Tipping in Santorini is a thank you, not an obligation. Service is included in Greek prices, and five to ten percent in a restaurant, a rounded-up taxi fare and a couple of euros a bag for the porter are all anyone expects. This guide covers every situation, from caldera restaurants and boat crews to guides, drivers and hotel staff, with the amounts locals and regular visitors actually leave. Santorini Tours is a local operator running private tours and transfers on the island.
A caldera cafeteria in Fira. Photo: Rennett Stowe, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Tipping in Santorini: The Short Answer
Tipping in Santorini is appreciated but never compulsory. Service is included in Greek prices by law, so a tip is a thank you for good service rather than part of the bill. The usual amounts are small: round up in cafés and taxis, leave five to ten percent in restaurants, a couple of euros a bag to porters, and something for a guide, a driver or a boat crew who made the day.
Cash is still the best way to tip, because it goes straight to the person who served you. Many card machines now offer a tip option too. Nobody will chase you for a tip, and nobody expects the twenty percent that is normal in North America.
Santorini is more expensive than most of Greece, and the people who serve you are mostly seasonal workers who live on the island from spring to autumn, often far from home. That is why tipping in Santorini matters a little more than on the mainland, even though the rules are the same.
Tipping in Santorini at a Glance
| Service | Usual tip | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant or taverna | 5 to 10 percent | Up to 10 percent for very good service; leave cash on the table or add it on the card machine |
| Café, coffee, snack | Round up, leave the coins | A euro or less is normal |
| Bar | Round up, or about a euro a round | More at cocktail bars with table service |
| Taxi | Round up to the next euro or two | A little more if the driver carries luggage |
| Private transfer driver | A few euros, more for heavy luggage or late ferries | Optional; appreciated when the driver waits or helps a lot |
| Hotel porter | About 1 to 2 euros a bag, more for long flights of steps | Cliff hotels mean heavy carrying |
| Housekeeping | About 1 to 2 euros a night | Leave it at the end with a note |
| Hotel concierge | Nothing for advice, a few euros to 10 for real effort | For hard-to-get bookings or arrangements |
| Group tour guide | A few euros per person for a half day | More for a full day |
| Private guide or driver-guide | Around 10 percent, or a set amount per day | For a day that went well |
| Boat or catamaran crew | A few euros per person into the shared tip box | Split among the whole crew |
| Spa therapist, hairdresser | 5 to 10 percent | Hand it to the therapist directly |
| Wedding and event suppliers | Envelope for the team, at your discretion | Planners often advise on norms |
These are guidelines, not rules. A Greek family eating out would often leave less; a visitor who had a memorable evening may leave more. Both are fine.
Do You Have to Tip in Santorini?
No. Menu prices in Greece include service, and staff are paid a wage, not a tipped wage that depends on customers. You will not see a tip line pressed on you the way it is in the United States, and nobody will be offended if you pay the bill exactly.
That said, tipping is part of everyday life. Greeks leave the coins from the change in a café, round up taxi fares and leave a few notes after a good meal. A visitor who does the same fits in. A visitor who leaves nothing after a long, attentive dinner is within their rights but will be remembered as having left nothing.
The important difference from home, for many visitors, is the size of the tip. Ten percent in a restaurant is a good tip here. Fifteen to twenty percent is generous to the point of being unusual, and in a cheap taverna it can look slightly odd.
Why Tipping in Santorini Is a Little Different
The rules are Greek, but the island is not typical Greece, and three things change the picture.
The workforce is seasonal. Most waiters, bar staff, housekeepers, porters and boat crews come to Santorini from the mainland or abroad for the season, from around April to October. They live in staff housing, often several to a room, and work long days six or seven days a week. Tips make a real difference to what they take home at the end of the summer.
Prices are higher. A dinner with a caldera view in Oia or Imerovigli costs far more than the same food in a village taverna. Ten percent of that bill is already a generous tip; you do not need to scale the percentage up because the setting is spectacular.
The work is physical. On a cliff island, porters carry suitcases up and down hundreds of steps in the heat, and boat crews handle ropes, anchors and swimmers all day. Where the effort is visible, so is the gratitude.
Tipping in Restaurants and Tavernas
A taverna terrace. Photo: Norbert Nagel, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Restaurants are where most of the tipping in Santorini happens, and where most visitors are unsure what to do.
How much to leave
In a taverna or a casual restaurant, leaving five to ten percent, or simply rounding the bill up to a convenient figure, is normal. In a fine dining restaurant with attentive service, ten percent is the usual figure. If the service was poor, you can leave little or nothing; nobody will make a scene.
