Tipping In Switzerland - A Complete Guide
Quick Guide
🍽️ Restaurant - Round Up To Next 5 Francs If Satisfied
🍹 Bar - Not Expected - Can Round Up To Next 1 or 5 Francs
☕️ Café - Not Expected - Can Round Up To Next Franc
🚕 Taxi - Not Expected
🛎️ Porter/Bellhop - 2 Francs If Prompt
🛏️ Housekeeping - Not Expected - Optional 1-2 Francs/Day With Note
📸 Tour Guide - Not Expected
Tips are only expected in a few different scenarios in Switzerland. In any case, only tip if you’re satisfied with the service.
Calculate a culturally appropriate tip for Switzerland using the calculator below and read on for more detail on tipping in Restaurants, Cafés, Bars, Taxis, Hotels etc.
Switzerland Tip Calculator
Good Tip For Switzerland
Tip
$0.00
Total With Tip
$0.00
Split Bill By
0 Each
Tipping in Restaurants
When dining out, it’s customary to simply round up your bill to the nearest CHF 5 Francs but only if you’re satisfied with the food and service.
Don’t feel obliged to tip but it will be appreciated. Wages in the Swiss hospitality sector aren’t as high as many would have you think.
Since 1974, employers in the Swiss hospitality sector have been required to pay employees a full salary that’s not tip-dependent. They didn’t ban tips, as many mistaken travel blogs would have you believe.
If you see “MWST” on your bill, don’t mistake that for a service charge (they aren’t common here). “MWST” or “Mehrwertsteuer” is just what the Swiss call VAT.
Paying in cash? Just hand over the total amount (total plus tip) and tell them to keep the change or leave it on the table.
Paying by card? Just say the full amount you want to pay. If they hand you the card terminal there might be a tip screen so make sure you don’t accidentally type in your PIN number (just hit 5-10% or hit OK if you don’t want to tip anything).
Many restaurants pool tip money and divide it between all employees including kitchen staff so make sure to specific if you want a particular member of staff to keep the whole tip.
Tipping in Bars
You’re not expected to tip the bartender unless you order a lot of drinks throughout the evening. If you want to leave a tip, just round up your bill to the nearest Franc. Round up to the nearest 5 Francs if you’ve got a larger bill.
It’s common for bars to have tip jars so instead of rounding up, you might want to throw some small coins in the jar.
Tipping in Cafés
You don’t have to tip in this situation but if you want to, just round up your bill to the nearest Franc or throw your change in the tip jar (if there is one).
Tipping Taxi & Rideshare Drivers
Whether you’re taking a traditional taxi or you’re using a ridesharing app like Uber or Vertt, a tip isn’t expected.
Tipping The Porter/Bellhop
It’s polite to tip your porter around 2 Francs if they’re prompt, even if the hotel adds a service charge to your bill.
Tipping Housekeeping
Unlike porters, housekeepers here don’t expect tips. That’s especially true if a service charge has been added on to your hotel bill.
If you really feel inclined to leave a tip for great service, leaving 1-2 Francs with a note would be much appreciated but it remains completely optional.
Tipping Tour Guides
Tour guides don’t expect tips in Switzerland. Locals believe the tip is already built into the price of the tour (and many of them would like to keep it that way).
Which Currency To Use
Stick to the official currency of Switzerland, the Swiss Franc (CHF), especially if you’re staying for more than a few days. Merchants may quote prices in and accept Euros (EUR) but you’re still likely to get change in Francs.
Cash, card and mobile payments are all widely accepted.
Gute Reise! - Have a great trip! 🇨🇭🏔️ 🧀
