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Toilets, Tipping, and Customs

All toilets are not alike:

Most European toilets are similar to our own, but some consist of porcelain footprints and a squat-and-aim hole.  Most people in the world sit on their haunches.  Our need to sit on a throne is in the minority.  Toilet paper is another Western "essential".  If wastebaskets are full of dirty paper, leave yours there too.  The plumbing may be frail.  While WC's have improved in Western Europe, it's wise to carry pocket-size tissue packs which are easy to buy in Europe (wonder why).

Finding a decent public toilet

Restaurants -- Any place that serves food or drinks has a rest room.  They may not be labelled so you can see it from the street, but you can easily walk into nearly any restaurant or cafe, politely and confidently, and find a bathroom.  Assume it's in the back and either upstairs or downstairs.  It's easiest in a large place that has outdoor seating.  Waiters will think you are a customer making a quick trip inside.  If you feel like it, ask permission.  Just smile, "Toilet?"  Fast food places are very common and always have a decent rest room.

Public Buildings -- Train stations, government buildings, and upper floors of department stores.  Parks often have rest rooms, but be wary and hold your nose.  Never leave a museum without taking advantage of its rest rooms -- free and clean.  Large, classy, old hotel lobbies -- you'll always find a nice bathroom and plenty of soft TP.

Coin-op Toilets on the Street -- Some large cities are dotted with coin-operated telephone booth WC's on street corners.  Insert a coin, the door opens, and you have 15 minutes of toilet accompanied by Muzak.  When you leave it disinfects itself.

Trains -- Use the free toilets on the train rather than those in the station to save time and money. Toilets on first-class cars are a cut above second-class toilets. "go" first class even with a second-class ticket. Train toilets are located on the ends of cars, where it's most jiggly.  Some toilets empty directly on the tracks. Never use a train's WC while stopped in a station (unless you didn't like that particular town). A train's WC cleanliness deteriorates as the journey progresses.

The Flush --  After you've found and used a toilet, you're down to your last challenge — flushing it. Rarely will you encounter a familiar handle. Find some protuberance and push, pull, twist, squeeze, stomp, or pray to it until the water starts. Automatic urinals, sinks, and hand dryers are increasingly common.

The Tip -- Paying to use a public WC is a European custom that irks many Americans. But isn't it really worth a few coins, considering the cost of water, maintenance, and cleanliness? And you're probably in no state to argue, anyway. Sometimes the toilet is free, but the woman in the corner sells sheets of toilet paper. Most common is the tip dish by the entry. The local equivalent of about 25 cents is plenty. Caution: Many attendant ladies leave only bills and too-big coins in the tray to bewilder the full-bladdered tourist. The keepers of Europe's public toilets have earned a reputation for crabbiness. You'd be crabby, too, if you lived under the street in a room full of public toilets. Humor them, understand them, and carry some change so you can leave them a coin or two.

Women in the Men's Room -- The women who inhabit Europe's WCs are a popular topic of conversation. Sooner or later you'll be minding your own business at the urinal and the lady will bring you your change or sweep under your feet. Yes, it is distracting, but you'll just have to get used to it — she has.

Tipping

Tipping in Europe isn't as automatic and generous as it is in the US — but for special service, tips are appreciated, if not expected. As in the US, the proper amount depends on your resources, tipping philosophy, and the circumstance. Some general guidelines apply:

Tipping in Restaurants

Restaurant tips are more modest in Europe than in America. In most places, 10 percent is a big tip. If your bucks talk at home, muzzle them on your travels. As a matter of principle, if not economy, the local price should prevail. Tipping 15 or 20 percent in Europe is unnecessary, if not culturally insensitive.

Tipping is an issue only at restaurants that have waiters and waitresses. If you order your food at a counter (in a pub, for example), don't tip.

At table-service restaurants, the tipping etiquette and procedure varies slightly from country to country. But in general, European servers are well-paid, and tips are considered a small "bonus" — to reward great service, or for simplicity in rounding the total bill to a convenient number. In most countries, 5 percent is adequate, 10 verges on excessive, and 15 or 20 percent is unheard-of.

In Mediterranean countries, the "service charge" servizio in Italian, service in French, servicio in Spanish) — usually figured at 10 or 15 percent of your total bill — can be handled in different ways. Sometimes the menu will note that the service is included (e.g., servizio incluso), meaning that the prices listed in the menu already have this charge built in. In other cases, the service might show up as a separate line item at the end of your bill. (In this case, in Italy, the menu might say servizio non incluso — meaning the individual prices don't include service.) Fixed-price tourist deals (a.k.a. menu) include service.

