Tipping in Europe
 

What is customary for tipping at restaurants and cab rides in Europe? I'll be in Germany and France on business.

Thanks :)

You'll probably get more responses in the Europe Forum which also has Germany and France sub-forums. I usually opt for 0-10% at restaurants, but that's me.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=477

At restaurants, I also tip around 10%. Of course everything is under your obligation. :)

Service is included in almost all restaurants in France, you are only expected to tip for exceptional service.

Similar in Germany, although it's more common (IME) to round up the figure.

Taxis, well, unless they're exceptional (helping with luggage etc), then rounding up is optional.

Please don't overtip.

stut is right and I add again, please don't overtip :D

Double-add, yes, please DO NOT overtip. It would be dreadful if we become the tipping culture like in US. I noticed that in the UK, tipping is becoming very like in US, worrying.

It is very common here to just round up the bill. Only for exceptional service do we ever tip, but even that is never really up to 10%, I would say in the region of 5 %, of course IF it is based on total of bill.

To me tipping is a way of showing your gratitude for the exceptional service, but not when service is as is from the book. And of course it is absurd to be made compulsory like in the US.

:)

usally people didn't leave the tip in europe, just sume euros in some restaurant.

As I travel abroad a lot, I usually tip about 10% of the restaurant bill. My Parisian friends are horrified. They agree that 10% is about right, but they do cap it around EUR 10 ! For our last dinner together in Paris, the price for 3 was about EUR 250 in a really nice restaurant with really nice service. They would have given EUR 5 for a tip and barely accepted that I go all the way up to EUR 10 (plus an additional EUR 10 for the voiturier ;))

Yes, I would not overtip as well unless it was extremely beyond belief. ;)

With the way the USD has been going against the EUR, I'd certainly be horrified with EUR 10. :eek:

.....or what some people refer to as robotic service. :D