Tipping In Italy: When To Tip And How Much

Is there tipping in Italy? In short, tipping in Italy is by no means a requirement or a custom.

I often encounter questions about whether you should tip in Italy or how much one should leave as a tip (or, as we say, a mancia) for a service. My answer is always the same: we Italians don’t have a habit of tipping—not even when the service we have received was stellar—so please do as the locals do and avoid tipping.

Tipping in Italy is just not a thing—and sure enough, it’s not done in the same way it may be done in other countries like the United States, where I used to live (so I am very well aware of the tipping culture in North America) and which I have visited many times, including recently.

I beg you to please respect what locals have to say about tipping Italy (rather than asking your friends who visited once years back) because the long-term implications may be deeper and more significant than you may imagine (more about this at the end of the post).

Continue reading to learn everything you need to know about Italy tipping and if—and how—to do it. Let me first start with some pointers on what you can expect to see on your restaurant bill.

Understanding Your Restaurant Bill In Italy

Like in the rest of Europe, the VAT in Italy (which amounts to 22% of the final price of things) is already built into the price of whatever item or service you are purchasing. If you go to a bookshop and find a book on sale for €10, that will be the final price you should expect to pay—easy peasy.

But in restaurants, it’s a different story. 

In addition to the price of what you have ordered and consumed, you may find some smaller charges in the range of €1 to €3 Euro per person for things such as coperto, Servizio, or pane.

What are those, and do you have to pay for them?

First of all, not all restaurants in Italy add pane, coperto, or servizio to your final bill. It’s up to the individual restaurant to decide whether to charge for bread or coperto—save for some regions such as Lazio (where Rome is), where the coperto has been abolished by law.

Below is a quick explanation of these additional fees.

COPERTO—This charge dates back to Medieval times when customers would spend endless time inside inns and restaurants so that they could escape the cold and stay “covered” (coperto, in Italian). Coperto refers to things such as tablecloths, crockery, etc. It usually includes bread, oil, salt, and other things you may be using while at the table. It also covers the cost of cleaning. According to Article 18 of law 635/1940, coperto needs to be stated in the menu. It usually ranges from €1 to €3 per person.

SERVIZIO—Servizio is essentially a tip. It can amount to 15% to 20% of the final bill and is usually added automatically for groups of 8 or more persons. The menu should clearly state if a servizio fee will be added to the final bill for larger groups. Since this is a tip, you don’t need to leave an additional tip on top of that.

PANE—This means bread in Italian, and it’s usually included in the coperto. Where there is no coperto, like in Lazio, you can expect to pay between €1 and €1.50 for bread. In theory, you don’t have to pay for it if you don’t eat it (in which case, send it back as soon as it is brought to the table). But do you really want to give up on your scarpetta?

Why Tipping In Italy Is Not Necessary

There’s an old saying that goes like this: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

In other words, it means you should abide by local rules and customs. This is responsible and shows respect for the people of the country you are visiting—even when you’d do things differently back home.

If you come here and stubbornly decide to break our customs, you may end up creating expectations that, in turn, may change our already unstable economic system.

So, just to sum up the answer to the question, is there tipping in Italy? Let’s go through the reasons why tipping in Italy is not necessary.

Waiters are actually paid

In many countries—the US, for example, but also Israel—tipping is a way of covering the wages of waiters and other workers who are otherwise paid a reduced hourly wage.

Waiters in Italy are paid a monthly salary, which is why there is no custom of tipping them. When we do it, we don’t feel obliged to leave a set percentage. It’s more of a way of letting a waiter know he’s done an exceptional job.

The tip is included in the bill already

Most restaurants in Italy charge a service fee, which is either called coperto or—for larger groups—servizio.

Before you reach into your purse to get some change for a small mancia, carefully read the bill—chances are a service charge has already been added. If that’s not the case, just round up the final amount and leave the spare change.

Tipping creates (wrong) expectations

This is the main reason to avoid tipping Italy—at least not in large amounts, as you may be used to in your home country.

Tipping creates a whole set of expectations that may have a long-term impact on our economic and welfare system, by which waiters feel entitled to a tip even when the customers are actually locals (and let me tell you, the average salary of an Italian who may be dining out is by no means as high as that of people in Northern Europe or North America).

Another thing to consider is that tipping may have a negative impact on wages, too—whereby employers don’t feel obliged to pay waiters a fair amount since they can work for tips.

Finally, tips can’t easily be traced and taxed, which would, in turn, cause yet another issue of tax evasion—as if this was not a problem in Italy already!

Now that you know tipping is not necessary or expected let’s see when leaving a tip is actually appreciated.

