Do I need to tip in Madeira?

Tipping in Portugal & Madeira Many people may tell you that tipping is not necessary and that restaurant workers earn a healthy wage, but this is not really true. Staff at restaurants earn among the lowest wages in Portugal and they rely on tips. As such, a tip is always appreciated.



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We tip 10% for good service that's nearly always in Madeira.

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10% or “rounding up” are seen as the norm when tipping. Tipping is usually for exceptional service, when someone went above and beyond what their job required them to do. If you're used to tipping elsewhere, don't stop just because you're in Portugal. Always tip with cash if you can.

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Around €10 (US$11) is considered a decent tip for tour guides who impressed you. Feel free to lower or increase that amount by up to €5, depending on how long the tour was and how informative and entertaining the guide was.

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There are exceptions if your specific tour experience includes gratuities or you simply didn't have a good time, but in general, tipping your guide at the end of the tour is customary in the U.S. and Europe, though it's much more common in the States.

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About.com has a Tipping Guide for travelers that further suggests that the tour guide should receive a tip of 10% to 20% of the tour cost. As a last thought, the guide still needs to earn his or her tip. Just with any other profession, the tip should match the level of service.

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There is plenty of water in Madeira and it is all drinkable and of excellent quality. Porto Santo uses desalinated water, which is perfectly safe to drink.

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The Portuguese have three meals a day, between 7:30 and 10 a.m. we have breakfast, consisting of drinking coffee or fruit juice with toast or a sandwich. The main meals are lunch, between 12:00 and 2:30 p.m., and dinner between 7:30 and 10:30 p.m.

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Restaurants and Bars When dining out in Portugal, it's common practice to leave a small tip for your server. However, please know that this is not required, and ultimately depends upon the level of service you've received at that restaurant.

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It's not expensive to eat out in Madeira unless you go to gourmet or Michelin-starred restaurant. You'll find bars by the road, in small villages and even the capital that have very reasonable menus of the day. Start your meal with a soup if you're trying to save the pennies.

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FAQs about food in Madeira Espada com banana (black scabbard fish with banana) is one of the most popular Madeira dishes and it's unique to the island. Another unique Madeira food is the bolo do caco bread.

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You can hike all year round, but here are a few things to be aware of to make your decision: In Summer, temperature can raise quite high in the afternoon – you should start hiking early morning. Most hikes have narrow pathways and can have hikers in both directions (many levada walks are return hikes, not loops).

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What are the drinking laws in Portugal? The legal drinking age in Portugal is 18, whether you find yourself in a pub or a nightclub. The drinking age in Madeira used to be 16, but it was raised to 18, in line with the rest of Portugal, in 2012.

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Funchal is generally considered safe for female travelers. The city is known for its friendly locals and low crime rate. Women should still take the usual precautions when traveling, such as avoiding walking alone at night and keeping valuables out of sight.

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Most places in Madeira do take cards, but you'll need some cash for buses, and I've heard that some of the cable cars only take cash too (the cable car from the promenade in Funchal does take cards). The small shops and cafes I visited all took cards but it's best to have some money just in case.

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Inside Funchal : Health & Safety - Tripadvisor. According to the Madeira Tourist Board's website the island has very little crime. It states that very likely the worst things that will happen to most visitors are generally sunburns and hangovers.

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It depends on the length of the tour, how other people are on the tour and and how satisfied you are after the tour, but it's common to tip anywhere from $5-$20 per person. If you consider the cost of paying for a group or private tour, even though free tours aren't totally free, you're still saving money.

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