Tipping In Montenegro - A Complete Guide
Quick Guide
🍽️ Restaurant - 5-10% If Satisfied
🍹 Bar - Optional €1-2 Round Up
☕️ Café - Optional €1-2 Round Up
🚕 Taxi - Optional 10% or €1-2 Round Up
🛎️ Porter/Bellhop - €1/Bag Expected
🛏️ Housekeeping - Optional €1pp/Day With Note
📸 Paid Tour Guide - 5-10% If Satisfied
🚶 Free Tour Guide - €5-€10pp
It is customary to tip for good service here but the amount and optionality depends on the situation. Tipping here is more flexible and personal than in some other countries but in situations where tips are the norm, skipping the tip will be taken as a sign of your dissatisfaction.
Calculate a culturally appropriate tip for Montenegro using the calculator below and read on for more detail on tipping in Restaurants, Bars, Café Taxis, Hotels etc.
Montenegro Tip Calculator
Good Tip For Montenegro
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Total With Tip
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Tipping in Restaurants
It’s common to leave your server a tip of around 5-10% if satisfied. You can tip more if the food and service was excellent but it’s not obligatory. Alternatively, you can just round up the bill to the nearest €5 or €10.
If a service charge has been added (more common in tourist areas and beach resorts), an extra tip isn’t necessary.
You may see a ≈€1pp cover charge (“Kuver” in Montenegrin) on your bill. This is common and is used to pay for the provision of bread, olive oil, cutlery and other small accompaniments. It goes directly to the restaurant so don’t let it affect your tip.
It’s always better to tip in cash to ensure your server gets it directly.
Tipping in Bars & Nightclubs
Tips are completely optional in this situation. However, it is common to tip if you’re satisfied and you’ve bought numerous drinks, spent a long time there or you’re a returning customer.
If you are tipping, just round up your bill to the nearest €1 or €2 or leave the change.
Tipping in Coffee Bars
Tips aren’t mandatory here either. If you feel inclined to tip, you can just round up the bill to the next €1 but it remains optional and it’s not a big deal either way.
Tips of 5c or less can risk insult and make you look cheap so if that’s the case, you could round up to the next €2 or just skip the tip completely (e.g. Pay €3 or €1.98 exactly if the bill is €1.98)
Tipping Taxi Drivers
Tipping your taxi driver is completely optional too. You can tip around 10% or round up your fare to the nearest €1 or €2 but only tip if you’re satisfied.
Reserve tips for safe drivers with clean cars who go above and beyond (e.g. they load or unload your luggage).
Tipping The Porter/Bellhop
It’s customary to tip your porter around €1 per bag.
Tipping Housekeeping
Tipping your housekeeper around €1 per person, per day with a note is optional but quite common. Only tip if you’re satisfied.
It’s better to tip daily rather than once at the end to encourage continual great service and in case there are staff changes throughout your stay.
Tipping Paid & Free Tour Guides
For paid tours, a tip of around 5-10% is optional but appreciated. Only tip if you’re satisfied and base your tip on the quality and length of the tour.
For a free tour where tips are the guide’s main source of income, tip around €5-€10 per person.
Which Currency To Use
Montenegro uses the Euro (€) and that’s the only optional you’ll have. Whilst cards are widely accepted, it’s always better to have cash in case that’s not an option.
In any case, it’s always better to tip in cash if you can. This ensures that the tip goes directly to the service provider, not the business owner or manager.
ATMs aren’t as commonplace as some other countries but they are available. Local bank ATM withdrawal charges aren’t common but you may be charged currency conversion fees depending on your bank or card so bringing Euros with you may be a better option.
“Sretan put!” - Have a nice trip! 🇲🇪 🏞️ 🚤 🌊
