Tipping in Germany: How Much to Leave at Restaurants, Taxis, Hotels and on Tours

In Germany, a tip is called Trinkgeld (literally "drink money"), and leaving one is a courtesy with no legal force behind it. Lifetimes Deutschland says there is no legal obligation to tip, and Cashinator puts it plainly: "Tipping is always voluntary – all figures are guidelines." The customary amounts are smaller than what American visitors are used to. A typical restaurant tip is 5 to 10 percent, taxi drivers get a rounded-up fare, and hotel staff get a euro or two at a time.

Two German habits surprise first-time visitors. Restaurant menu prices already include service, so no extra percentage is expected on top. And the tip is usually handed over as part of paying, with the server hearing a total from you rather than finding a line on a card slip. A separate charge that does appear on hotel bills, the city tax, has nothing to do with tipping but often gets confused with a service charge.

Figures from Berlin’s official tourism site apply to Berlin only.

Service Is Already in German Menu Prices

German restaurants build the cost of service into what they charge for each dish. The Price Indication Ordinance (Preisangabenverordnung, or PAngV), the national regulation on how businesses must display prices to consumers, requires menu prices to be final prices. Ratgeberrecht.eu states that Bedienungsgeld (a service charge) and other mandatory surcharges must be included in the total price in hotels and restaurants, citing § 13 of the ordinance. DEHOGA Sachsen, the regional hotel and restaurant trade association, quotes the regulation in the same way, and Cashinator relies on the same paragraph when it says German law requires service to be included in menu prices.

As a result, a menu does not list a line such as "plus 15% service." A dish listed at a price with "zzgl." (zuzüglich, meaning "plus") VAT is also not an allowed format for consumers; Gastrodok’s menu-template guidance makes the same point about final prices. What you read on the menu is what you pay, apart from drinks and extras you order. This is why the tip works as a reward for good service rather than as a fix for a wage the restaurant forgot to cover.

You may still see the word Bedienung on a bill. Frommer’s says that when the bill includes Bedienung, a service charge has already been added, and guests may leave a couple of euros more but should not overdo it. Guides disagree on how often this wording appears. Berlin.de, the city’s official tourism site, says service is usually not listed as a separate line on the bill, while some travel sites describe the notation as mostly an upscale-restaurant habit. In either case, read the bill before you decide. If it says service is included, a small round-up or a few euros is enough. If it says nothing, use the percentage ranges in the next section.

Tipping habits in tourist areas may differ from those in neighborhood restaurants, but the pricing rule is national. A restaurant in Munich and one in a small Saxon town both have to show final prices.

Restaurant, Café and Bar Amounts

For table service, tip 5 to 10 percent. Berlin.de gives that range for sit-down cafés, classy bars and casual restaurants, and names 10 percent as the standard in nicer restaurants with good service. Cashinator gives the same figures for the country as a whole and adds that anything above 15 percent is very generous. Frommer’s recommends about 10 percent when no service charge appears on the bill.

Survey results point the same way. Cashinator cites a YouGov survey, reported in a dpa-sourced article, in which most Germans who tip leave 6 to 10 percent. Lifetimes Deutschland cites a 2023 poll in which 78 percent of Germans tip in restaurants, which means roughly one in five does not. A server who gets nothing is not expected to react, and a server who gets 10 percent for a pleasant meal will not feel shortchanged.

Cafés and bars work on smaller sums. Cashinator’s example is a €3.60 cappuccino that becomes €4 when you round up to the next euro, and it says larger tabs call for 5 to 10 percent. Frommer’s notes that most German pubs have table service, so the restaurant guidance applies there, while bartenders get a round-up to the nearest euro after each round. If you are drinking at a bar through an evening, rounding up each time works better than a large tip at the end, because that matches how the staff are used to being paid.

Counter service and self-service need no tip at all. Cashinator says a tip is not expected there and a tip jar is optional, giving a self-service beer garden and a bakery as examples. If you order at a window, carry your own tray, or pick up a pretzel, you are done once you pay. The exception is a place where staff bring food to a table, even in a casual setting such as a beer hall with waiter service. There, treat it like any other restaurant and tip in the normal range.

Handing Over the Tip: Cash, "Stimmt So" and Card Terminals

The German way to tip is to announce the total you want to pay. Cashinator advises telling the server the amount you wish to pay including the tip, with the example "Machen Sie 50" ("make it 50") for a €46.80 bill. When paying cash, "Stimmt so" ("that’s right as it is") tells the server to keep the change. A quick "Danke" while handing over a note is often understood the same way.

