How much do you tip in Krakow? Do you tip in Poland?

When coming to visit a new country and city, we may encounter a situation in which customs familiar to our country may not apply in it. In some countries of the world, tipping is given, and in some tipping is considered extremely tactless behavior. How is it in Poland in Krakow? Do you tip in Krakow? Is it necessary to tip in Krakow? How much is tipping in Krakow in Poland? When to tip and when not to tip?

Do you tip in Krakow?

There are countries in the world where leaving a tip is an extremely tactless custom. There are countries in the world where tipping is downright extortionate by waiters, drivers and other people in contact with customers. How is it in Poland in Krakow?

The culture of tipping in Poland does not look like that in the United States. There is no obligation to leave a tip in Poland, and if you do want to leave a tip it is best to round the amount up. If you absolutely want to leave a tip then, when paying, for example, 96 zlotys, it is best to round the amount up, as they say in Poland “for an equal bill” (dla równego rachunku) that is, leave 100 zlotys.

There is no obligation to tip in Poland. If we really want to be generous we can leave a 10% tip, a maximum of 20%, but this is an extremely rare situation. In Poland, few people leave such high tips.

Should I tip in Krakow?

Now that we know what the situation is with the custom of tipping in Poland, one thing is worth emphasizing. Krakow is full of tourist traps. There are places, especially near the Main Square (Rynek Główny), where a tip will be forced on us by automatically adding 10% to the bill. We don’t have to pay this amount, but few people decide to argue with the staff and grit their teeth and pay even though the tip was forced.

Krakow is also full of services for tourists whose prices have no reflection in Polish reality. Very expensive transfers from the main and only airport located just a few kilometers from the center of Krakow, very expensive tours to Auschwitz, very expensive restaurants in which prices are inadequate to the quality offered, and even prices at the flea market higher if you don’t speak Polish – such traps await tourists coming to Krakow.

Therefore, it is worth keeping a close eye on the prices of the services you use. In many cases, prices for tourists in Krakow are completely out of touch with reality and there is absolutely no need to tip.

By leaving colossal amounts of tips in Krakow, we applaud prices that are inadequate to Polish financial conditions and residents’ earnings, and at the same time act negatively to ordinary Poles who, due to absurdly high prices, cannot enjoy many of the attractions of their own city (for example, carriage rides; an hour-long carriage ride in Krakow costs more than 1/3 of the median monthly Polish net salary).

Summary: Do you tip in Krakow? If you absolutely want to give a tip, it’s best to round the amount up to an equal bill or opt for a 10% tip.

When using absurdly expensive services such as various types of transfers, excursions or very expensive restaurants for tourists, it is best not to tip at all in Krakow because the prices of many services for rich western tourists are sufficiently out of touch with reality and profitable for the companies organizing them. In such a situation, tipping only fuels legitimate but morally questionable businesses that prey on the cluelessness of foreign tourists.

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