How to Tip in Berlin, Germany

Tipping etiquette can be confusing when you’re traveling. No one wants to skimp on tipping and upset the wait staff! It’s important to know how to tip in Berlin before you get there so you can do the right thing on your trip.

Remember that not everything is the same as how you do it at home. Keep reading for our guide to tipping in Berlin, plus other important money advice.

Do you tip in Berlin?

If you live in the US, you’re used to tipping 15-20% at restaurants.

It might be an automatic habit for you for all but the worst service. You know your server earns almost nothing before tips, and that tips are essential to their income.

This is not the case in Berlin. In Berlin, you don’t have to tip at restaurants. It is certainly appreciated, but it’s not required.

This is changing over time, and more and more restaurants are expecting you to tip. With all that’s been going on in the world since 2020, times are rough for a lot of people, and those tips are more important in Berlin and other parts of Germany.

>>Read: Best German Restaurants in Berlin: Where to Eat German Food

Was your server fantastic? Did you get really great service?

First of all, know that Berlin has a reputation for less than stellar service. Servers handle more tables than they do in the US, and they generally won’t come over to check on you unless you flag them down.

But also, if you do have excellent service, by all means, please give them a tip. Even for a standard, nothing special type of service, I’ll still round up and leave a small tip.

Typically the only time I don’t tip is the server was rude or extremely slow to respond.

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Join our Facebook group!

Have questions about planning your trip to Berlin?

Join the Facebook group here to chat with Ali (she runs this site) and other people who have been to Berlin for tips.

How much should you tip in Berlin?

When you do decide to tip in Berlin, you do not need to tip anywhere near the amount you’d tip in the US at restaurants. That 15-20% tip is excessive here.

Restaurants are required to pay their staff a normal livable wage in Berlin. They should still be earning a decent amount of money to pay their bills even without tips, unlike what servers in the US typically earn.

However, it’s not exactly a high paying job, so tips are certainly appreciated.

Typically you round up your bill to tip. So if my check is 18 euros, I’ll round up to 20 euros. On a more expensive night, if my husband and I have dinner and several cocktails and our bill comes to 55 euros, I’d probably leave 60 euros.

In general, we leave about 10% as a tip. But it’s easier to simply round up and leave a few euros as a thanks for your waiter or waitress.

>>Read: 101 Fun and Essential Things to do in Berlin

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How to leave a tip in a restaurant

Again, this isn’t exactly how you’d do it in the US. Don’t leave money on the table. You should always give the tip directly to your server at the same time as your payment.

Here’s how it works: When you’re ready to leave, ask for the check. No one will bring it to you until you ask.

If you want to pay with credit card, let them know at this time. (Keep in mind that some restaurants still only accept cash.)

If you’re paying with credit card, tell your server how much the total should be.

So if your check is 24 euros and you want to leave a 1 euro tip, tell your server, “Make it 25.” They will add the tip in and charge you 25 euros.

Now let’s take the same amount – a 24 euro bill and a 1 euro tip – but this time you’re paying with cash. If you have exact change, you can hand them the 25 euros and say, “Stimmt so.” This basically means, “keep the change.”

But if you have a 20 and a 10, you’ll need 5 euros back. In that case, say, “Make it 25” and you’ll get 5 euros back.

>>Find the best restaurants in Berlin Mitte near some of the biggest attractions in the city.

Don’t expect much customer service

The service industry is a completely different thing in Germany. Certainly there are nice, friendly people out there, and some of them end up as servers in restaurants.

But that overly friendly, chit-chat-y, bending-over-backwards to help you thing you get in the US won’t happen here.

Waiters and waitresses also won’t check on you every few minutes like they do in the US.

A small restaurant might only have one server for all the tables. Bigger places will have a few more, but in general they are handling more tables than restaurants in the US.

This means they don’t have as much time for each individual table. That doesn’t mean it’s bad service, it’s just not as attentive as you’re used to.

It’s actually kind of nice to not have my conversations continually interrupted by someone asking if I need anything else.

You usually have to make eye contact and flag them down when you do need something, and even then, it might take them a few minutes to come over to you.

So don’t feel guilty for not tipping as much as you would back home. They’re not expecting it, and they’re not depending on your tips for survival the way they do in the US.

A warning about touristy restaurants

In certain parts of the city, the restaurants cater more towards tourists than locals. If possible, avoid these places since the food won’t be as good, and it tends to be overpriced. But I know sometimes it’s hard to avoid.

If you find yourself at a restaurant where the menu or your bill states in English, “Tip not included” they are expecting you as a tourist to be unsure of local customs and leave a hefty tip. Don’t be fooled.

Those servers might expect tips more than others, but it is still not required. I have never seen this line in the corresponding German wording on menus or receipts.

Once when my in-laws were visiting, we ended up at a touristy restaurant near their hotel. We did a lot of ordering in German, but there was some English, and certainly our server heard us talking to each other in English.

When we paid, the bill had “Tip not included” towards the bottom and it was circled in ink. Note that this was only in English, not in German.

She didn’t give great service, and it was actually a frustrating meal, so we left no tip. The server was visibly annoyed, but tipping is not a given in Germany.

What about tipping in other places?

Beyond tipping in restaurants, I find tipping to be similar to what I did when I lived in the US. I’ll give a euro or two for a taxi ride, 10% for a haircut, a euro or two food delivery, etc.

If it’s a service you’re used to tipping for at home, it’s reasonable to tip here as well.

Taking a tour in Berlin? Please tip your tour guide! I usually tip around 5 euros if it’s a paid tour, but if it’s a free tour, I tip much higher.

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There’s nothing wrong with tipping in Berlin. People will gladly accept your tip no matter how big or small, and it’s a great way to show your appreciation for good service.

But know that it’s not required in the same way as it is in the US. When in doubt, 10% is a good amount to tip in Berlin.

Berlin Travel Resources

I want you to have the best trip to Berlin, and hopefully this Berlin tipping guide helps. But there are lots more tips on the site!