In Northern and Eastern Europe, the menu or bill is less likely to address the "service charge," but you can usually assume that it's included in the prices.
Virtually anywhere in Europe, you can do as the Europeans do and (if you're pleased with the service) round up a euro or two. This can vary a bit. For example, a 10 percent tip is expected in Hungary. And in very touristy areas, some servers have noticed the American obsession with overtipping — and might hope for a Yankee-size tip. But the good news is that European servers and diners are far more laid-back about all this than we are. Any tip is appreciated, the stakes are low, and it's no big deal if you choose the "wrong" amount.

Typically, it's better to hand the tip to the waiter when you're paying your bill than to leave it on the table, particularly in busy places where the wrong party might pocket the change. In Germanic countries, rather than physically leaving a tip on the table, it's considered discreet and classy to say the total number of euros you'd like the waiter to keep (including his tip) when paying. So, if the bill is €42, hand him €50 while saying, "45." You'll get €5 back and feel pretty European. In most of Europe, servers prefer to be tipped in cash even if you pay with your credit card. (Otherwise the tip may never reach your server.)

Taxis
To tip the cabbie, round up. For a typical ride, round up about 5–10 percent (to pay a €4.50 fare, give €5; for a €28 fare, give €30). If the cabbie hauls your bags and zips you to the airport to help you catch your flight, you might want to toss in a little more. But if you feel like you're being driven in circles or otherwise ripped off, skip the tip.

Special Services
 It's thoughtful to tip a couple of euros to someone who shows you a special sight and who is paid in no other way. Tour guides at public sights often hold out their hands for tips after they give their spiel; if you've already paid for the tour, don't tip extra unless you're really impressed  (€1–2). At hotels, porters expect a euro for each bag they carry (another reason to pack light). Leaving the maid a euro per overnight at the end of your stay is a nice touch. In general, if someone in the service industry does a super job for you, a tip of a couple of euros is appropriate...but not required.

When in doubt, ask. If you're not sure whether (or how much) to tip for a service, ask the TI; they'll fill you in on how it's done on their turf.


Customs
Europeans do many things differently from the way we do. Simple as these things are, they can be frustrating barriers and cause needless, occasionally serious problems.


Numbers
A European's handwritten numbers look different from ours. The 1s have an upswing. The number 4 often looks like a short lightning bolt. If you don't cross your 7, it may be mistaken as a sloppy 1, and you could miss your train (and be mad at the French for "refusing to speak English"). Avoid using "#" for "number" — it's not common in Europe.

Counting
When counting with your fingers, start with your thumb. If you hold up your first finger, you'll probably get two; and making a "peace" sign to indicate the number two may get you three — or a punch in the nose in parts of Britain, where it's an obscene gesture.  Or you get three bacon!

Dates and Decimals
Europeans reverse the day and month in numbered dates. Christmas is 25-12-07 instead of 12-25-07, as we would write it. Commas are decimal points and decimals commas, so a dollar and a half is 1,50 and there are 5.280 feet in a mile.

Time
The 24-hour clock is used in any official timetable. This includes bus, train, and tour schedules. Learn to use it quickly and easily. Everything is the same until 12:00 noon. Then, instead of starting over again at 1:00 p.m., the Europeans keep on going — 13:00, 14:00, and so on. 18:00 is 6:00 p.m. (subtract 12 and add p.m.). Remember that European time is six/nine hours ahead of the East/West Coasts of the US.

Metric
European countries (except Great Britain) use kilometers instead of miles. A kilometer is six-tenths of a mile. To quickly translate kilometers to miles, cut the kilometer figure in half and add 10 percent of the original figure (e.g., 420 km = 210 + 42 = 252 miles). Some people prefer to drop the last digit and multiply by six: Quick, what's 150 km? (15 x 6 = 90 miles.)

Temperatures
Europeans measure temperatures in degrees Celsius. Zero degrees C = 32 degrees Fahrenheit. You can use a formula to convert temperatures in Celsius to Fahrenheit (divide C by 5, multiply by 9, and add 32 to get F), or easier and nearly as accurate, double the Celsius temperature and add 30. (To convert Fahrenheit to Celsius, subtract 32 from F, divide by 9, then multiply by 5.) A memory aid: 28° C = 82° F — darn hot. And a poem: 30 is hot, 20 is nice, 10 is cold, 0 is ice.

Addresses
House numbers often have no correlation to what's across the street. While odd is normally on one side and even is on the other, #27 may be directly across from #2.

Floors
Floors of buildings are numbered differently. The bottom floor is called the ground floor. What we would call the second floor is a European's first floor. So if your room is on the second floor (European), bad news — you're on the third floor (American). On the elevator, push whatever's below "1" to get to the ground floor. On an escalator, keep the left lane open for passing. Stand to the right.