Tips in Italy

Asking for Tips is Very Rude

Tips in Italy are optional, never expected, and should NEVER be requested. Italians work for wages, not tips of gifts. It is forbidden to hire anyone in Italy for less than a living wage. Asking for tips is considered extremely rude and is likely to upset any Italian. Hardly anyone in Italy would dare ask for tips from an Italian, as this is only likely to trigger problems. Asking for tips is seen as unprofessional behavior, acting like a beggar or worse, extorting a double payment for a service you already paid for. If anyone asks you to tip (for instance, in a restaurant or hotel) please deny politely. One of my guests had a very charming way of rejecting: he'd put his hand on his heart, bow his head and kindly say "thank you!"

Tipping is Polite, Sometimes

For services that you solicited and/or actually enjoyed beyond what would normally be expected for a paid service, tipping is a polite way to show appreciation. For instance, if you enjoyed the meal (not just the service but also the food - it is not about liking the waiter!), a guided tour, a private music performance, etc. Receiving help as opposed to service is never accompanied by tips and the person helping you could actually be offended if you offer a tip (for example, when a stranger helps you with luggage, walking directions, train info, take a pic of you in front of a monument, etc).

In some situations, for instance a free walking tour or a free music performance on the street, a service is actually financed solely from tips. No one pays street artists in Italy: this is not Disneyland and except for special events (like outdoor concerts organized for New Year's Eve) the government definitely does not hire street artists. On the contrary, street artists have to pay the city for a permit to perform in public (although many do so illegally without a permit). They perform in a public space so you are of course welcome to enjoy their art for free. However, if the performance is genuine and you are certain that the service person is not otherwise getting paid, leaving a tip - no matter how small - is polite while tipping nothing at all after you enjoyed the performance could be perceived as rude. A few Euros might make no difference to you but a lot of difference for the performer: after all, they are there to make a living. If you take close-up pictures or video, it is polite (and frankly, expected) to leave a tip. No one will run after you asking to tip but if no one tips the service you enjoyed will be discontinued.

Before you decide to leave any money to a street musician, please consider also local residents. If the volume is very high or the performance is average, please do NOT use your money to encourage noise. Noise pollution forces locals to move out, turning Italy into a Disneyland fake.

Tipping Random Guys on the Street Is Unsafe

It is important to distinguish between a free service in public spaces that you actually enjoyed from the professional money beggars who will force their service on you. For instance, some street music "performances" are just a very loud recording to the point that the sound can be heard a block away, while the performer himself only simulates playing. If a street musician has a loud speaker next to them (or a large bag that could disguise a loud speaker) - this is a sign that they could be faking their performance with a recording. If the performance is too flawless, lacks spontaneity, or if the volume so high that it can be heard from a block away, you are likely facing a criminal gang rather than an actual artist. You might see just one person playing but make no mistake, his buddies are nearby, in the crowd, standing watch for police and tourists. Leaving money in such situations could even expose you to pick pockets who are likely a part of the gang.

Other examples are street games, signature collectors, collectors of donations for seemingly noble causes, and people eager to "help" you with vending machines in the train station or at a bus stop, or "help" you carry luggage, offers to take a photo of you in front of monuments, etc. All these are examples of begging at best and scams at worst.

If a random guy on the street (usually from Africa) offers you a "free" bracelet, rose or book or simply stops you to ask the time and chat, expect that a few minutes later he might extort money from you as a tip or gift, often for his (imaginary) family. Sometimes, these guys come in gangs with his buddies waiting around the corner or in that very same square. If a stranger approaches you on the street asking for money or handing you anything as a "free gift", do not take anything from them (even if if falls on the ground - let them drop it and pick it up themselves) and ask them not to touch you. Touching strangers is illegal in Italy so they will know you know the law and leave.

Tipping Can Be Illegal in Italy

Tipping government employees is actually a crime in Italy as it can quality as a bribe of a public official. This includes the police, railway employees, school teachers, museum staff. If you are uncertain about the situation, it is always better to ask before offering a tip to avoid angering the receiver who could report you to the police (!)

Requesting Tips is Illegal

Full price of every good and service must be clearly stated in advance, and nothing more can be added to it on the final bill, neither tip nor tax. All prices must be listed, they must be listed in Euro, and all listed prices must be all-inclusive, so you know exactly how much you will be charged before you order a good or service. Requesting any payment over the listed price is illegal and so is failing to list prices (for instance, the price of gelato in a gelato shop must be listed in a way accessible to you before ordering the gelato). You cannot be charged for anything unless a price is clearly stated in advance (although you must exercise due diligence to learn the price, for instance ask for the menu or read the menu on the wall of the bar).

