Tipping in Rome: when you should, how much to leave, when it is not necessary. An insider guide about the tipping rules and etiquette in Rome, Italy.
One of the most common questions among first-time travelers to Rome whether tipping is expected in the city and, in that case, how much it is appropriate.
Despite what you may have read online, the short answer is YES, tipping is expected in some situations and is the polite thing to do in many cases in Rome.
However, tipping in Rome is different from tipping in the US both in terms of when we tip and how much.
So I believe it is worth getting into it and see when locals tip, when tipping may be assumed from a US tourist (I’ll get into this later) and how much may be appropriate.
Good to know: to a large extent, tipping is a persona thing and you will see even among locals there is a quite a big difference between big tippers and people who do not tip at all. One thing is however constant: we only tip in specific circumstances (usually in restaurants) and only a few euro. We do not leave a percentage of the cost of the service as paid services already factor in the wage of the person working.
I am a local and work with foreign visitors so I know both local use, local expectations and the questions foreigners used to a different tipping culture have about tipping in Rome. This is my quick, no-nonsense guide to tipping in Rome.
When to tip in Rome and how much to give TL:DR
In Rome, we pretty much only tip in restaurants when we are happy with the service and where there is no ‘servizio’ (service) already included on the cheque/ bill.
A tip is an extra thank you and it is symbolic I nature: few euro per table is customary, up to 10% is considered very generous.
Tips are always at the discretion of the client.
Unfortunately, lately it has become common to put pressure on US visitors (or anyone who looks like they may be from the US) to leave a tip like back home.
I would urge you not to feel pressurised by this – a tip above few euro is NOT a local use and is not necessary. Paid services in Italy have the wage of the worker already factored in.
Tipping in Rome restaurants
Tipping in Rome restaurants is standard practice.
If everything went well, it is normal and expected of you to leave some form of a tip on the table for your waiter / waitress, may it be a one Euro coin for a cheap meal or a more substantial sum for a larger one.
How much to leave is entirely up to you but tipping in restaurants is a gesture that shows appreciation more than anything else so you do not have to break the bank nor abide by a special percentage.
A couple of Euro for lunch or one euro per person in case of larger meals is a good rule of thumb.
Despite what you may have read online, not leaving a tip in Rome is usually perceived as a sign that something went wrong and service was poor.
Need to know! Tip/ service charge/ coperto
One of the reasons why people often get confused about tipping in Rome are items that appear on the bill and that are specific to Italy: coperto and servizio
Coperto (cover charge) is a, usually small, charge that goes to the restaurants (not the waiter).
It is a residue of when it was possible to bring your own food to a restaurant and covers all non-food items, so cutlery, table cloth etc. Coperto is
Servizio (service charge) is usually a percentage of the bill total and is effectively a tip. If this item appears on the bill you do not have to leave a tip on top of it but you have to pay it as it is not at the discretion of the client
Need to know: all additional charges such as servizio MUST be clearly stated on the menu so you can make an informed decision before sitting down.
Tipping tour guides in Rome
Tipping tour guides in Rome is usually not necessary, especially in the case of expensive tours, although a few euro to a good guide will always be a nice gesture.
Unlike in the US, the wage of the tours guide is already factored into the cost of your tour (one of the reasons tours are so expensive here!) and there is no expectation of any additional money exchange on top of this.
Since the question of tipping comes up often with US visitors used to a different system, companies now specify ‘gratuities not included’ but this does not mean you need to leave anything.
I know this is uncomfortable if you are used to a different system but I would urge you to consider a few things:
- Not leaving high tips give the workers more power to keep wages up as the owners cannot underpay with the excuse the tips will make up for the rest
- Italy has a huge problem of tax evasion. With the level of tourism we have, high tips (like 10% of a tour that costs hundreds) create a huge amount of untraceable cash transactions, which add to the problem.
If you want to show appreciation for a guide, an excellent review mentioning them by name is more than enough.
Free tours are a different story: in these cases the tour is not really free but rather a ‘pay what you want’ type of situation so, in this case, tipping or rather ‘paying for the service’ is customary and the amount entirely down to the value you think you got from the guide.
This is a different type of business model and the concerns above therefore do not really apply.
Should you tip for coffee in Rome? And for gelato?
I never tip for coffee in Rome however, many people do, usually hoping for speedier service.
Those who do tip, usually do so handing over a 20 cent coin along with the receipt: if you don’t have a coin, don’t sweat it: tipping for coffee is not expected nor standard.
We do not tip for gelato in Rome, nor for pizza to go nor any other street food we pay for.
Tipping in Rome taxis
We usually do not tip Rome taxi drivers.
However, rounding up a charge to the next euro up or so is common. This is entirely at the discretion of the client and not expected.
This is entirely discretional, not expected and usually only done if the driver was especially helpful or pleasant.
Tipping private drivers
We do not tip private drivers in Rome since their wage is already included in the cost of the service.
If the person goers above and beyond helping with bags or similar, then a few euro can be a nice gesture but there is no expectation of it.
Tipping in Rome hotels
In small and mid-range hotels tipping is usually not expected and not necessary.
In bigger, American style hotels things are a little different but usually, a few euro slipped into the hands of the porter carrying your bag is enough.
You usually do not tip housekeeping staff unless you have special reasons to or they went above and beyond for you in exceptional circumstances.
Tipping in shops
You never tip in shops in Rome.
You also never tip the owner of a business: so for instance if you go to the hairdresser and this is a one-person business, a tip is not required.
In some cases such as the above mentioned hairdressers, it is however common to tip a junior member of staff, in the form of few euro.
You can give cash in hand or mention their name when paying at the main till. This is by no mean mandatory or expected, just commonly done especially by returning clients.
I hope you fond this quick overview of the rules and etiquette for tipping in Rome useful. Safe travels!
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