How much to tip a guide in Spain?

How much should you tip a tour guide in Spain? Ugh, that’s always a tough one, isn’t it? It really depends, you know? Like, last summer in Seville, I had this guide, a lovely older woman named Isabella – she was amazing. She knew every hidden alleyway, every juicy bit of gossip about the royal family, and even managed to get us the best churros in the city! For a tour that was already pretty reasonably priced, I happily gave her €10 – felt totally right, like I’d barely scratched the surface of how much she deserved.

But then, there was that Roman ruins tour in Rome (okay, I know, not Spain, but still relevant!). That guide? Meh. He just read from a script, barely looked at us, and honestly, I could’ve gotten the same information from a Wikipedia article. I gave him a measly €3, and even that felt like too much. So stingy, I know! But seriously, no effort. Zero personality.

I usually think about it per person, not the total group size, if that makes sense. Three to five euros per person if they did an okay job. Maybe bump it up to ten, or even more, if they were truly exceptional – think Isabella level of awesome. If it’s a huge, expensive tour, with lots of people, I’m less likely to tip unless they went way beyond the call of duty. Maybe they arranged a surprise flamenco performance or something equally spectacular? Then, absolutely.

It’s not about following some strict rule, more about showing your appreciation, right? Like, did they make your experience better? Did they go the extra mile? Then, tip accordingly. Don’t stress too much about it, though. Just go with your gut feeling. You’ll know what feels right!