Tipping in Netherlands: 2026 Guide for Travelers

Restaurants

At a restaurant, rounding up a €52 bill to €55, or leaving 5–10% for attentive service, is customary. Many Dutch diners leave nothing beyond rounding up, and that isn’t considered rude. Service charges are uncommon, but some restaurants add one for large groups, so check the bill. Dutch service can feel brisk to Americans — servers rarely hover or check in repeatedly — and that efficiency is the norm, not a reason to tip less.

Splitting the bill is common in the Netherlands — so common that “going Dutch” is named after it. Ask for separate payment and each person can tip their own share. See our bill splitting guide if your group prefers to divide it evenly.

Card-Only Payments and How to Tip

The server will usually bring a terminal to the table. Many Dutch terminals now show a tip screen with percentages or a custom amount — pick what you want or skip it. If there’s no tip screen, tell the server the total before they enter it (“Maak er maar vijfenvijftig van” — “make it fifty-five”).

Look for signs reading “alleen pin” (card only) or “wij zijn cashless.” In those places, a cash tip isn’t an option. Elsewhere, leaving coins on the table is fine. US credit cards generally work, but carry a backup card in case a terminal only accepts debit cards.

Card terminals sometimes suggest 10% or 15%. Those are options, not expectations — rounding up or 5% is entirely normal in the Netherlands.

Cafés, Brown Cafés, and Bars

A bruin café (brown café) is a traditional Dutch pub, named for its tobacco-stained wood walls. If you order beer at the bar, you don’t tip. With table service on a terrace, rounding up per round is enough. For coffee and apple cake at a café, round up or leave nothing.

Public toilets in cafés, train stations, and some restaurants may have an attendant or a dish asking for €0.50–€1. That’s a fee rather than a tip, and it’s worth carrying a few coins for it.

Taxis, Hotels, and Tours

• Taxis: Dutch taxis are expensive and tipping is optional; rounding up is enough. App rides (Uber, Bolt) don’t require a tip.
• Hotel porters: €1–2 per bag at upscale hotels.
• Housekeeping: not expected.
• Canal cruises: the ticket covers the crew; no tip is needed on a large boat. On a small open-boat tour with a skipper-guide, a few euros per person is a nice thanks.
• Free walking tours: the guide works for tips; €10–15 per person is fair.
• Bike tours: €5–10 per person if the guide was excellent.

See our tour guide tipping guide for how tour tips work back home.

Leave the 20% Habit at Home

On a €100 Amsterdam dinner, a 20% tip of €20 is roughly double what a satisfied local would leave. When a terminal shows 15% or 20% buttons, it’s tempting to tap one — but choosing a custom amount, or rounding up, is what most Dutch diners do. Save the higher percentages for meals where service was exceptional.