ›

Tipping tour guides in France

It's considered good etiquette to tip tour guides. Expect to tip 2 to 5 euros per day for a multi-day tour guide. If a driver is involved, factor in another 1 to 2 euros per day.

Tipping is not required in France (although there are a few exceptions). You don't need to tip French waitstaff because they get a living wage and benefits. It is NOT considered rude to tip in France. There is no standard percentage for tips in France.

You won't need to calculate a tip. Not a major one, anyway. As opposed to the U.S., where most waiters make their living from tips, servers in Paris are paid a living wage. And since service is already included in the price, no one is expecting you to tack on an additional 20 to 25 percent at the end of the meal.

Basic tipping etiquette says, yes, you should tip your tour guide.

Tipping on group tours is not expected but it is common to give the guide 5 – 10€ depending on the number of people in your party. For private tours, it's more common to give 10 – 20€. If you're a larger group, consider tipping more. Similar to the United States, a tip of 1€ per coat is generally expected.

Tipping tour guides in Paris

Your tour guide can make or break your experience when travelling - so when you find a great guide in Paris do tip them the standard 10%. Tips are equally welcome whether you're taking a private, multi-day, or walking tour.

Public Behavior

Talking too loudly, taking up too much space, eating on the Metro, smiling at strangers on the street – these things are frowned upon in France.

Taxi Drivers

For normal rides in Paris, a small tip of €1-2 or just some extra coins is appropriate. If it was a long ride (like from the airport), or you had heavy bags. Not only taxi drivers, but the Uber driver and the delivery person also deserve a small tip for the great service.

Tipping Hotel Housekeeping:

In France, it is not mandatory to leave tips for the housekeeping staff. But, if you had a positive experience and wished to tip, two to three euros per night would be appreciated.

Tipping taxi drivers isn't required; however, locals often round up to the nearest euro or leave up to 5 percent. If the driver helps you with your bags (particularly if they're large), it's customary to tip one or two euros per bag.

How to ask for the bill in France? ›

To signal that you want to pay in a café or restaurant, you can use: L'addition, s'il vous plaît. The bill, please.

Although many French people prefer bottled water, in most places in France, tap water is perfectly okay to drink. Some locales, like Paris, even pride themselves on the quality of their tap water. But there are a few regions or cities where, sadly, the water has been contaminated due to issues like pesticide runoff.

If gratuities for your tour director and driver have not been prepaid, then it is customary to tip at the end of your coach tour. You can choose to do this individually, however, it is common for an envelope to be passed around the group and presented together at the end of the trip.

To Tip, Or Not To Tip, That is the Question

If you loved the tour a 20% tip would be appropriate. If you thought it was just ok, maybe 15, 10, or even 5 percent tip seems reasonable. To clarify, that means per person in your group. If you thought it was awful let your conscience be your guide.

About.com has a Tipping Guide for travelers that further suggests that the tour guide should receive a tip of 10% to 20% of the tour cost. As a last thought, the guide still needs to earn his or her tip. Just with any other profession, the tip should match the level of service.

Tipping guides in North America

In the U.S. guides depend on tips to earn a decent income and therefore, the tipping culture is widely prevalent here across all services including tours. Expect to tip $10-$20 per person per day, adjusting for the duration and group size.

At the end of your trip, plan on tipping out everybody in a service position. First, tip your guide 10 to 20 percent of the total cost. If you have multiple guides, you can tip the lead guide and they can split that up amongst the other guides.

Most etiquette experts suggest a tip of 10-20% of the cost of a tour for outdoor guides like ours. A typical gratuity on a full-day tour is $20-$40 per person, and on a half-day trip, $15-$20 per guest. Exceptional service often earns more: Did they go out of their way to show you something you're interested in?

Local guides

Guides who give talks at public sights or on bus or boat tours sometimes hold out their hands for tips after they give their spiel. If I've already paid for the tour or admission to the sight, I don't tip extra (but if you want to tip, a euro or two is enough for a job well done).