Tipping in UK and France Excursions

This is our first cruise to areas that supposedly do not tip in Country. Do you tip on shore excursions (excursion purchased from the cruise line) in Portugal, France, and UK? If so, in US dollar or do we bring foreign currency for tipping on these excursions?

Thanks!

You tip very small amounts, and in the local currency.

This is our first cruise to areas that supposedly do not tip in Country. Do you tip on shore excursions (excursion purchased from the cruise line) in Portugal, France, and UK? If so, in US dollar or do we bring foreign currency for tipping on these excursions?

 

Thanks!

Local currency would definitely be better.

Tour guides will be either salaried or freelancers who are paid a fair rate for their service, so they do not rely on tips for their living. They will certainly hope for tips, especially on a bus-load of American tourists, but you really shouldn't feel obliged to tip and a small amount is fine unless you want to reward truly outstanding service. This applies to both ship-sponsored and independent excursions.

I would usually consider a 5 euro tip per couple/family to be plenty here in Portugal unless the guide went way above and beyond. If you have euro coins, this is a good way of using them up. By the way, the smallest euro bill is 5, so it's not possible to have a bundle of 1 euro notes the way you can with dollars, so a couple of coins will be perfectly acceptable.

Adding to Fionas post, the smallest British note is £5. They use £1 and £2 coins. In Europe it's best to tip in local currency . If you aren't bringing any with you, an ATM is usually easy to find.

First Thing.

Tipping guides is the norm but it isn't the big deal in Europe that it is in the States.

Some tip, some don't, some do sometimes.

Nobody's gonna be uptight if you don't tip - though you might have to work on your American accent :D

Second Thing.

Tips aren't on the same scale as in the States.

10% is a generous tip in any scenario.

The guides get decent pay.

Tips aren't their bread and butter, they're the jelly on top.

So tip according to how good, how informative, how humourous, how friendly, how helpful.

That can be anything from zero upwards.

I reckon a decent guide in the UK is worth a total of mebbe £25 to £30 tips for half a day, £50 to £60 for a full day.

So do some mental arithmetic.

About 50 folk on a coach? that's £1 per couple for a half-day, £1 a head for a full day. Some will be more generous, others won't tip.

A dozen of you in a van? Perhaps £5 per couple for half-day, up to £10 per couple for a day.

A private tour for just the two of you? Mebbe £20 to £30.

Other Brits & Europeans will think differently, each to their own.

And if you screw up there's no repercussions.

Local currency is preferred, but professional guides get tips in other currencies and they can put the tips into different pots to exchange a few times a year.

USD are good for the giver cos $1 is a bill - the lowest bills are £5 in the UK & €5 in Euroland, and it seems mean to give coins.

A few other examples:

Bell-hop £1 or 2

Restaurants 5% to 10%. But zilch if there's a service charge on top of the menu prices - that's common in central London & other tourist spots but not elsewhere. And probably zilch if it's pub-style (order at the bar, buy your drinks at the bar)

Hairdressers about 10%

Taxis - round-up to the next £ or another £.

Transfer drivers (airport to port etc) £5 to £10 total.

But all dependent on the standard, & don't be afraid to add nothing if it's not up to par.

Remember, they get their bread & butter anyway.

BTW, in the UK we don't tip bartenders - but if you get chatty with the guy & sort out a few of the world's problems between you, it's common to include him/her in the next round of drinks.

We've travelled extensively in Europe but don't actually know local customs & never bothered to find out - we just export our UK tipping habits, based on standards, and it's never been a problem.

Which neatly takes us full-circle back to ........

"First Thing.

Tipping is the norm but it isn't the big deal in Europe that it is in the States".

JB :)

While we may have just given a few dollars, or euros, on most of our excursions, I will say we made an exception for our Normandy one. It didn't matter if they're not used to or expecting them. Our guide was great! He spent all day with us, entertained us with his stories, answered all our crazy questions, etc... I don't remember what we tipped, like what the percentage would be, but it was more than a few bucks. And so worth it!!

Definitely tip in the local currency - pounds or euros. And a few coins is plenty. They don't expect much of a tip, and they don't rely on tips for their living.

Forgot to say that there's usually a little basket on the dashboard of the bus that you put a couple of coins into if you only want to tip a couple of euros/pounds and don't feel comfortable about handing coins to the guide. It is common for the driver and guide to share the tips (or at least it was 30 years ago when I was a tour guide).

As an ex-coach driver in the UK and mainland Europe, I certainly never expected a tip. If I received one at the end of a trip, I would go home satisfied that I had done a good job and kept the customers happy. As Fiona said, sometimes you will find a basket at the front of the coach, but whether you drop cash in there or hand it to the guide, it is customary for it to be shared between them.

Thank you all for such informative replies.

The UK and France are tipping countries...our workers just don't rely on tips to make a living thats the difference.Japan is pretty much a non tipping country.

Guides will appreciate but not expect a tip. We have only tipped guides if its been awesome/well organised etc. But then again we aren't into guided tours at all.