I am motivated to write this week’s post for a couple of reasons. First, this week’s New York Times Magazine ran a short article on “Where to Get the World’s Best Service” which recapped the results of an informal survey on tipping practices related to quality of service. It turns out that veteran international travelers ranked service very highly in countries where tipping is not customary such as Japan and Thailand and also in countries where substantial tips are the norm such as in the U.S. and Canada.
Unsurprisingly, countries that fall in between on the tipping spectrum such as France, Italy and Spain, rated fairly low on service satisfaction. (For what it’s worth, Russia came in dead last on service.) I think confusion on French tipping customs likely contributes to this dissatisfaction in France, as do lingering stereotypes–and some real examples–of rude French waiters, but that’s another story.
In addition, it is prime travel season at the moment, and I have received a lot of good questions recently on how and when to tip in France. So, here are some suggestions for handling tips in a variety of situations on your next French trip:
Meals: In French cafés and restaurants, a 15% tip is already included by law. Menus will indicate this by saying “Service compris” somewhere on them. As such, you are not required to leave anything more. However, you can leave a little extra change as a gesture of good will for good service, particularly for a waiter who has gone out of his way to make your meal memorable.
So how much is a “little extra”? For a cup of coffee at a café for 3.5 euros, then you can leave 20 to 30 centimes on the table. For a 75 euro restaurant meal, I would leave 3 to 4 euros for the waiter. The rule of thumb is to leave between 5 and 10% in cash (there’s not usually a place on the credit card receipt for tips) if service has been good. For bad service, one doesn’t need to leave anything at all—period.
And then you might get a waiter to tries to get another 15 to 20% tip out of you. Not long ago, I took a group to a well-known Paris restaurant for lunch and as I paid the bill, the waiter tried to indicate that tips weren’t included in the addition (bill). I challenged him on this—in French—and he backed down somewhat. Of course, we did not leave anything extra since his behavior was in such bad taste. When I later told this story to some French friends, they were appalled and agreed this was pas normal (not normal). So it definitely helps to know the tipping rules in France!
Taxis: No need to overtip on taxi rides in France. An extra 1 to 2 euros on your fare whether large or small is fine. If you are going to or from the airport, tipping 5% or so is a good gesture. If you have luggage, be sure to tip an additional euro per suitcase.
Hotel Porters: If your hotel has porters to carry your luggage to your room, 1 euro per bag is customary. If you have especially large or bulky luggage, then 2 euros per bulky bag would be well received. For bringing a lovely tray with your morning petit déjeuner (breakfast) to your room, then 1 to 2 euros is nice, especially if they remember to bring along your prefrred morning newspaper as well.
Hotel Housekeeping: You can leave 1 to 2 euros per day for your housekeeper. I tend to leave the amount appropriate for my length of stay with the front desk and let them distribute it to right personnel. You never know if you leave 20 euros on the last day of your stay whether the housekeeper that day has taken care of your room during your entire visit or not.
Hotel Concierge: For a couple of basic restaurant reservations, your hotel concierge should help you without expecting anything in return. However, if your concierge has obtained hard-to-get restaurant reservations, opera tickets, or the like, then a tip of 10 to 20 euros depending on the effort would be appropriate. I have a friend who stays in high end hotels in Paris and gives the concierge 100 euros on the first day of his stay. Accordingly, the concierge helps take care of whatever my friend needs during his week in Paris!
Coat Check: You can tip 1 euro per coat in upscale restaurants that have a person dedicated to checking coats. In more casual establishments where the waiter or owner hangs up your coat, no need to give out a separate tip.
Tour Guides: If you go on a public walking tour in Paris, you can tip your guide 1 to 2 euros for a job well done. For private guided tours, my recommendation is to tip up to 5% on top of the tour fee as I find that private tour prices are already pretty well padded before tips.
While tipping protocols are always subjective, the basic guidelines above should give you a good feel for how tips happen in France for both natives and visitors alike. And it helps to remember that you will come across all types on your French travels so be sure to evaluate each situation on its own. Bon voyage!