The bread and cover charge
Many Greek restaurants add a small charge per person for bread, and sometimes water or a dip, often called the cover. It appears on the bill as a line of its own. It is not a tip and does not go to the waiter. Do not count it as part of your tip.
Service charges on the bill
A separate service charge is rare in Greece. A few upmarket restaurants and set menus for large groups or events do add one. Read the bill: if service has already been added, you do not need to add more, though some people leave a little extra in cash for the person who served them.
Cash or card
Most restaurants on Santorini now take cards, and many card machines offer a tip option before you confirm the payment. That is convenient. Cash left on the table, or handed to your waiter, is still the most direct way to make sure the tip reaches the people who served you. If you pay by card and want to tip in cash, leave the notes in the bill folder or on the table.
Splitting the bill
Large groups splitting a bill are common in summer. Agree on the tip before you divide, so that one person is not left covering it. If several of you pay by card, a single cash tip on the table is simplest.
For where to eat, from caldera dining to inland tavernas, see our Santorini restaurants guide.
Tipping in Cafés, Bakeries and Bars
Cafés. Leave the coins from your change, or round a coffee up to the next euro. Nobody expects a percentage.
Bakeries and takeaway. No tip is expected for counter service. A tip jar sometimes sits by the till; drop coins in if you like.
Bars. At the bar, round up or leave about a euro a round. At a cocktail bar with table service and a view, treat it like a restaurant and leave five to ten percent. At the beach clubs of Perivolos and Kamari, where you are served at your sunbed all afternoon, a tip for the person who looked after you at the end of the day is the norm. Our beach bars guide explains how sunbed pricing works.
Wineries. Tastings are priced per person and the staff pouring are usually salaried. A tip is not expected, though you can leave a little after a long, personal tasting. Buying a bottle is the best thank you a small winery can get.
Tipping Taxi Drivers
For taxis, round the fare up to the next euro or two. If the driver loads and unloads heavy luggage, waits while you find your hotel, or helps you carry bags to the edge of a pedestrian village, add a couple more euros.
Taxi fares on Santorini already include surcharges for luggage, for the airport and port and for late hours, so you do not need to tip a percentage on top. If a fare seems far higher than you were told, ask for a receipt rather than leaving less as a protest.
Our taxi guide covers fares and how to book one, and how to get around Santorini compares the taxi with every other way of moving round the island.
Tipping Transfer Drivers
A pre-booked transfer is paid in advance or at a fixed price, and a tip is entirely optional. Many guests leave a few euros for a driver who met them at the ramp of a late ferry, carried their luggage or took them as close to a cliffside hotel as the road allows. Larger groups often leave a little more.
If your driver waited an hour for a delayed ferry, or helped with a wheelchair, a pram or a pile of suitcases down to the hotel, a more generous tip is a fair way of saying thanks. If the transfer was simply efficient, a thank you is enough.
Our own private transfers are priced per vehicle with luggage and waiting time included, so nothing extra is ever expected.
Tipping at Hotels
Porters
Porters are the people who earn their tips most visibly in Santorini. Many caldera hotels in Oia, Imerovigli, Firostefani and Fira cannot be reached by car, and the porter carries every bag from the road to the room, often down long flights of steps. About one to two euros a bag is the usual tip, and more where the climb is long or the bags are heavy. Some hotels include porter service in the room rate; tip the porter anyway if they carried for you.
Housekeeping
Leave about one to two euros per night, either daily or in one sum at the end of the stay with a short note so that it is clear the money is a tip. In small family-run hotels the person cleaning the room may be a relative of the owner; a tip is still welcome.
Reception and concierge
No tip is expected for advice or ordinary help. If the concierge books a restaurant that was full, arranges a surprise for a proposal or fixes a problem late at night, a tip of a few euros up to around ten is a good gesture.
Room service and pool bars
Treat room service like a café: round up or leave a couple of euros. At the pool bar, a tip at the end of the day for the person who served you works better than a coin with every drink.
All-inclusive hotels and villas
All-inclusive resorts sometimes have a shared tip box at reception, split among the staff at the end of the season. In a private villa with a cook or a housekeeper, an envelope at the end of the stay is the custom. See our guide to all-inclusive hotels in Santorini for how they work here.
Tipping Tour Guides and Drivers
Guides are one of the few groups for whom tipping in Santorini is genuinely expected when the day went well, as it is across Europe.
Group tours and coach excursions
On a shared half-day tour, a few euros per person handed to the guide at the end is normal. On a full day, a little more. If there is a separate driver, a smaller tip for the driver is a nice touch.
