Anonymous wrote:I'm no expert on it, when I go to Europe those I travel with tend to handle this kind of stuff (DH is a dual citizen, grew up spending summers in Europe with family and speaks multiple language as a result). My understanding is that people don't tip at the level we do here, but it is common to leave a small tip (rounding up to some flat amount, how much depends on the size of the tab) for good service. Whenever I'm left to settle a bill, I end up tipping closer to the U.S. standard because I'm never quite sure how much to leave, and I'd rather give too much than too little. The reaction I get from servers tends to be very appreciative, so I'm sure I'm giving more than they usually get.
To clarify, when I say round up to some flat amount, it's like rounding up to an even number of euros plus a couple more, or to the nearest 5 euros. I tend to tip more because I am hopeless beyond English, don't know all of the customs and often have a bunch of questions about the menu, so I know they're doing more for me as a tourist than they'd have to do for most of their customers.