Tourist Tax is NOT a Tip (and is compulsory)

One exception from this all-inclusive price rule is the local tourist tax in hotels and vacation rentals: this is a tax charged by the municipality from tourists per night for short stays. It is not included in the price of your stay because it does not apply to local residents. So if you are resident in Rome and decide to spend a romantic week-end with your loved one in a five start hotel in Rome, no tax will be charged. Everyone who comes from outside the municipality (even a town 20 minutes drive away) has to pay the local tourist tax for the first several nights of their stay (usually after the first 5-7 nights no tax is charged).

Coperto is NOT a Tip

One source of frequent misunderstanding in Italy is service or cover charge (coperto) in restaurants. This amount varies between 2 and 5 Euro per person and is legal. Coperto is NOT a tip but a service charge for the time it takes to set your table, wash the cutlery and dishes. Like everything else, the price of coperto must be listed on the menu, usually at the bottom, end or in the very beginning. The coperto is due as soon as you sit at the table.

Tips in Italy Are Cash Only

Cash (physical Euro coins or bills) is the only real way to tip in Italy. Italians tip exclusively in cash because anything paid by card, app or wire transfer gets taxed at 26-60%. Tips added to your bill will likely never make it to service staff. If anyone asks you to add a tip on the bill, you are likely in a tourist trap: refuse politely and dial 112 (the police) if they insist.

How Much to Tip in Italy?

Tips are NEVER a percentage of what you spent and are usually limited to a few Euros.

In restaurants, a really good tip is 5 Euro per person or whatever note you have if you are multiple people (so a 10-Euro note for four or even six people is good). I would not leave a pile of coins on the table: this is not a casino and your waiter is not a dealer. Restaurant tips are usually shared with kitchen staff so you cannot tip your specific waiter. Rather, all tips go into a pool split equally between all the staff in the end of shift. The more you spend on your meal the less you are expected to tip, so in Michelin restaurants tips are totally not needed: the waiters and chefs there already receive a good wage.

For a meal in a small local restaurant or otherwise family-run place, paying in cash is equivalent to leaving a good tip. No separate tipping is needed if you paid cash and in some non-tourist places they may even reject a tip on top of payment (though this is rare).

Delivery guys, taxi drivers, hair dressers and similar service staff also work for living wages. However, they might be happy with a small tip like a few Euro coins, especially in case you paid by card.

If you enjoyed your paid group tour, the guide will usually welcome any tip no matter how small. These guides are often taken advantage of by the tour agency, so tips are helpful. Many of these guides are in the beginning of their career, so tips help them assess if a tour went well or if there is space for improvement. Please tip only if you genuinely enjoyed the tour - it is not about being polite!

Private guides, drivers, chefs and performers who set their own prices do not expect tips. However, if you enjoyed the service and would like to thank them, 50 Euro for a full day is a good tip, while a few Euro coins would be rather unkind (it signals that you do tip but did not enjoy your time sufficiently to leave anything more). For shorter service commitments, the tip can be scaled down accordingly.

When (Not) to Tip

Please tip ONLY to show your appreciation for genuinely good service. Tipping in Italy is never expected and never an obligation, so tipping for average service or a bad meal only spoils our service staff - please don't do it! Italians tip only for extraordinary service and meals, meaning that in 8 out of 10 cases the tip is zero. Having said so, you are not Italian and even if you were, there are still those 20% of cases when tipping is needed.

Italians NEVER tip for drinks, though if they pay cash for their drink they might drop off any coins change they receive into the tips jar on the counter. The barman will appreciate this gesture.

Upscale and expensive restaurants and bars pay very good wages to their staff so no tipping is needed: the more you spent on your meal the less you tip.

In four and five star hotels, all services are included in price, and locals compete to get a job there because the wages are good. Tipping for service in such hotels is totally not needed. The only exception you could consider is tipping the housekeeper: these are the lowest paid jobs and their service is essential. I would also tip housekeepers in vacation rentals for exactly the same reason (only if the housekeeping is good of course) although in practice this is very rarely done. Unfortunately!

Outside of hotels and restaurants, locals do tip service staff for little extras beyond the standard service, such as if a delivery guy brings my order two floors up the stairs or if a taxi driver shares his favorite place to eat. This would probably be a few Euro coins.