Tipping In Italy—When To Tip And How Much To Leave

Since we don’t have a habit of tipping in Italy, there is no set amount or percentage you are expected to tip in exchange for a service. It really is up to you if you want to leave something and how much you leave.

Having said that, below are some tips on tipping Italy (yeah, I really had to say that!).

If you really want to leave a tip, it has to be cash—even if you pay by credit card.

Restaurant tipping in Italy

Provided there is no coperto or servizio charge on the bill already, whether you leave a tip or not is totally up to you. Definitely do that if the service is stellar, but don’t feel obliged if the service is mediocre.

Also please understand that Italy tipping culture is totally different from that of North America when it comes to tipping at restaurants. I know in the US you simply factor in a tip as soon as you sit down at a restaurant. In Italy, we don’t, and most of us won’t leave a tip unless there’s a good reason for that.

For example, I invited my friends to my favorite pizzeria for my birthday. The waiter kept her cool despite our many (contradicting) requests; pizza was delicious, and coperto was not included, so I was happy to leave her a tip.

The same thing happened when I invited my family to celebrate buying an apartment: the service was impeccable, the food was mouthwatering, and I left a tip.

How much should you leave for restaurant tipping in Italy? I’d say €1 per person is perfect, or else just round up the bill. So, for example, if I am expected to pay €38, I may decide to leave €40.

Expect to receive the bill only after you have specifically asked the waiter (it’s considered rude to bring a bill to the table before the customer asks). Only some very busy pubs, bars and coffee shops will bring you the bill upon serving your drinks. You’ll have to pay at the desk at times.

We never tip the owner of a business for some reason. So, if you eat at a tiny local place where the same lady is the cook and the waitress and sits at the cash desk, a tip is really not required.

At a café

I have never left a tip at a café—but then, I usually drink my coffee at the counter. If you sit down, you may want to leave a small coin on top of the receipt or simply round up the bill. That’s more than enough for Italy tipping. However, let me stress that Italy tipping culture is not to tip at cafés, even when sitting at a table.

The price of coffee in Italy varies depending on whether you drink at the bar or at a table. Make sure to read my post How To Order Coffee In Italy: The Best Italian Coffee for more.

Bartender

I don’t think I know anyone who leaves a tip to the bartender. It really isn’t part of Italy tipping culture. I have never done it, and don’t know anyone who does it.

Drivers

In Italy, we don’t tip taxi drivers or private car drivers unless it makes getting the change easier. The same applies to shuttle drivers. I know from a friend who runs a shuttle company that many customers from North America tip him and his drivers, but we really don’t do it and honestly you shouldn’t either.

Tour guides

The duration of the tour and the actual service you have received should be factors to consider when deciding whether and how much to tip a guide. Most Italians won’t tip a guide – it’s just not something we do, and some guides may even refuse your tip!

I once took a guided tour in my hometown Cagliari and wanted to tip the guide as she was super informative and patient, and she did not accept any money from me!

On the other hand, my sister and I once decided to tip our guide in Matera as he was outstanding. He kindly accepted the tip and he was especially touched, knowing that when Italians leave a tip it really is because they have received an exceptional service.

If you feel the guide was outstanding, and you were out on a full-day tour, leave a tip between €5 and €10. If it was a shorter tour (between 2 and 4 hours), leave no more than €5 Euro. If the tour or the guide were bad, just don’t leave anything.

Hotel staff

Tipping at hotels is not expected (I have never left a tip at any hotel or guest house here in Italy) but definitely welcome, so you may want to leave a little something to the staff. Here are some guidelines:

• Porter/bellhop /doorman: If the porter carries your bag up four flights of stairs to your room, you should leave a €1 euro tip per bag.
• Concierge: Leave a tip if you use the services and are given information that isn’t readily available elsewhere. For example, if you get an excellent tip from a local restaurant or receive help snatching last-minute tickets to a show, you can leave between €5 and €10;
• Housekeeping: Between €0.50 cents and €1 per day for a spotless room. Leave the tip daily in your room, or at the end of your stay at reception, in an envelope, asking for it to be split among the cleaning staff.

Beauty salons, hairdressers and spas

There’s no need to tip your hairdresser or your manicurist. Likewise, no tipping is necessary at a spa.

Further Readings

Make sure to read my other posts about Italy:

• A Guide To The Best Places To Visit In Italy
• A Perfect Italy Itinerary: What To See And Do With 10 Days Or More
• What To Do And What To Avoid When Planning A Trip To Italy
• 67 Extremely Useful Travel Tips For Italy
• 17 Reasons To Visit Italy As Soon As Possible
• 25 Most Interesting Facts About Italy

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