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$100 per day (no benefits) is very low by US standards, especially considering that the guides generally work 9 hour days in Saint Petersburg. However, in reading online articles (in Russian - i.e., cyrillic script) regarding a specific tour company that had some tax issues last year, I read that the guides for this particular company received no benefits and were paid $100 per day. This of course only for good service - which it always seems to be with all the operators in St Petersburg.
#Spb tours st.petersburg driver#
Personally I'd reckon 10% for the guide and some coins for the driver very satisfactory, and a quick blast round the internet suggests between 5% and 15%, so my 10% sits neatly in the middle. But isn't a total of 25% high even by north American standards ? The 15% to the guide & 10% to the driver suggested to northernrose might be because they reckon that they can do even better these days, or it might be because we were on a Brit ship and they knew that quoting such a high figure might be counter-productive. Even that suggested 15% total is heavy by UK / EU standards. I doubt many of us know the wage structures or the tipping norms., I certainly don't.Ī few years back Alla suggested 10% to the guide & 5% to the driver. And yes, because wages have to be at least at the minimum, the level of tips reflects that - anywhere from rounding-up (though of course rounding-up a large bill to the nearest euro can be an insult) to an absolute max of 10%.īut European norms are irrelevant in Russia. Your experience?īroadly correct - it varies a little between different European countries, but generally wages in service industries are low but subject to minimum levels, and tips are welcomed but not as of right - they have to be earned by providing good service. I then look at SPB Tours site and they suggest specific tip amounts for each not only in SPB, but also Berlin, Stockholm and all of the other ports that they service. I read that European guides/drivers are well paid and as such, tips are usually not expected.and definitely not at the level that would occur in the states.
#Spb tours st.petersburg drivers#
Confused somewhat regarding what tips if any for the tour guides and drivers in SPB with SPB tours specifically.