When it comes to tipping in Greece, it is customary to tip between 10% or 15% of the bill, or to round it up. This Greece tipping guide explains the tipping culture for restaurants, taxi drivers, tour guides and many other services in Greece.
Greece tipping etiquette
Tipping customs differ from country to country. Some countries, like the US, have a pretty standard etiquette. Others, including certain European countries, have a more haphazard system. One of those countries is Greece.
To sum up the Greek tipping culture, we could comfortably say that while a tip is not obligatory, it’s often customary, if not expected. A good tip is always appreciated, and might even make someone’s day.
In a nutshell, tipping is always a nice gesture. Unless you had bad or mediocre service, it’s always a good idea to leave a tip. And while all tips are appreciated, a tip in cash is always preferred to a tip paid on your card.
Let’s have a look at the tipping etiquette in Greece.
Tipping at Greek tavernas and Greek restaurants
Every single person visiting Greece will eventually end up at a Greek taverna. These affordable, down-to-earth local restaurants are where you can have some of the most delicious food in Greece.
If you’ve had a great meal or exceptional service at a taverna, it’s customary to leave a tip. There is no set percentage for tipping at tavernas. Most Greeks would just leave a couple of euros on the table.
Example: If your bill comes to 27 or 28 euro, you could simply round it up to 30. If your meal cost was 35 euro, you could leave up to 40 euros in total, especially if you had great table service or you had some wine or dessert on the house.
Generally speaking, the same principle applies when visiting mid-range or upscale restaurants. In these cases, you might want to check if tips are already included in your bill.
You can always add a tip to your debit / credit card. If you are tipping in cash at an upmarket restaurant, a banknote would look more appropriate.
“Service charge” at tavernas
Looking at your taverna menu, you may see something called “cover charge”, or sometimes “service charge”.This has nothing to do with tipping – it a small charge typically covering bread and non bottled water, which comes in a jug.
If you don’t want any bread, this charge won’t be added to your final bill. Otherwise, it may appear on your bill as ΚΟΥΒΕΡ, which is the word COVER in Greek! It might cost you 1 or 2 euros per person, or even less.
Tipping at cafes and bars in Greece
Generally speaking, tipping at cafes and bars is not as common as in some other countries. However, if you’ve had great service, leaving a small tip is always appreciated.
If you had a coffee at a coffee place in Greece, you could round up to the nearest euro, or just drop a few coins in the tip jar by the till. All in all, rounding up your bill to the nearest euro is a good guideline for tipping at cafes.
In my experience, tipping in bars is even less common. But if you feel like leaving a tip, there’s no reason not to!
Do you tip taxi drivers in Greece
Tipping cab drivers in Greece is not necessarily expected. However, it’s not unusual to leave a tip, especially if you are paying with cash.
As of November 2023, standard taxis in Greece are not obliged to have a POS, but this is supposed to change in 2024. Watch this space.
If your taxi driver has driven a long distance, helped you with carrying your luggage, or offered travel tips and advice, you could consider leaving a larger tip.
These recommendations apply for any taxis you may hail off the street, as well as for pre-booked transfers, where you will have your own private driver.
How to tip your tour guides in Greece
When visiting Greece, travelers often take some free tours, as well as group or private tours. Here’s how to tip your guide.
How to tip a guide after a free tour
Free tours are a great way to get acquainted with a city. These guides have typically put in dozens of hours of work, and are super enthusiastic. In fact, the right person in this job can absolutely set the tone for your vacation!
I would generally recommend that you leave a minimum of 10 euro per person for a free walking tour of up to 2 hours, and more if the tour lasts longer.
Tipping for guided group tours and private tours
Many visitors have pre-booked a guided group tour through an external company, or their hotel. In these cases, tipping the tour guide is typically expected.
A good rule of thumb is to leave 10% or 15% of the price of the group tour. So, if your tour cost 40 euro, you could leave 5 euro as a tip.
For private tours, tipping would also depend on whether there’s a driver involved, or whether your tour has multiple stops. Again, a 10-15% of the total cost is reasonable.
If you are going on a multi-day tour, you could tip both the driver and the guide on the last day, in the form of a lump sum.
Here are some ideas for different tours in Greece.
How to tip hotel staff in Greece – Porters, housekeeping, pool bar waiters
Wherever you go in Greece, you will find many different types of accommodation.
Some people will stay in a budget hotel or simple self-catering apartment. Others will choose the more luxurious options, such as villas and boutique hotels in Athens, Santorini and Mykonos.
Most of the budget-friendly, family-run properties will not have a porter. In some cases, the owner or receptionist will offer to help you with your luggage, and they wouldn’t expect tips in this case.
