Tipping In Albania - A Complete Guide
Quick Guide
🍽️ Restaurant - 10% If Satisfied
🍹 Bar - Not Expected
☕️ Café - Not Expected
🚕 Taxi - 10% If Friendly/Helpful
🛎️ Porter/Bellhop - L100/Bag Polite
🛏️ Housekeeping - L100-L200/Day Polite
📸 Tour Guide - 10% If Satisfied
Tipping is common and polite in some scenarios here.
Bear in mind that wages are low compared to other European nations and goods/services are typically cheaper so a percentage-based tip won't break the bank in most cases.
Calculate a culturally appropriate tip for Albania using the calculator below and read on for more detail on tipping in Restaurants, Bars, Taxis, Hotels etc.
Albania Tip Calculator
Good Tip For Albania
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Tipping in Restaurants
In Albania, it’s common to tip around 10% of the bill for good service. You can usually tip by card but it’s good to keep cash on hand in case that’s not possible.
Some restaurants may add on a service charge but don’t confuse it with VAT (usually written as “TVSH”, the Albanian acronym, on your bill).
Bear in mind that Albanian waiters aren’t paid very well so they tend to rely on tips. Whilst usually friendly, service can be slow. Don’t reduce the tip based on speed alone as that is just part of the dining culture here.
Obviously, if your service is painfully slow or unfriendly, you can skip the tip. However, it’s usually best to just reduce the tip and tell the owners what can be done to improve.
Tipping In Bars & Cafés
You won’t be expected to tip bartenders or baristas but if you’re paying in cash and there’s a tip jar, feel free to leave some change. Only tip for good service.
Tipping Taxi Drivers
If your taxi driver is friendly or they go out of their way to help you, it’s customary to tip around 10% or simply round up your fare by a similar amount to the nearest whole number.
It’s not always possible to tip taxi drivers by card so keep cash on hand for this situation.
Tipping The Porter/Bellhop
Whilst not mandatory, it is considered polite to tip porters around L100 per bag.
Albanian hotel staff are some of the lowest paid in Europe so any tip you give will usually be appreciated.
Tipping Housekeeping
Like tipping porters, it’s polite but not mandatory to tip housekeeping. L100-L200/day is perfectly acceptable and can help to supplement their typically low wage.
Tipping Tour Guides
10% is the standard tip for a tour guide in Albania. A cash tip is best in this situation.
Which Currency To Use
Stick to the official currency of Albania, the Lek (Symbol: L, Code: ALL, Plural: Lekë).
Some establishments may accept Euros (€) but the exchange rate is usually poor so use Lek if you can.
It’s best to keep some small notes on hand for tipping. Cash can also be useful when travelling throughout rural Albania.
U bëftë mirë udhëtimi! - Have a nice trip! 🇦🇱🏰🏞️
