- Tipping in Georgia is appreciated but never compulsory; around 10 percent is the usual figure where a tip is given.
- Many restaurants and cafes already add a service charge of roughly 10 to 18 percent, shown as a separate line on the bill, and when it is there no extra tip is needed.
- On a private tour, the guide and the driver are each thanked with a daily amount from the whole party, usually given on the last day.
- Bolt and other app taxis need no tip, hotel porters get a few lari per bag, and family guesthouse hosts are better thanked with a small gift or a good review than with cash.
- Tip in lari, in cash, and never offer money to police, border officers or other officials.
Tipping in Georgia is welcome but optional. In restaurants, look at the bill first: many add a service charge, and if they do you need not add anything. Where no charge appears, leaving around a tenth of the total is the norm when you were well looked after. Guides and drivers on tours are the people who most often receive tips, while app taxis and family hosts generally do not expect one. Georgians themselves tip modestly, so nobody will be offended by a small amount given warmly.
Tipping has spread in Georgia over the past fifteen years, mostly with tourism and mostly in Tbilisi, Batumi and the busy mountain resorts. Village life still runs on hospitality rather than service, and that changes what a good thank-you looks like. Below you will find a quick table, then the details for restaurants, guides and drivers, taxis, hotels and guesthouses, wine cellars, baths and other services, plus how to hand a tip over. Amounts are approximate 2026 figures in lari with dollars in brackets, at about 2.6 lari to the dollar.
Is tipping expected in Georgia?
Not in the way it is in the United States. Wages in hospitality are low, so a tip makes a real difference to a waiter or a guide, but nobody chases you for one and service is not worse if you leave nothing. The official tourism board describes 10 to 15 percent as a sensible amount for services where tipping applies, and most locals sit at the lower end.
A useful rule: tip people who serve you personally and are paid by an employer, such as waiters, guides, drivers, porters and bath attendants. Do not tip people who own the business and are hosting you in their home, such as a guesthouse family or a winemaker who opened his own cellar. They will be happier if you buy their wine, praise their cooking and recommend them to others.
How much to tip in Georgia: quick reference table
Use this table as a starting point. Amounts are for good service; for exceptional service you can give more, and for poor service less or nothing.
| Who | Typical tip (approx. 2026) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant or cafe, no service charge | About 10 percent | Round up to a tidy figure; up to 15 percent for a long, attentive dinner |
| Restaurant with a service charge on the bill | Nothing extra, or leave the coins | The charge is usually 10 to 18 percent |
| Bar or coffee counter | Round up, or 1-2 GEL ($0.40-0.80) | Optional |
| Private tour guide | 20-50 GEL ($8-19) per day from the whole party | More for larger groups; handed over at the end |
| Private driver | 15-35 GEL ($6-13) per day from the whole party | Separate from the guide's tip |
| Guide on a shared group day tour | 5-10 GEL ($2-4) per person | Optional |
| Mountain or trekking guide | About 10 percent of their fee | More after a summit or a hard crossing |
| Horse handler or porter on a trek | 10-20 GEL ($4-8) per day | Give it directly to the person, not the agency |
| Local 4x4 driver (Gergeti, Juta, Ushguli) | Round up, or 5-10 GEL ($2-4) after a long wait | Not expected for a short run |
| Bolt or other app taxi | Nothing | Price is fixed in the app |
| Street taxi | Round up | Agree the fare before you get in |
| Airport transfer driver | 5-10 GEL ($2-4) | More if they help with heavy luggage or wait for a delayed flight |
| Hotel porter | 2-5 GEL ($1-2) per bag | Only in larger hotels |
| Hotel housekeeping | 5-10 GEL ($2-4) per night, optional | Leave it on the pillow at the end |
| Guesthouse host | No cash tip | A gift, buying their wine, a warm review |
| Sulphur bath scrub (kisi) attendant | 5-10 GEL ($2-4) | Hand it over after the scrub |
| Hairdresser, barber, spa therapist | About 10 percent | Optional |
| Food delivery courier | 2-5 GEL ($1-2) | Can often be added in the app |
Tipping in restaurants and cafes: the service charge explained
Restaurants in Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi and the tourist towns increasingly add a service charge, usually 10 to 18 percent. It appears as its own line near the total, often printed in both Georgian and English. In Georgian, look for the word momsakhureba (მომსახურება), meaning service. Some menus state the charge at the bottom of the last page.