On the other hand, if you are staying at an upscale hotel, you will usually have a porter help you with your suitcases. There will also be room service might bring a meal or drinks to your hotel room.Leaving some extra money will be appreciated.
You could tip porters and room service directly. A 5 or 10 euro note would be suitable, especially if they had to go up and down dozens of steps or if you had lots of luggage.
You could also consider leaving a tip for the maid by your bedside table when you are checking out. Again, how much to tip in Greece is at your discretion. A 5 or maybe 10 euro tip per day would be appropriate for a high-end hotel.
Tipping people who deliver (e-food,Wolt etc)
If you live in Greece, or staying for a few weeks, chances are that at some point you will order a take-away or other food delivery. So, what should you do in these cases?
The general consensus here is to definitely tip the delivery person, in cash if possible. So even if you’ve paid for your meal / drink online, it’s better to hand over a few euros.
Again, how much you will leave is up to you. As an indication, I’d recommend leaving about a euro for a delivery up to 10 euro.
For a larger order, the tip could be higher. For example, if you’re having a party and are ordering pizzas worth 80-90 euro, consider leaving 3-4 euro as a tip.
Now, all these numbers are based on several discussions with (mostly) Greek people, and they are really just indicative. I would love to know your views as well, so please leave a comment below.
FAQs about tipping in Greece
Here are a few questions that visitors often come up with:
Is it rude to tip in Greece?
No, tipping in Greece is definitely not considered rude. In some cases, it’s actually customary.
Is it customary to tip in Greece?
Tipping in Greece is customary for many services, though it isn’t obligatory. Services where it’s customary to tip are restaurants / tavernas, tours, hotel personnel and delivery people.
Do you tip in all inclusive resorts in Greece?
Tipping the daily housekeeping and wait staff in all inclusive resorts isn’t obligatory. However, they will definitely appreciate some extra money in the form of tips.
How much do you tip a private tour guide in Greece?
This is generally up to you. As an indication, if you are taking a private tour, a 10 or 15% of the tour price would be satisfactory. Yet, you could offer a larger tip for an exceptional experience.
Do you tip hairdressers in Greece?
Although you shouldn’t feel obligated to leave a tip for hairdressers and nail technicians in Greece, it is customary. As a rule of thumb, 10% of the service fee is fine, though you could consider tipping a little more for stellar service.
Before you leave a tip, take a look at this!
And now that you know everything about the local customs regarding Greek tipping culture, it’s worth having a quick look at money in Greece.
Like most of the member states of the European Union, Greece uses the euro. There are seven different notes, of which the most common are the 5, 10, 20 and 50 euro notes. There are also 100, 200 and 500 euro notes which are rare.
Moreover, there are eight coin denominations:
- 1 and 2 euro coins, which are silver and golden colored. These are the ones your waiter will appreciate the most.
- 10, 20, and 50 euro cent coins, which are golden colored. These are absolutely fine to tip with, even though they are considered small change.
- 1, 2 and 5 euro cent coins, which are bronze colored. As the value of these coins is essentially insignificant, leaving them as a tip is generally not advised. While you might be tempted to empty your pockets and leave any tiny 1 and 2 cent coins on the table, it is best not to, as it can be considered an insult!
Please avoid tipping in your own currency (e.g. USD, GBP), as foreign currencies cannot be used in Greece – you would need to tip in euros.
How to tip in Greece – Conclusion
So, what’s the bottom line from all the above? How much should you tip in Greece?
There are no set rules when it comes to tipping in Greece. Generally speaking, you can’t go wrong by leaving a modest tip for each service.
When in doubt, a 10% is generally fine. If you had very good service, you might want to tip 15 or even 20 percent. For a small extra cost, you could make someone happy, and this is invaluable!
More travel guides about Greece
Planning a trip to Greece? Here are a few more Greece travel guides, with useful tips for your Greek vacation:
- Ten things you should know about Greece
- How to plan a trip to Greece
- How to buy a SIM card for Greece
- Things to avoid in Santorini
- What to pack for Greece for every season
- Is Greece expensive?
- Cost of living in Athens Greece
- Useful words and phrases in Greek
- Driving in Greece
- Best apps for Greece
Hi! I’m Vanessa from Athens and I love offering tips about Greece. I’ll take this opportunity to offer my personal view on how much to tip in Greece. Τhe minimum wage in Greece, which is what many hospitality workers earn, is 780 euro per month. So, if you were happy with the service, and if it won’t break the bank for you, feel free to tip liberally. Chances are that it will make a difference for someone!
