How to tip around the world: Greece
A holiday in Greece promises beautiful scenery, oodles of history and culture, delicious food, and a spot of plate smashing if you’re lucky.
As a visitor, you’ll find yourself in plenty of situations where your natural instinct would be to tip. But should you? And if so, how much?
Tipping can be a cultural minefield for travellers. Not only does the etiquette vary from country to country, but the rules are different whether you’re paying for a meal, taxi, room service or a drink at the bar.
To help you figure it out, we’ve created a series of guides for tipping in different countries.
Read on to find out where, when, and how to tip in Greece.
Note: Due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, remember to check current travel restrictions before booking travel.
Tipping tips
Tipping in Greece is customary, but by no means obligatory.
However, many people in the industries where tipping is common rely heavily on the tourist season, some even working only during summer, so any extra money is gratefully received to help them through the winter months.
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Restaurants
Tips are expected in Greek eateries, especially for stellar service, but some restaurants round up the bill to include gratuity. So, check the bill before getting tip happy. If there’s no gratuity added, leave a cash tip, (between 5 and 10% of the bill), plus a euro or two for the busser (the person who sets and clears the table).
If there’s a cover charge on the bill, it covers the cost of bread and non-bottled water but doesn’t include gratuity.
Bars and pubs
Wondering how much tip to leave bartenders in Greece? You don’t need to. But it’s considerate to round up to the nearest euro for great service. Just watch the Ouzo – it’s more potent than you might think!
Hotels
Tipping in Greek hotels is a nice gesture, but not compulsory.
As a rule:
- It’s polite to leave a tip of 1-2 euro per night for a budget hotel that offers daily housekeeping. For more luxurious hotels, 5 euro per night is more appropriate.
- If a doorman helps you with your luggage or hailing a cab, a simple thank you will suffice. For exceptional service, leave 1 euro.
Taxi drivers
A good rule of thumb for taxis is to round the fare up to the nearest euro. For exceptional service, multiple stops, or for a longer distance, add 10% to the final fare.
Bear in mind, you’ll be expected to pay for tolls and road fees.
Tour guides
In Greece, it’s customary to tip your tour guide. For a group tour, around 2 euro per person, per day is the average. If it’s a private tour, you’re looking at 20 euro per person, per day.
Should you pay by cash or card?
In most places, you can leave a tip on your credit card, but it’s better (and the tip is more likely to go to the right person) if you hand it over in cash.