When the bill includes a service charge
You have already tipped, so there is no need to add more. Many Georgians still leave the small change or round the total to a neat figure. If a waiter went out of their way, such as helping you order a whole supra or finding a dish for a child, a few extra lari in cash is a kind gesture and reaches them directly.
When there is no service charge
Leave about 10 percent. On a bill of 87 GEL, 95 or 100 GEL is fine. In village restaurants, roadside khinkali houses and canteens, tipping is less common; rounding up is plenty. At a bakery, a market stall or a shop, nobody tips.
Paying by card
Card terminals in Georgia rarely offer a tip option, so the easiest way is to pay the bill by card and leave the tip in cash on the table or in the bill folder. If you want to tip by card, ask the waiter to add it before the payment goes through.
Live music and supra dinners
Some restaurants have folk ensembles or a singer in the evening. If you ask for a particular song, or the musicians come to your table, a note of 10-20 GEL ($4-8) for the group is customary. At a big group supra with a set menu, a service charge is usually built into the price; ask when booking.
How much to tip a tour guide and driver in Georgia
Guides and drivers are where tipping matters most. Their day rates look healthy, but much of that goes to the company, to fuel and to the vehicle, and many work only during the main season. Tips are not included in tour prices in Georgia, and they are listed as an extra in almost every private tour's terms.
Private day trips
For a full day to Kazbegi, Kakheti or Uplistsikhe, a common thank-you is 20-50 GEL ($8-19) for the guide and 15-35 GEL ($6-13) for the driver, from the whole party rather than from each person. For a group of six or more, raise the total, for example 5-8 GEL ($2-3) per traveller for each of them.
Multi-day private tours
Work out the same daily amounts and give the total at the end, on the last evening or at the airport. On a week-long trip for two, that usually comes to around 150-300 GEL ($60-115) for the guide and 100-200 GEL ($40-75) for the driver. If one person both drove and guided, combine the two amounts.
Shared group tours
On a group day tour from Tbilisi, where you pay per seat, 5-10 GEL ($2-4) per person for the guide is generous enough. Drivers on these tours usually receive a share from the guide or nothing; a few lari is welcome but not expected.
Trekking guides, porters and horse handlers
On treks in Svaneti, Tusheti and Kazbegi, give your mountain guide about 10 percent of their fee, more if they got you over the Atsunta Pass or up Kazbek in bad weather. Horsemen who carry your bags or lead riders between villages are often paid little by the agency; 10-20 GEL ($4-8) a day straight into their hands means a lot.
Do you tip taxi drivers in Georgia?
Mostly not. Bolt, the dominant ride-hailing app in Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi, shows a fixed price before you book and drivers do not expect more. Rounding up in cash is a nice touch if the driver helped with bags.
With street taxis, agree the fare first and pay that amount, rounding up to the next lari or five if you are happy. Marshrutka drivers are never tipped. Airport transfer drivers who meet you with a name sign, especially on a 3 am arrival or after a long delay, deserve 5-10 GEL ($2-4).
Local 4x4 drivers in Stepantsminda, Mestia and Kvemo Alvani, who take you to Gergeti, Juta, Ushguli or over the Abano Pass, negotiate their price in advance. A tip is not part of the deal, but if the driver waited for hours while you hiked or stopped for every photo, add 5-10 GEL, or 20 GEL ($8) or so for a full day on the Tusheti road.
Tipping in hotels, guesthouses and homestays
In larger hotels in Tbilisi and Batumi, porters receive 2-5 GEL ($1-2) per bag and housekeeping 5-10 GEL ($2-4) per night if you choose, left at the end of the stay with a note so it is clear the money is for the staff. Concierges who book a hard-to-get table or a driver for you can be thanked with 10-20 GEL ($4-8). In small boutique hotels, where the same few people do everything, a single tip at checkout for the team is easier.
Family guesthouses are different. The mother who cooks the dinner and the father who pours the chacha are the owners, and many would be embarrassed by cash on the table. Better ways to say thank you:
- Bring a small gift from home: sweets, a regional speciality, a picture book of your country for the children.
- Buy a bottle of their homemade wine or chacha, or honey and cheese if they produce them.
