France is one of the most visited countries in the world by tourists, so its not surprising that you're daydreaming of touring the Eiffel Tower, Versailles and Côte d'Azur with a baguette in hand.

If you’re crunching the numbers for an upcoming trip to France (maybe for the 2024 Summer Olympics?), you likely want to know whether or not you should plan for tipping. The short answer is that you don’t need to budget extra for gratuities, as most service charges are already included in the bill. That said, there are a few instances where tipping is customary.

Let’s take a look at when and how much to tip in France.

Do you tip in France?

Tipping in France, as is the case in many Western European countries, is not expected. Service workers like waiters, baristas and bartenders get paid a living wage and have health insurance, so there’s no need to flex your mental muscles and calculate a 20% tip after a sit-down meal.

Despite it not being the norm, outstanding service and one-off services might warrant a tip.

Tipping in French restaurants

Having spent all day sightseeing in Paris, Nice or Strasbourg, you’re exhausted and all you want is a nice meal to round out the busy day. You order a French onion soup (or, as they call it in France, onion soup or soupe a l'oignon gratinée), some escargot and perhaps a chocolate souffleé, wash it all down with a glass of chardonnay and start feeling pretty good about life. Until the bill comes, that is.

First of all, it’s in French. Second, there are things on it, like “TVA” and “service compris,” that you know for sure you didn’t order. And third, this is the moment your palms start sweating wondering whether to tip or not.

TVA, or Taxe sur la Valeur Ajoutée, is value added tax. This is a general consumption tax and is included in the menu price of each item.

“Service compris” means “service included” and is usually 15% of your total bill. It’s included in all restaurant checks by law, even if it isn’t clearly indicated on the bill. This is true for small corner cafes as well as Michelin-star restaurants.

How to tip at restaurants in France

Let’s say you’ve had exceptional service and would like to leave a tip anyway. Feel free to add something called a “pourboire” (translating to “to have something to drink” or simply, a gratuity). A few euros in cash, even on a large check, would be considered a nice gesture.