So you just reached your destination with a taxi, or want to pay the bill at the restaurant. Price is clear, but what to do with a tip? Do locals expect it from you? Will they treat you differently if you will decide not to leave it? Don’t panic, we are writing this post to explain DO’s and DONT’S of tipping in Lithuania.
One thing you should know about Lithuania - tipping is quite a new trend that was brought by tourists and international businesses only in late 90’s. So it isn’t very common and there are no standard rules. But it can show your appreciation of good service you just received. Also keep in mind, that hospitality sector in Lithuania is not the highest paying in terms of monthly salaries, so in some cases your tip might mean more than you think!
And now let’s discus each place where you might consider tipping separately:
Taxi
Tipping a taxi driver isn’t common or expected. Especially today, when most of taxi companies have apps to hail cars and use non-cash transactions (Using an app is also a good way to make sure a driver is not ripping you off, since the price of the ride is shown before you even request a ride). If you decide to pay cash, you can round up to make things easier.
Another way to show appreciation of the comfortable ride – leave 5 star review, which is possible through the same apps.
Hotel
Tipping hotel staff isn’t common, but definitely appreciated. More and more international hotel chains are opening their branches in Lithuania in recent years. And if the majority of tourists staying there are from Western world, staff is already accustomed to western style tipping culture. So, you should follow common tipping rules.
If you are staying at a cheaper mid-class local hotel, there are no standard rules. Variety of people visit Lithuania and some of them don’t tip at all and it’s considered to be OK.
Just think on your own and don’t worry if you missed someone, most likely no one will get angry at you.
Restaurant
It’s common to tip even for the locals. However, first of all you should check if service is already included on the bill. If it isn’t, then you should tip 5-15% for good service.
Bars or coffee shops
Tips are welcome, but there are no standard rules. Most of the times you may see a tip jar on the counter to throw change in, so you don’t need to tip bartenders or baristas directly. The only exception might be expensive, luxury bars where you are expected to tip the barman directly.
Guides
Definitely expected in free tours –your tip is the only earning guides get. They are not getting paid by the city or other entities on top. So how much you should leave? There are no standard rules, however, put in consideration that prepaid tours in Lithuania usually costs from 10 euros per person.
In regular payed tours or private ones, tips are always appreciated. Especially, if you really enjoyed it and learned lot’s of new things, but there are no standard rules. Other way to show how much you enjoyed the tour is to leave recommendation or a review on Trip Advisor, Facebook or Booking.com.
Theaters, cinemas or other culture places like museums:
It is not common or expected to tip in theaters, cinemas or other culture places like museums. Actually, people might not even understand what you are trying to do.
We hope this list made it more clear about tipping in Lithuania. Locals will not treat you differently if you will decide not to leave the tip. However we will definitely not refuse it, if you decide otherwise.
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