Small group tours
On small group tours, where the guide has more time for each guest, people tend to tip a little more than on a coach. A few euros per person per half day is still the usual figure.
Private tours
For a private guide or driver-guide, around ten percent of the tour price, or a set amount per day, is a generous thank you for a day that went well. It is always optional, and a good review matters to a small operator as much as a tip.
Licensed archaeological guides
At sites like Akrotiri and Ancient Thira, guides are licensed professionals paid a set fee. A tip is welcome but not expected.
All our private tours include the guide, the vehicle and hotel pickup in one price. Tips are never added and never expected; if you choose to leave one, it goes to the guide and the driver.
Tipping on Boats, Catamarans and Cruises
Caldera boat trips are a long day for the crew, who handle the boat, the anchor, the swimmers, the barbecue and the drinks. Most catamarans and sailing boats have a tip box near the exit or the captain’s table. A few euros per person is the norm; more on a private charter. The box is shared among the whole crew, including the people in the galley you may never see.
On a private yacht charter, a tip of around ten percent of the charter price for the crew is common, given to the captain at the end of the day to share.
On the volcano boats and the water taxis between beaches, no tip is expected. Compare the boat options in our catamaran cruise guide, our sunset cruise guide and our yacht charter guide.
Tipping for Spa, Beauty and Other Services
Spa and massage. Five to ten percent, handed to the therapist rather than added at the desk if you want to be sure it reaches them. In-room massage therapists who travel to your hotel are often freelance; a tip is appreciated. See our spa and massage guide.
Hairdressers and make-up artists. Five to ten percent, or round up generously. For wedding hair and make-up, a tip for the team is usual.
Photographers. Freelance photographers for a shoot or a flying dress session are not usually tipped; the price is the price. Buy extra photos or leave a good review if you loved the result.
Delivery drivers. Round up or leave a euro or two. Deliveries to cliffside hotels often end in a long walk with the bags.
Rental shops. No tip for car, quad or e-bike hire.
Supermarkets and shops. No tip.
Tipping at Weddings, Proposals and Private Events
Santorini hosts a large number of weddings, vow renewals and proposals, and they bring their own tipping questions.
Planners, venues and caterers usually quote a full price, and some build service into it. It is still customary to give an envelope to the staff who worked the event, the waiters, the bar team, the drivers who moved the guests, at the end of the night. The planner can tell you how much is usual and to whom. Musicians, celebrants and photographers are generally paid a fee and are not tipped, though many couples give a small gift.
If guests are being driven between the ceremony, the photos and the reception, the drivers have a long and late day; a tip from the couple, given through the planner, is appreciated. See our guides to a Santorini wedding, proposals and vow renewals.
Cash or Card: How to Tip in Santorini
Greece has moved quickly towards card payments, and almost every restaurant, bar and shop on Santorini takes cards. Even so, cash is still the easiest currency for tips.
Carry small notes and coins. Five and ten euro notes and a handful of one and two euro coins cover almost every tip you will leave. Large notes are a nuisance in small cafés and taxis.
Use the card machine when it offers. Many terminals now show a tip screen. Choose an amount or a percentage, or skip it. It is entirely your choice.
Hand it over or leave it visible. In restaurants, leave cash in the bill folder or on the table as you go. For guides, drivers and porters, hand it over with a thank you.
Tip in euros. Foreign coins and notes are no use to the staff.
ATMs are easy to find in Fira, Oia and the beach villages, though independent machines can charge high fees. Our Santorini ATM guide explains which machines to use.
How Tipping in Santorini Compares With Home
From North America. Lower your percentages. Ten percent in a restaurant is a good tip here, and taxi and café tips are a matter of rounding up. You will not be expected to tip on every drink at a bar or to tip a set percentage on a buffet.
From the UK and Ireland. Much the same as home. Ten percent for a good meal, rounding up in taxis and cafés.
From Northern and Central Europe. Similar to Germany, Austria or the Netherlands: round up or leave five to ten percent for good service.
From Scandinavia, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Tipping is more usual in Greece than at home. A small tip in restaurants and for guides is the polite norm.
From elsewhere in Greece. The island’s habits are the same as the mainland’s; the bills are simply larger.
Tipping in Santorini Through the Seasons
In July and August the island is at its busiest. Staff are stretched and service can be slower in popular places. Be patient; the person serving you may be covering three times the tables they should.
In spring and autumn the pace is calmer, service is often more personal, and staff have more time to talk. Many visitors find themselves tipping more in May or October simply because the evening was better.
