Tipping is
not very complicated in France. Use these helpful hints the next time you
purchase a café crème.
After eating
lunch in a quaint French café, you've just gotten the bill. Your wallet is in
your hand's reach.
In France,
should you give a tip? Yes, if the service was satisfactory. Since service is a
part of the hospitality industry in France, tips are not often required in
French restaurants, cabs, or hotels.
In contrast
to several other nations, all workers, even wait staff and bellhops, receive a
respectable monthly salary in addition to paid holidays and other benefits.
Nevertheless,
patrons have the option to leave a gratuity—the amount of which varies
depending on the kind of business and service—as a token of gratitude for their
exceptional service. When you visit France, make use of these useful tips on
leaving tips.
How is tipping different in
Paris vs the US?
Tipping is
significantly different in Paris than it is in the US. The wages of waiters and
waitresses in Paris are standard, and occasionally a service fee is included in
the cost. Because of these factors, Europeans earn fair salaries and do not
depend on tips to supplement their income.
A server or
waitress at a restaurant or bar in the US makes incredibly little money and
depends on tips to supplement their pay. This is the reason a gratuity of
between 15% and 25% is expected of you.
Tipping is not customary in
French and restaurants
In France,
15% of the bill is automatically included for service at restaurants,
regardless of whether you're dining at a Michelin-starred establishment or a
neighborhood café.
The word
"service compris" is used on the menu or the bill to highlight this.
You are welcome to offer a little tip (un pourboire) for a server that is
particularly pleasant or helpful, but it is not necessary.
You may
encounter bold servers at more tourist-oriented restaurants who attempt to
convince you that a tip is not expected.
They are
correct in theory; while service is covered, gratuities are not. Either way,
you are under no need to leave them with anything.
You can
leave 20 to 50 centimes per drink, or round up to the nearest euro, for a basic
beverage. You may tip one or two euros per person for lunch in a casual café or
restaurant.
You could
wish to leave five to ten percent for a nice dining restaurant, where the
service is considerably more attentive.
French
credit card slips do not allow for tipping (service is included in the price),
thus it is advisable to carry change or small dollars for gratuities.
Before the
waiter enters the whole amount on the credit card terminal, you can ask him to
add a gratuity, but you can't be certain that the staff will really get this
money.
Tipping at cafes and bars
It's
customary to just round up the price for beverages or coffee, to the nearest
penny or euro.
Increase it
to a few euros if you want the bartender to remember you or if the cafes or
bars are really busy.
Furthermore,
bartenders do remember generous tips! The majority of the waitresses who work
in these little cafes and pubs rely mostly on the tips they get for their
services. You can discreetly leave the gratuity money on the tray for them.
Related: How should we give tips in cafes and bars?
Giving gratuities to
private drivers and taxi drivers
Although it
is not necessary, residents frequently round up to the next euro or give up to
5% as tips for taxi drivers.
Tipping is
common and amounts to one or two euros per bag if the driver assists you with
your baggage, especially if they are heavy.
Tipping is
optional for private vehicle services, such as full-day car tours or scheduled
airport transfers, however, it is usually between 5 and 10%.
Giving gratuities to
private drivers and taxi drivers
Although it
is not necessary, residents frequently round up to the next euro or give up to
5% as tips for taxi drivers. Tipping is common and amounts to one or two euros
per bag if the driver assists you with your baggage, especially if they are
heavy.
Tipping is
optional for private vehicle services, such as full-day car tours or scheduled
airport transfers, however, it is usually between 5 and 10%.
Tipping at hotels
15% of the
total price is the amount for room service; however, be sure that this isn't
already included.
- Concierge: €1-4
for information that is helpful and time spent helping you. At the conclusion
of your visit, you may also think about giving hotel porters or wait staff a
sizable gratuity.
- Doorman or
Bellhop: A minimum of €2 and an extra €1 for each bag.
- Housekeeping
charges each guest between €2 and €4 per night.
Tipping at theaters
Theater
ushers are quite common in French theaters where you may see plays, operas,
music concerts, dance performances, or other events. Their job is to help with
show management and attendance control.
It's
customary to leave a little gratuity for an usher you feel provided excellent
service.
Tipping tour guides
The majority
of tour operators give their guides an hourly or per-trip wage.
However,
aside from gratuities from visitors, the tour guides for Free Tours by Foot are
not paid.
This ensures
that your tour guide will make every effort to provide you with the greatest
possible experience.
We are aware
that visitors are on a tight budget. Our trips are thus available on a
pay-what-you-wish basis.
Joining one
of our tours is free, but reservations are requested. You choose the value of
your experience at the conclusion of a tour.
Our
pay-what-you-like approach is great because it allows you to consider your
budget, the duration of the tour, and the tour's quality when determining how
much—or whether—to tip.
Typically,
patrons of Free Tours by Foot Tours leave a minimum gratuity of €5–€7 per
person.
If you're
having a great time, you can definitely tip extra. We anticipate that you will!
Tipping in
France might get a little hazy at this point. Tipping is not normally
anticipated when booking a private tour, lesson, or trip directly with a guide
or teacher because you will often be charged a fixed cost.
If you're
pleased with your trip, you can tip between 10% and 20% if you make your
reservation through an online booking site, a tour operator, or your concierge.
Check your
booking confirmation if you're unsure; tipping details are typically found in
the tiny print.
Major cities
have seen an increase in "free tours" in recent years. Even though
the tours are billed as "free," the guides are required to pay the
tour operator a certain sum (about two euros) for each person who shows up at
the start of the excursion, even if some unavoidably cancel along the way.
In order to
enable the guide to tip the waiter at his neighborhood café, if you take one of
these trips and you like your guide, think about leaving at least five to seven
euros per person.
Take Your Time
French
servers usually give you plenty of time in between courses, figuring you'll
take your time to finish each one.
As it is
customary in France to enjoy meals leisurely rather than rushing through them,
what is deemed poor service in the United States may be regarded as proper
manners in France.
In
restaurants that cater primarily to tourists, the check is dropped off at the
table; in other establishments, customers must specifically request for the
bill to be presented.
In French
culture, leaving the check alone is seen as impolite and an indication that
they're attempting to get you out of the way so they may make room for another
customer at your table.
Mention your
occasion to your waitress at the start of the lunch, and ask if the check may
be given to the table as soon as the last course is served if you know you'll
have to leave as soon as you're done eating.
If not,
please call for the check and, if you would like, the bill after you've
finished your final food and drink.
Mention your
occasion to your waitress at the start of the lunch, and ask if the check may
be given to the table as soon as the last course is served if you know you'll
have to leave as soon as you're done eating.
If not,
please call for the check and, if you would like, the bill after you've
finished your final food and drink.
Read More: How to tip in European countries
Conclusion
If you are
often short on cash but yet like to recognize the waiter's hard work, don't
panic.
To easily
keep track of tips, use our electronic tip app for servers to tip cashless. You will gain
from the simplicity of a digital
tipping app.
You may tip
using this program that takes payments other than cash. The good news is that
this tip software works on cell phones running any operating system, including
Android and iPhone so you can easily leave tips by mobile.