Say the number when the server comes to collect payment, not after the change is already on the table. A server who has counted out your change in coins has to take them back, which is awkward for both of you. If you are paying by cash, hand the money over directly; Frommer’s calls leaving coins on the table haughty and advises placing them in the server’s hand. In a group, the same applies: one person announces the total for the whole table, or each person pays the server separately and names their own amount. Germans commonly split bills at the table, so asking "Zusammen oder getrennt?" ("together or separately?") is something the server will say to you anyway.

Cash is the preferred form. Frommer’s recommends it "to make sure the money reaches its intended recipient," and Berlin.de says that when the bill is paid by card, the tip should be given in cash if possible. Cashinator adds that this way the tip goes straight to the server.

Card terminals sometimes offer tip percentages. Cashinator cites the Federation of German Consumer Organisations (vzbv) as saying that nobody is obliged to tip when paying by card, and that a "no tip" option should be as easy to select as any other. If a terminal pushes you toward a percentage that is higher than you intended, you can choose a lower one or skip the tip. Alternatively, tell the server the total you want charged, and they will enter it.

Carry small notes and coins, especially one- and two-euro coins. Not every café or taxi accepts cards for small amounts, and you will need cash for taxis, porters and tour guides.

Taxis: Round Up the Fare

Taxi tipping is modest. Berlin.de says tipping is not necessary and that locals usually round the fare up to the nearest euro if the ride was pleasant. For extraordinary service, such as help with heavy luggage or good conversation, a euro or two is a nice gesture. Cashinator gives the same advice nationwide: round up to the next euro, and add a euro or two if the driver helps with luggage or the ride was especially pleasant. Frommer’s agrees that rounding up is the norm and that nothing more is expected.

A percentage rule also circulates. Park(ing) Day describes rounding up or adding 5 to 10 percent of the fare as customary. For a short city ride this comes to about the same as rounding up; for a long airport transfer it is noticeably more. If a driver handles several bags and gets you there smoothly, the percentage is a reasonable choice. For a routine cross-town ride, rounding up is sufficient.

Say the amount you want to pay as you hand over the money, the same way you do in a restaurant. If the fare is displayed as a number with cents, tell the driver the rounded figure while giving cash. Drivers expect this, and it spares them from counting change you would have waved off.

Ride-hailing apps add a tip option on the screen. Cashinator says Uber, Bolt and FreeNow allow an optional tip in the app after the ride. You can skip it, or add a euro or two if the ride was good, in line with the taxi guidance above.

Taxi fares themselves are set locally. The Bremen taxi tariff ordinance, valid from 1 February 2025, sets a minimum fare of €4.80 and €2.70 per kilometer up to the tenth kilometer, includes VAT in the fare, and says that no surcharges beyond those listed may be charged. Tariffs differ by city and district, so the meter in your destination may start higher or lower. The tipping approach stays the same: pay what the meter says, then round up.

Hotels: Small Amounts for Specific Help

Hotel tips go to the person who does something for you, and each amount is small. Berlin.de, Frommer’s and Cashinator agree closely on porters and concierges and differ slightly on housekeeping.

A porter who carries your luggage to the room gets a euro or two per bag, a figure that Berlin.de, Frommer’s and Cashinator all give. For a typical couple with two suitcases, that works out to a few euros in total, and you should have the coins ready when you open the door.

Housekeeping is optional. Both Frommer’s and Cashinator describe it as a nice gesture rather than a requirement, and WhySoGermany says it is not expected everywhere. If you want to leave something, Cashinator suggests a short note so the housekeeper knows the money is for them. Leave it on the pillow or desk with the note. Loose coins can look like forgotten change.

Concierge tips depend on the effort. Berlin.de gives €5 to €10 for extra services, and Cashinator gives the same range for real help, such as booking a restaurant that is nearly full or arranging a transfer. Frommer’s reserves €10 to €20 for major help like getting tickets that are hard to find. Simple directions or a recommendation for dinner do not call for a tip.

Berlin.de adds two smaller figures: a coat check attendant gets €0.50 to €2, and a hairdresser gets 5 to 10 percent. These come from Berlin’s guidance, and the hairdresser percentage matches what most Germans leave for personal services.

You do not tip the front desk for checking you in, and breakfast buffets do not need a tip unless a server brings you coffee or clears your table, in which case a euro or two or a round-up is fine.

