All about tipping in Croatia: Guide for 2023

UPDATED: 28.6.2023.

Wages for many Croatian service workers are low, yet tipping in Croatia is uncommon and far less than in other Western countries.

Croatian residents have low incomes, and they have to save even on basic life needs such as food and hygiene. We wrote about the minimum and average wages in Croatia in this post.

The jobs for which tipping in Croatia is expected are similar to most other Western countries – waiters, bartenders, tour guides, hotel staff, general services, and housekeepers. It is proper etiquette to also give small tips to taxi cab drivers, apartment doormen, beach vendors, and parking attendants.

Croatian expressions for a tip are bakšiš, napojnica, manča, and trinkgeld. In this post, we’ll go one by one through the service sectors.

Jump to a section:

Cafe bars
Restaurants
Hotels
Tour guides
Taxis
Skippers
Hair, nail, makeup
Massages
Tattoo artists
Delivery services
Final message

The facts are these…

Guide on tipping in various service sectors in Croatia

Tipping in Croatian cafe bars

At bars, round up the bill to an even number or tip 5%. Tip in cash, hand the tip directly to the server or tell the server how much the bill should be (including tip) before they make a change.

For instance, if the bill is 9,50 euro and you give the server 10, tell the server to keep the change. If you just go out for a cup of coffee, you can leave 10 or 15 cents to round up your bill.

People usually do this, but you don’t have to do it if you don’t have money. They usually leave a higher percentage of tips for only one coffee than for higher amounts of bills in restaurants.

Tip more if you are drinking alcohol, especially cocktails since more labor is involved. An unwritten rule is to leave a tip according to the time and effort the waiter has spent on you.

Tip amount: 5% or round up the bill

Tipping in Croatian restaurants

First, it is essential to note that you must request your bill at a restaurant. It will not be brought to you without you asking for it first. In Croatian, the bill is called račun, pronounced rah-choon.

Before you offer a tip in any restaurant, look at the bill first to see if a tip has already been applied. While not every restaurant uses the same language, typically, the bill will say Napojnica uračunata u cijenu if gratuity is already included in the bill. While it is not very common to include gratuity, it is important always to check.

Tipping on a credit card is highly unusual in Croatia, but there are some rumors it will soon be available. In most restaurants, you won’t find any routine way to add a tip to the bill, and many people will not know what to do if you ask them to do it. If you do manage to add a tip to the credit card charge, the money probably won’t come back to the waiting staff anyway, so avoid this option.

The classical way is to leave cash on the table. Your receipt will usually come in either a receipt wallet or a small plate of some kind. After you pay for the meal, drop the tip there. This will ensure that the waiter who served you will collect the tip before clearing the table for the next customers.

Regarding how much to tip, locals may tip only 5% or less, which is okay if you are in a konoba or pizzeria. If you are dining in a nicer restaurant, go up to 15%, depending on how much you can afford and how satisfied you are with the service.

Tip amount: 5% – 15%

Tipping in Croatian hotels

Tips are not required in hotels. However, if you are staying in a classy enough establishment to have a porter or daily maid service, you may want to give them a small token of your appreciation.

1,30 to 2,70 euros for taking a few bags up to your room or for the maid each day is sufficient to ensure happy staff and a thoroughly cleaned room. Rooms are usually cleaned by different maids every day.

Tip amount: 5%

Tipping tour guides in Croatia

You should always tip your tour guide. There isn’t a standard amount for gratuity; it all depends on your guide, how much you enjoy their services, the tour length, and the tour’s cost. If the tour is 80 euros per person, a tip of at least 8 euros per person is reasonable.

If you have an exceptional experience (like you might have with our friends over at the Game of Thrones Tour), definitely give more.

[Read: How to be a licensed tour guide in Croatia and open a tourist agency business]

Tip amount: 10% – 15%

Tipping taxis in Croatia

Taxis in Croatia do not expect tips and usually operate on a meter. Therefore, if locals choose to tip at all, they may round up to make a convenient amount, so there isn’t a hassle to make a change.

You can do the same as a visitor, but if you take a long transfer and it is pleasant, you may want to add a little more and make the tip around 10%.

Tip amount: 0% – 10%

Tipping skippers in Croatia

Tipping your crew is customary and expected, as gratuities represent about 30% to 50% of their income. The amount should be between 10% to 15% of the cost of your cruise. So if your charter costs 1.300 euros and you are satisfied with the service you received, you are expected to give a gratuity between 130 and 150 euros.

This is a significant amount of money, but crews usually deserve this, as their job is tough. Much more complicated than it looks. Make sure you compute the gratuity in your vacation cost.

[Read: Ferry and boat travel in Croatia]

Tip amount: 10% – 15%

Tips for hair, nail, makeup, and waxing services in Croatia

Adding gratuity is not expected for the usual haircut, pedicure, or wax, but people often leave them money “for a coffee,” which is 1,50 – 3 euros. If your stylist or nail technician did a good job and you want to show appreciation, tip them.

In my experience, a tip has never been turned down in these situations. For more involved services like hair coloring, extensive waxing, or makeup for a special occasion like a wedding, throw your girl some love with some tipping proportionate to the cost of the service.

Tip amount: 5% – 10%

Tips for massage services in Croatia

If you are traveling to Croatia as a tourist, tip your masseuse if you enjoyed your experience and feel like you got what you paid for.

Suppose you live in Croatia full-time and are lucky enough to see an individual masseuse regularly. In that case, a tip for each visit is usually not necessary, nor is it expected. That being said, gratuity for massages offered through a hotel or spa is expected regardless.

[Read: How to visit thermal spas in Croatia (with a complete list of toplice)]

Tip amount: 10% – 20%

Tips for tattoo artists in Croatia

Tipping is not required or expected, but tips for exceptional service can be offered – it is up to you. 15% – 20% would be more than adequate if you have gotten a large tattoo that has taken hours or multiple sessions.

For small tattoos, you may get a weird look if you try to tip. If your artist was amazing and you feel compelled to leave something extra, it should be fine – but make sure they are comfortable accepting, and if they refuse, be gracious about it.

Tip amount: 0% – 20%

Tips for delivery services in Croatia

Deliverers of food usually have low salaries, so it is nice to tip them 1 – 2 euros. You can round up the bill or give them as much as possible. They will appreciate this gesture a lot.

[Read: Croatian farms and food suppliers with online ordering and home delivery]

The same is valid for furniture deliverers, who are not often tipped but deserve to be given the physical labor involved. Leave them a tip of 1,50 – 4 euros to show respect because their job is difficult.

Tip amount: 5% – 10%

Final message about leaving gratuity in Croatia

Multiple Croatians wrote this post from different ends of the country, but this section is written from my experience as an American.

If you are going to tip, don’t overtip. Tipping more than is expected may be appreciated in Western nations, but here it can be perceived as an insult or that you are showing off.

Because I grew up in America, I’ve been programmed since birth to tip a lot for service work as it has become the responsibility of society to pay service workers a proper living wage rather than their employers. That is why it took a few awkward encounters here in Croatia before I got it through my thick American head that overtipping is not received or expected the same way as in America.

The only exceptions to this caveat would be for skippers (who are usually from abroad) and luxury excursions and trips.

View our other financial posts

Please note: Information provided by Expat in Croatia is only for the purposes of guidance. It does not constitute legal or financial advice in any form. Croatian laws and bureaucratic rules often change, and each personal case is individual, so different rules may apply. For legal advice, contact us to consult with a licensed Croatian lawyer. For financial advice, contact us to consult with a licensed Croatian tax advisor or accountant.

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