In winter most seasonal staff have gone home, and the restaurants still open are often run by local families. Tipping norms are the same; leave something for good service as you would in summer.
Tipping on a Budget
Santorini is not a cheap island, and if you are travelling on a tight budget it is fair to tip modestly. Rounding up in tavernas and cafés, leaving a few euros for a guide and a couple for a porter covers the essentials without adding much to the cost of a trip.
Where you choose to spend less, spend it on the people whose work you can see: the porter who carried your case up the cliff, the guide who made Akrotiri come alive, the crew who served lunch at sea. For the rest of the budget, see is Santorini expensive and our budget tour tips.
Tipping Mistakes to Avoid in Santorini
Counting the bread charge as the tip. It is a charge for bread, not service.
Tipping twice by accident. Check the bill for a service charge before adding a tip, and check the card machine screen before confirming.
Tipping American percentages everywhere. Twenty percent on a café bill is unnecessary and can cause mild confusion.
Only carrying large notes. Fifty euro notes make tipping awkward and change hard to find in small places.
Forgetting the people you do not see. Kitchen staff, boat galley crews and housekeepers rarely meet guests. Shared tip boxes and end-of-stay envelopes reach them.
Feeling pressured. If a tip screen or a pointed remark makes you uncomfortable, remember that the tip is voluntary. Pay what you think the service deserved.
More travel errors to avoid are in the most common Santorini mistakes, and the wider practical guide is Santorini for first-time visitors.
Tipping in Santorini: Frequently Asked Questions
Is tipping expected in Santorini? It is appreciated rather than expected. Service is included in prices, and tips are a reward for good service.
How much should you tip at a restaurant in Santorini? Five to ten percent, or round up the bill. Ten percent is a good tip for very good service.
Is the bread or cover charge a tip? No. It is a small charge for bread and sometimes water, and it does not go to the waiter.
Do you tip taxi drivers in Santorini? Round up to the next euro or two, a little more for help with luggage.
How much do you tip a tour guide in Santorini? A few euros per person for a group half day, more for a full day, and around ten percent for a private guide when the day went well.
Should you tip hotel porters in Santorini? Yes. About one to two euros a bag, more where they carry luggage up and down long flights of steps.
Do you tip boat crews on catamaran cruises? A few euros per person in the shared tip box is usual.
Can you tip by card in Santorini? Many card machines offer a tip option. Cash is still the most direct way for the tip to reach the person who served you.
Do you tip in euros? Yes. Foreign currency is of no use to the staff.
Is it rude not to tip in Santorini? No, but after good service a small tip is the polite norm.
Do you tip private transfer drivers? It is optional. A few euros for help with luggage or a long wait is appreciated.
Do you tip at wineries? Not usually. Buying a bottle is the better thank you.
Tipping in Santorini: Our Tours Include Everything
We are a local operator running private tours and transfers on the island in our own vehicles. Every price includes the vehicle, the driver, the guide where there is one, hotel pickup anywhere on Santorini and waiting time. There are no hidden extras, and tips are never added or expected.
If a day with us goes well and you want to thank the guide or the driver, it reaches them directly. If you would rather leave a review, that helps a small company just as much.
See the full list of tours, the private transfers, the FAQ, or contact us with your dates.
Every Village and Site on the Island
Any of these can be built into a private day. Each has its own page with what to see and how long to allow.
Caldera villages: Fira · Firostefani · Imerovigli · Oia · Finikia · Baxedes
Inland villages: Pyrgos · Megalochori · Emporio · Mesaria · Karterados · Vothonas · Vourvoulos · Exo Gonia · Mesa Gonia · Pigadia
Beaches: Perissa · Perivolos · Kamari · Vlychada · Monolithos · Red Beach · White Beach · Agios Georgios · Agia Paraskevi
Sites and landmarks: Akrotiri · Ancient Thira · Akrotiri Lighthouse · Nea Kameni · Palia Kameni · Thirasia · Athinios Port
All our tours: All Santorini tours · Full day tour · Sightseeing tour · Personalised tour · North part tour · Horse riding · South part tour · Sunset tour · Shore excursion · Caldera tour · Food experience · Wine tour · Historical tour · Small group tour
Planning and services: Famous sights tour · Private transfers · Transfers to Oia and Finikia · Transfers to other villages · Villages of Santorini · History of Santorini · Tours near you · Languages we guide in · Food and fun tours · Gay friendly tours · Our tour buses · Daily tours · Day tours · FAQ · Gallery · About us · Contact · Blog