Tours and Guides

How you tip a guide depends on how the tour is sold. For tours you pay for, a tip is a thank-you on top of the price. For tours advertised as free, the tip is the guide’s pay.

On paid group tours, Cashinator gives €2 to €5 per person as a common thank-you and about 10 percent for private guides. Frommer’s puts the ceiling at up to 10 percent of the excursion cost. Celebrity Cruises suggests a flat fee of about €5 for a half-day tour or €10 for a full day, and says tipping tour guides is not compulsory. If the tour comes included with a paid museum ticket, Cashinator says a tip is usually not expected. An audio guide or a museum’s own staff-led visit falls in that group, and leaving nothing is normal.

Free walking tours are different, because the guide has no other income from the tour. Cashinator gives €10 to €15 per person on free walking tours in Berlin, Hamburg or Munich, since the tip is the guide’s pay. Operator guidance in Berlin is similar: Berlin Walk suggests €10 to €15 per person for a good two-hour tour, and Berlin Escape suggests €10 to €20 for a two-to-three-hour tour. These figures come from companies that run such tours, so treat them as the upper end of what guides hope for. A lower amount is normal for a tour you found only so-so. Leaving nothing is not, since the guide gets no pay from the tour.

Length matters. The Original Berlin Tours free tour is tip-based, lasts 3.5 hours, runs daily at 10 AM, and starts in front of Generator Berlin Alexanderplatz. For a tour that long, the higher end of the €10 to €20 range is easier to justify than for a short one. In Düsseldorf, a tip-based Old Town walking tour from the Stadtpfade operator works the same way: you decide at the end how much to pay.

Bring cash for this. Tips are usually handed to the guide at the end of the tour, and Berlin Escape recommends notes in the €5 to €20 range, although many operators also accept cards. Tip per person rather than per group, because each member of a couple or family should contribute.

The Hotel City Tax Is Not a Tip

Germany has no national tourist tax, but many cities charge their own on hotel stays. The names vary: Übernachtungssteuer, Beherbergungssteuer, Kulturförderabgabe, Bettensteuer and "city tax" all refer to versions of the same municipal charge on overnight stays, according to touristtaxes.com. Resort towns often add a separate Kurtaxe, a local visitor fee. None of these goes to hotel staff, and none replaces or reduces what you would tip.

The tax appears on top of the room price, and the hotel collects it for the city. Rates differ widely, so check the figure for your destination:

• Berlin: 7.5 percent of the net room price (excluding VAT), in force since 1 January 2025. The centrovital Berlin page agrees on this rate. Business stays have been taxable since 1 April 2024.
• Cologne: 5 percent of the gross price, with VAT included. The Stadt Köln FAQ says the taxable base is the amount paid for the stay, including VAT.
• Munich: no city tax, because Bavarian state law forbids cities from levying hotel taxes, and a legal challenge failed.
• Frankfurt: €2 per person per night.
• Düsseldorf: €3 per person per night.
• Hamburg: banded by net price per person per night, from €0.60 up to €4.80, then €1.20 more per additional €50, with an increase scheduled for 1 January 2027.

Because the base differs, the same room price can produce different tax amounts in different cities. Berlin charges on the net price, Cologne on the gross. NW.de advises guests to check whether VAT was correctly applied to the tax line on a hotel bill, which is worth doing if the total looks higher than expected. Weg.de says amounts are adjusted regularly and that each city’s current figures apply, so confirm the rate with your hotel or the city’s own page when you book. Some booking platforms show the tax as a separate line at checkout, and others expect payment at the front desk.

Key Takeaways

• Tip for good service, and treat it as voluntary. No law requires a tip, and German menu prices already include service and VAT under the price display rules (PAngV § 13), so no percentage is added on top.
• Leave 5 to 10 percent in restaurants. Aim for about 10 percent in nicer places with good service, round up at cafés and bars, and skip tipping at counters and self-service stands.
• Name the total and pay in cash. Say "Machen Sie 50" or "Stimmt so" when paying, and hand the money to the server rather than leaving it on the table.
• Round up taxi fares and keep hotel tips small. Add a euro or two for luggage help in a taxi; give porters a euro or two per bag, and treat housekeeping tips as optional.
• Tip on tip-based tours, and read the city tax on your hotel bill. Free walking tours typically get €10 to €15 per person, and the city tax is a separate municipal charge that varies by city.