- Write a detailed online review, which brings them their next guests.
- Send photos from your trip afterwards; many hosts keep in touch for years.
If a younger relative or a hired helper carried your bags up a steep lane in Sighnaghi or Ushguli, a few lari for them personally is fine.
Wine tastings, cooking classes and supra hosts
At a large wine estate in Kakheti, such as Tsinandali or a wine tunnel in Kvareli, the person running the tasting is an employee, and a tip of 5-10 GEL ($2-4) per person, or about 10 percent, is appreciated for a long, informative session. At a family qvevri cellar, where the winemaker himself pours, buying a few bottles is the best tip of all.
Cooking classes, run either by a chef in Tbilisi or by a family in Kakheti or Imereti, are usually priced per person. A tip of around 10 percent is a nice touch for a chef; for a family host, buy their produce or bring a gift instead.
At a supra, the traditional feast, you are a guest of the table, and the tamada, or toastmaster, is not someone you tip. If a professional ensemble sings polyphonic songs during dinner, a note for the group at the end is customary.
Sulphur baths, spas, hairdressers and other services
In the Abanotubani bathhouses in Tbilisi, a private room is often booked with a kisi scrub, given by an attendant with a coarse mitt. The scrub is paid with the room, and 5-10 GEL ($2-4) in cash for the attendant afterwards is common. Massage therapists in spas and hotels receive about 10 percent if you are pleased.
- Hairdressers and barbers: about 10 percent, or round up.
- Food delivery couriers from Wolt, Glovo or Bolt Food: 2-5 GEL ($1-2), more in rain or snow; most apps let you add it.
- Ski instructors in Gudauri and Bakuriani: 10 percent of the lesson price, or 20-30 GEL ($8-12) after a multi-day course.
- Paragliding pilots in Gudauri and photographers on a photo walk: 10 percent if you enjoyed it.
- Church caretakers and monks: not tipped; light a candle or put a coin in the donation box instead.
How to hand over a tip in Georgia: cash, currency and etiquette
- Use lari
Tips in Georgian lari are easiest for everyone. Dollars and euros can be changed, but small foreign notes and coins cannot, and the person has to visit an exchange office. - Keep small notes
Collect 5, 10 and 20 lari notes as you go; cash machines often give 50s and 100s. Supermarkets and pharmacies are good places to break large notes. - Be discreet
Hand the tip over with a handshake, or put it in an envelope at the end of a tour with a short note. Waving cash around a table can embarrass a guide or a host. - Give it in person
Tips added to a company's online invoice may not reach the crew in full. Cash in hand is clearer. - Say thank you in Georgian
'Madloba' means thank you; 'didi madloba' means thank you very much. It goes a long way.
Frequently asked questions
Is tipping customary in Georgia?
Yes, but modestly and never compulsorily. Ten percent in restaurants without a service charge and a tip for guides and drivers at the end of a tour are normal. Many everyday services, such as app taxis, marshrutkas and shops, involve no tipping at all.
How much should I tip in a restaurant in Tbilisi?
First check the bill for a service line, often 10 to 18 percent. If it is there, you need not add anything, although leaving the change is common. If there is no service charge, about 10 percent is a good tip.
How much do you tip a tour guide in Georgia?
For a private day trip, a guide typically receives 20 to 50 lari from the group, with more for larger groups or a long day. On a shared group tour, 5-10 GEL ($2-4) per person is enough.
Do you tip drivers in Georgia?
Someone who drives you privately for one or more days usually gets between 15 and 35 lari a day from the group as a whole. App taxi drivers are not tipped, and street taxi fares are simply rounded up.
Should I tip in US dollars or lari?
Lari is better. Banknotes in dollars or euros are accepted but have to be exchanged, and foreign coins are useless to the recipient. Keep a stock of small lari notes for tips.
Do you tip guesthouse owners in Georgia?
Usually not in cash, because the hosts are the owners. Thank them with a small gift, by buying their wine or produce, or with a warm online review. A small tip for a helper who carried your luggage is fine.
Is a service charge the same as a tip in Georgia?
In practice it plays the role of a tip and is added by the restaurant, so you are not expected to add more. How much of it reaches the staff depends on the restaurant, so if you want to reward a particular waiter, leave a little cash directly.
