Tipping In Iceland - A Complete Guide
Quick Guide
🍽️ Restaurant - Tipping Not Customary
🍹 Bar - No Tip Expected Even If Tip Jar
☕️ Café - No Tip Expected Even If Tip Jar
🚕 Taxi - No Tip Expected
🛎️ Porter/Bellhop - No Tip Expected
🛏️ Housekeeping - No Tip Expected
📸 Tour Guide - No Tip Expected - Optional kr1000
🚽 Public Bathroom - No Tip Even If Tip Jar
Iceland doesn’t have a tipping culture. Employees are paid fair, union-agreed wages so they’re not reliant on tips to supplement their income.
Calculate a culturally appropriate tip for Iceland using the calculator below and read on for more detail on tipping in Restaurants, Cafés, Bars, Taxis, Hotels etc.
Iceland Tip Calculator
Good Tip For Iceland
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Tipping in Restaurants
It’s not customary to tip your waiter in Iceland, even if you receive exceptional service. That’s true whether you’re eating in a casual/fast food restaurant or you’re dining in a more formal establishment.
You may see some tourists leaving a tip but that’s usually just because they’re unaware of Iceland’s no tip culture.
If you feel odd not tipping, bear in mind that Icelandic waiters are paid a fair wage so they’re not reliant on tips as an income supplement. Plus, some locals fear that by importing a tipping culture, employers may be inclined to pay less.
On a side note, some tourists find themselves waiting a while to receive their bill. In Iceland, you usually have to ask for the bill. They won’t always give it to you automatically.
And, if you see ‘VAT’ on your bill, that’s Value Added Tax, not a service charge.
Tipping in Bars & Cafés
You’re never expected to tip in Icelandic cafés or bars. Sometimes, you’ll see a tip jar but those funds are usually used to pay for employee social gatherings rather than being paid out as tips.
Tipping Taxi Drivers
It’s not customary to tip your taxi driver in Iceland.
Tipping The Porter/Bellhop
Even hotel porters won’t expect a tip in Iceland so there’s no need to keep small bills aside for your arrival.
Tipping Housekeeping
It’s not customary to tip hotel housekeepers either.
The best thing you can do is just ensure your room is not left in too much of a mess when you leave for the day. That will make their job slightly easier and they’ll appreciate that.
Tipping Tour Guides
Tour guides are more used to getting tips since they often run into tourists who import their own cultural tipping practices.
However, they still won’t expect a tip so you won’t see many standing around waiting for a tip at the end of your tour.
If you’ve had a great time and you do want to give them something, tipping around 1,000 Icelandic króna would be considered a generous gesture.
Which Currency To Use
Use the official currency, the Icelandic Króna (Symbol: kr, Code: ISK, Plural: Krónur) whether you’re paying or (rarely) tipping in Iceland.
Don’t use any other international currency. The occasional establishment might accept USD, CAD, EUR or Nordic currencies but usually at a poor exchange rate.
Card payments are a lot more common than cash.
"Góða ferð!" - Have a good trip! 🇮🇸🌊🌋🐋🌌
