Short answer
Tipping in Santorini is optional and always appreciated. In restaurants, leave 5–10% or round up the bill in cash; in cafés and bars, leave the change; in taxis, round up the fare. On a boat tour, guests usually tip the crew in cash at the end, often €5–10 per person on a shared cruise. Nobody will ask you for a tip or expect one if the service was poor.
- Restaurants
- 5–10%, or round up
- Taxis
- Round up the fare
- Boat crew
- Often €5–10 per guest
- Best way
- Cash, in euros
“Do we tip, and how much?” is a question our crew hears often at the end of a cruise. In Greece, tipping is a thank-you rather than a rule: wages are not built around tips the way they are in the United States, and nobody will ask you for one. But in a place like Santorini, where most people in tourism work long days for a short season, a tip for good service is always noticed. These are the usual amounts, from Vista Yachting, Santorini, for every situation you are likely to meet on the island.
Is tipping expected in Greece?
Not expected, but appreciated. Prices in Greek restaurants, cafés and hotels already include service, and there is no fixed percentage. Greeks themselves usually round up the bill or leave the coins from the change. Visitors tend to tip a little more, and in the tourist season that has become normal in Santorini’s restaurants and on boat tours.
A good rule: tip when the service was good, more when someone went out of their way for you, and nothing if the service was poor.
How much to tip in Santorini
| Who | Usual tip | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and tavernas | 5–10%, or round up | Leave it in cash on the table or hand it to your server |
| Cafés and bars | The change, or €1–2 | Leave the coins from your change |
| Taxis | Round up the fare | A little more if the driver helps with heavy luggage |
| Private transfers | €5–10 per transfer | More for long waits or a late-night pickup |
| Hotel housekeeping | €1–2 per night | Leave it at the end of your stay, with a note |
| Hotel porter | €1–2 per bag | Many Santorini hotels are reached by steps, so bags are carried by hand |
| Boat crew, shared cruise | Often €5–10 per person | In cash, to the crew at the end of the cruise |
| Boat crew, private cruise | Around 10% of the price | For the whole crew, at the end of the day |
| Tour guides | €5–10 per person for a half day | More for a private guide |
| Spa and hairdresser | 5–10% | Optional, as everywhere else |
Tipping in restaurants
For a coffee or a quick souvlaki, round up the bill. For a sit-down dinner with good service, 5–10% is generous, and in the expensive restaurants on the caldera edge, 10% is plenty. Service charges are rare in Greece, but check the bill: if one is added, you don’t need to tip on top.
Many tavernas charge a small amount per person for bread, sometimes with a dip. That is not a tip, it is part of the meal.
Leave the tip in cash on the table or hand it to your server. If you pay by card, ask before paying whether a tip can be added on the machine; many places can, but cash is still the most common way.
Tipping at your hotel
In Santorini many hotels are built into the cliff and reached by steps, so porters often carry your bags up and down by hand. €1–2 per bag is a kind thank-you. For housekeeping, €1–2 per night, left on the last day with a note, goes to the person who cleaned your room. If a concierge or the reception books you a table or solves a problem, a tip is welcome but not expected.
Taxis and transfers
Taxi drivers don’t expect a tip; round up the fare to the next euro or two. For a pre-booked transfer that waits for a delayed ferry or meets you at night, €5–10 is a nice gesture. Our cruises include hotel pickup and drop-off, so there is nothing extra to pay the driver.
Tipping on a boat tour
Tips are not included in the price of a boat tour in Santorini, and ours are no exception. On our semi-private catamaran cruises the crew sails the boat, keeps you safe at every swim stop, explains the caldera as you sail, cooks the BBQ on board and keeps the drinks coming for five hours. Many guests leave €5–10 each at the end of a shared cruise. On a private cruise, where the crew works around your group alone, groups often leave around 10% of the price.
It is always optional. Hand it to any member of the crew as you leave the boat; cash in euros is easiest. If you’d rather say thank you another way, a review that mentions the crew by name means a lot to them.
Cash or card?
Carry some cash. Cards are accepted almost everywhere in Santorini, but tips still work best in cash: small notes of €5 and €10 and some coins. There are ATMs in Fira, Oia, Kamari and Perissa. Tip in euros rather than dollars or pounds; foreign coins can’t be changed in Greece.
Tipping etiquette
- Do tip in cash when you can, and hand it over with a thank-you.
- Do tip the person, not the business: leave it on the table, or give it to the crew or your server.
- Don’t feel obliged to tip for poor service.
- Don’t tip more because you feel pressured; nobody will ask.
- Don’t leave a tip in foreign coins.
Other ways to say thank you
A review that mentions people by name is often worth as much to them as a tip. Recommending a taverna or a crew to friends, or simply telling the owner that someone looked after you well, also helps. For our crew, a guest who comes back the next year is the best thank-you of all.
Do you have to tip in Santorini?
No. Nobody will think less of you for not tipping, and you should never tip for service you weren’t happy with. But if someone made your day, a few euros in cash is the simplest way to tell them, and in a short, busy season it matters to the people who receive it.
For what is and isn’t included in a cruise price, see what’s included in a Santorini yacht cruise, and for the full range of trips, our boat tours in Santorini.
