Austria has no service charge. Nothing is added to your bill, nothing is compulsory, and no one will react badly if you leave nothing at all. What exists instead is a habit, and the habit is remarkably consistent: five to ten per cent, handed over at the moment you pay, in cash. That single sentence answers most of what visitors want to know. The rest of this page is about the situations where it is not quite that simple.
The short version
| Where | How much | In practice |
|---|---|---|
| Booked transfer | 5–10% | Not included in the fixed price. Judged on the service, not the distance. |
| Taxi (metered) | Round up, ~10% | A fare of 14.20 usually becomes 15 or 16. |
| Restaurant | 5–10% | Name the total you want to pay when the waiter tells you the bill. |
| Café or bar | Round up | 4.60 becomes 5. Coffee houses expect it more than bars do. |
| Hotel porter, housekeeping | 1–2 € per bag or day | Left in the room, not handed over. |
| Hairdresser, guided tour | ~10% | Same logic as a restaurant. |
| Shops, pharmacies, ticket desks | Nothing | Not expected, and slightly awkward if offered. |
In a taxi — and in a booked transfer
A metered Vienna taxi is easy: you round up, or you add roughly ten per cent on a longer ride. A pre-booked transfer feels different because the price was agreed before anyone got in the car, and passengers often assume that settles everything.
Our fixed price does not include a tip. It covers the ride, the vehicle and the waiting time. Whether you give anything on top is your decision, and it should follow the service you actually received — not the length of the journey. Most drivers are happy with five to ten per cent; on a city-centre transfer at €44 that is roughly €2 to €4.50. If a driver genuinely made your arrival easier, there is no upper limit.
We say this openly because it works in both directions. A driver who knows that good service is noticed behaves differently from one on a flat wage: he watches the arrivals board instead of the clock, he carries the heavy case without being asked, he knows which hotel entrance is actually open at six in the morning. That is what you are paying for when you tip — not a tax, a signal.
And it works the other way too. If the driver was late, unfriendly or drove badly, leaving nothing is a legitimate answer, and it tells us something we need to know. A tip you give out of embarrassment helps nobody.
How to actually hand it over
This is where visitors get caught out, because Austria does it differently from the English-speaking world. You do not leave money on the table. Coins left behind after you have paid look like something you forgot, and in a busy café they may end up with the wrong person.
Instead, the tip is part of the payment. The waiter comes to the table and tells you the amount. You name the figure you want to pay — including the tip — and hand over the money. A bill of 18.40 becomes "twenty, please", and you get 1.60 back as nothing. If you want the exact change kept, the phrase is "stimmt so": that is it, keep it.
The same applies in a taxi or a transfer. You say the total you want to pay, or you hand over a note and say "stimmt so". Nobody counts anything in front of you.
Why your card often will not do it
Vienna takes cards almost everywhere. Tips are the exception. Many terminals in restaurants, cafés and taxis simply charge the amount on the bill and offer no field for anything extra, and in smaller places the staff would not know how to add one if you asked.
The practical consequence is unglamorous: carry some cash. Not much — a handful of coins and a couple of small notes covers a week of coffee, taxis and a hotel porter. Travellers who arrive card-only are the ones standing at the table apologising, which is a worse experience than simply having two euros in a pocket.
Where nobody expects anything
Supermarkets, bakeries, pharmacies, public offices, museum ticket desks, public transport. Nothing is expected in any of them, and offering it will be politely refused or quietly puzzled over. One thing that looks like a tip and is not: many public toilets in Vienna charge fifty cents at the turnstile. That is a fee, it is not optional, and it does not go to anybody as a gratuity.
Questions people actually ask
Is tipping expected in Vienna?
Expected is too strong a word, but it is normal. Nobody will chase you down the street, and no bill carries a compulsory service charge. In restaurants, cafés and taxis a tip is part of the routine, and leaving nothing at all is noticed. Five to ten per cent covers almost every situation.
Is the tip included in an ATAV transfer price?
No. Our fixed price covers the ride, the vehicle and the waiting time — it does not include a tip. Whether you give one, and how much, is entirely up to you and depends on the service you received. Most drivers are happy with five to ten per cent, which on a city-centre transfer is about €2 to €4.50. There is no upper limit if you were genuinely delighted.
How do I tip in a Vienna restaurant?
You tip when you pay, not by leaving coins on the table. The waiter tells you the total, and you name the amount you want to pay including the tip — say "twenty" for a bill of 18.40 — and they give you the change from that. Saying "stimmt so" means keep the change.
Can I add a tip on my card in Austria?
Often not. Many card terminals in Vienna have no field for it, and in smaller places the machine simply charges the amount on the bill. Carrying a few coins and small notes is the practical answer, even in a city where cards work almost everywhere else.
How much do I tip a Vienna taxi driver?
Round up, or about ten per cent on a longer ride. On a metered fare of 14.20 people typically pay 15 or 16. On a pre-booked fixed-price transfer the same logic applies — you are judging the service, not recalculating the fare.
Where should I not tip in Vienna?
Supermarkets, pharmacies, bakeries, public offices and ticket counters. Nobody expects anything there, and offering it can be awkward. Public toilets are the exception in the other direction: many charge 50 cents at the door, and that is a fee, not a tip.