Tips and... more tips

We hate to admit it: it is necessary. Yes, we're talking about tipping, bribing, whatever you want to call it. From the taxi driver to the hotel maid, there is a separate budget that you must make up when you come to Bucharest.

It is not mandatory in the compulsory or desperately obligatory meaning of the word. :) It is however advisable, polite and usual.

Now who gets your first tip when you arrive in a foreign place? The taxi driver that took you to the hotel and kindly helped you with the luggage. Normally you round it off, the sum of money that is, and a simple "keep the change" would do.

It's nonetheless very common in Bucharest to leave a bigger tip, for instance if the ride was 7,5 RON some taxi drivers expect you to round it off to 10 RON. And then it is a fact that foreign visitors are mistreated, sometimes even "robbed" supposing they don't have any idea how things go round in town.

When you arrive at the hotel you also have a few protagonists on your list: the doorman, the receptionist, the maid and room service. The usual tip is 2 to 5 euro for each of them.

In a restaurant, things are even more clear: 10% of the final bill is what you should give as a tip. And if you really anjoyed the food, the service and the atmosphere, 15% is how you express your delight. :)

Last but not least, in pubs and clubs, the tip depends on the value of the bill or the service. The "rounf off" rule usually applies, if you have to pay 17 RON you leave 20. In case the sum of money is sharp, then you can add the value of 1 EU - 3,5 RON.