When you’re out and about in Amsterdam and beyond, enjoying Dutch food and beer, you might feel uncertain about whether you should tip when it comes time to pay the bill. Tipping etiquette in the Netherlands can be confusing. Should you tip and, if you do, how much? These are just some of the questions we’ll answer in this guide to tipping in the Netherlands.
You’re sitting in a cosy cafe in the Dutch capital and you’ve enjoyed your coffee with a slice of cake and now it’s time to pay. Then the thought comes to you: do you tip in Amsterdam? Tipping culture in the Netherlands is the same throughout all Dutch cities. From Rotterdam to Groningen, tipping is a nice gesture but it isn’t compulsory. But if you happened to love your coffee and cake, and the service was excellent, you can always show your appreciation with a tip.
There isn’t really a set amount to tip in the Netherlands, as staff in the service industry are paid a minimum wage and do not depend on tips to supplement their income. If you do want to tip, how much you give depends on the establishment or service and the amount you’re willing to pay. You can round your bill to the nearest 5 or 10 euros, or you could even tip 10 percent or more if you received truly exceptional service.
You can tip by placing some change in the tip jar, if there is one, or by handing the person the money. If you’re going cashless like many people these days, you can use your bank card and tell them the total you want to pay, with the tip included, so they can enter the amount into the card machine. For example, if your bill total is 16,33 euros and you want to round it up to 20 euros, you can then say "Maak er maar 20 euro van, alsjeblieft" (Make it 20 euros, please).
Restaurants, cafes, bars - the Netherlands is teeming with places to enjoy a day or evening out, but where do you need to tip? And how much should you tip at each location? Let’s go through some important tips about tipping!
You certainly can tip at a restaurant if you have enjoyed the experience, but you’re not expected to. If you are going to tip, it is customary to tip around 5 to 10 percent of your bill. If you’re on a budget or your service was average, you can give a lower tip by rounding up to an amount that you think is appropriate and that doesn’t break the bank.
Like with restaurants, whether you tip in bars and cafes is up to you. You can round the bill, like you do in a restaurant, or put some change into the tip jar, if there is one.
If you’re having a long night out with friends in a bar, you can keep a tab running throughout the evening and add a tip to the bill at the end. At speciality bars, like cocktail bars, the entertaining demonstration of your bartender and the fancy drink that they created might just deserve a bigger tip of about 10 percent, so if you can afford it, go ahead and make their day!
You don’t have to tip in hotels and spas in the Netherlands, but if you find the service of the staff helpful, you can give them a small tip to show your appreciation.
A good example is tipping a hotel porter who assists you with carrying luggage to your room. Giving a tip of a few euros per bag carried is polite but the amount you give is ultimately up to you and what you thought of the service.
It is not necessary to tip your hairdresser in the Netherlands. Of course, you can show how happy you are with your awesome new hairdo by giving your hairdresser a tip, even if they’re not expecting it. A trip to the hairdresser can be quite expensive though, so a few euros should be fine.
Tipping your taxi driver isn’t mandatory, but if your journey is particularly long or the driver helps you with your luggage then feel free to tip them. Ride-hailing services such as Uber give you an option to tip your driver, so remember to include the tip on the app if you’re inclined to give one. For shorter rides in a taxi, you can round the fare to the nearest euro, but if it’s a long journey consider giving a 10 percent tip.
Even if you’ve been living in the Netherlands for years, a tour guide can be very helpful in creating an experience to remember. So, if you have a wonderful tour, you can tip your guide what you see fit. Some tour guides might even ask you to leave a review instead of tipping.
Just remember that free walking tours are tip-based and your tips could be the only income the guide makes, so you should really tip what you think the tour was worth in these cases.
Compared to other countries, tipping culture in the Netherlands is more relaxed and is seen as something optional, but it can vary based on the preferences of individuals. Do you tip in the Netherlands? Let us know in the comments below.