Tipping in Malta: what the official source says, and what I'd do

Tipping in Malta is one of those small questions that always comes up at the awkward moment, with the bill on the table and the waiter hovering. Here’s what I’ve been able to confirm from official sources, which is less than I’d like, and what I’d do in each situation. I’d rather be clear about where the evidence stops than hand you percentages nobody has actually published.

What the official source says, and when it said it

The only official guidance I’ve found on tipping comes from the Malta Tourism Authority, in the FAQ section of visitmalta.com. The 2021 version, the most recent one fully readable on archive.org, said tipping is customary in Malta and a gratuity of 5 to 10% is reasonable whenever good service has been provided. It added two points. If a service charge is already included in the bill, a tip isn’t necessary, and if you’re unsure, it’s worth checking the establishment’s own policy.

The current version of that page has no accessible text, and neither the Spanish Foreign Ministry’s advice nor the gov.uk pages on Malta I’ve read mention tipping at all. So the figure I’m giving you is a few years old, and I present it as exactly that, a custom described by the tourist board rather than a rule.

How much to tip in a restaurant

Taking that as my guide, here’s how I’d handle it. For decent service, I’d round the bill up. For genuinely good service, I’d leave between 5 and 10%, the official range. And before anything else I’d look at the bill, because if a service charge is already on it, I’d add nothing. Paying for service twice is the only real tipping mistake in Malta, and reading the bill avoids it.

For where to eat and what to order, see where to eat in Malta. The local dishes, from pastizzi to lampuki, will shape what you spend far more than the tip.

And in a taxi?

On tipping taxi drivers, Maltese official sources are silent. What they do say is more useful. The tourist board’s line is to settle the price with the driver up front, and the Spanish Foreign Ministry adds that meters often stay switched off, which is one more reason to ask. At the airport, in Sliema and in Valletta there are booths where you pay a fixed fare in advance. With the price agreed, I wouldn’t add a tip unless the driver has gone beyond the ride, like helping with a lot of luggage. Frankly, a clear price at the start matters far more to your wallet than any tip at the end. Fares and apps are covered in taxis in Malta.

The car park attendant

This is the only tip that appears in another official source. Visit Malta’s driving guide, in its 2023 copy, explains that Transport Malta’s public car parks are free of charge and there may be an attendant to whom you give a voluntary tip. Voluntary means just that. If they’ve pointed you to a space or kept an eye on the car, a few coins; if not, nothing. I cover it with the rest of the road rules in driving in Malta.

Hotels, bars, guides and boats

There’s no official source here, and I won’t invent percentages. My approach is the same as in a restaurant. A tip rewards good service, it isn’t a charge, and in a country whose tourist board describes it as a reasonable custom rather than an obligation, whether you leave one is up to you. On boat trips and guided tours, I’d first check whether the price already includes something and, if the guide was good, show it at the end. In a hotel, if someone carries your bags up, I’d have a couple of coins ready, but that’s my habit, not a Maltese rule I’ve been able to confirm.

A practical point about paying it

No official source explains whether card machines in Malta let you add a tip. As most places take cards, I’d carry a little change so you’re not relying on the terminal, and a two-euro coin or two covers most situations. Cards, cash and cashpoints are all in Malta currency.