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About this tool
Customary baksheesh amounts in Egypt for restaurants, taxis, hotels, guides and boat crews, with a trip total and small-note plan.
This calculator turns an Egyptian itinerary into the customary baksheesh amounts for it, using two separate rules: a percentage of the food-and-drink subtotal on a restaurant, café or salon bill, and a fixed cash amount per bag, per night, per ride, per favour or per guiding day everywhere else. It also handles the service-charge trap — most tourist restaurants add around 12% plus 14% VAT, and that service charge usually stays with the establishment — so bills that already carry one are tipped at a lower cash percentage. Output is a trip total, a per-traveller share, a daily figure and a breakdown of which notes to carry.
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Enter the values you already know.
Fine-tune the options to match your scenario.
Read the result and use it in your planning or reporting.
Bills get a percentage of the pre-tax subtotal; porters, drivers and guides get a fixed amount per unit.
Tick the box and the cash percentages drop to what is customary on a bill that already shows one.
Shows how much of the daily total needs 5, 10 and 20 pound notes, because change is rarely offered.
In restaurants without a service charge, 10% of the pre-tax subtotal is customary; where a service charge of about 12% is already printed, roughly 5% in cash handed to the server is the norm. Fixed baksheesh runs at roughly 20-50 EGP per bag for a porter, 20-80 EGP per night for housekeeping, and 200-700 EGP a day for a licensed Egyptologist guide covering the whole party.
Yes, usually a smaller amount in cash. The service charge is levied by the restaurant and there is no requirement that it reaches the waiting staff, so a direct cash tip of around 5% is still customary. Handing it to the server rather than adding it to a card slip is what makes the difference.
Egyptian pounds are better for everyday baksheesh because small foreign notes are awkward to change and coins are worthless locally. Foreign currency is common for larger tips such as a guide or a cruise crew pool. Break large notes at a hotel or bank early, since taxi drivers and attendants seldom have change.
No, baksheesh is customary rather than a legal obligation, and nothing on this page is a fixed rate. It is an entrenched part of service work, so budgeting for it avoids awkwardness, but you are free to withhold it for poor service. The 14% VAT and any service charge on a bill are separate statutory or contractual amounts and are not tips.
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