Tipping in Lebanon
Tipping expectedService Breakdown
Notes by Service
10% in USD is standard; LBP tips are impractical.
$1–2 USD per night for housekeeping.
Round up in USD; agree on fare first.
$1–2 USD for therapists is appreciated.
$1 USD per drink or 10% of tab.
$1–2 USD is appreciated.
$5–10 USD per person for Baalbek, Byblos, and Beirut tours.
$0.50–1 USD is appreciated.
About Tipping in Lebanon
Overview
Lebanon's economic crisis since 2019 has made the Lebanese pound (LBP) functionally unusable for most transactions — USD is now the de facto currency for tips, restaurants, and tourist services. Tipping is genuinely important given the catastrophic wage compression that hospitality workers have experienced.
When to Tip
Tip at restaurants (10% in USD), with taxi drivers, hotel staff, and tour guides for Beirut walking tours, Baalbek, Byblos, and the Chouf cedars. In a context where LBP salaries have lost over 90% of their USD value, a dollar tip represents a lifeline rather than a courtesy.
How to Tip
Use USD cash for all tips — local currency tips are impractical given exchange rate volatility. Keep $1 and $5 bills available. For restaurant meals, add 10% in dollars. For guided historic site tours, $5–10 USD per person is appropriate and very much appreciated.
Cultural Context
Lebanon's once-vibrant tourism scene — Beirut was historically the Paris of the Middle East — has been severely damaged by financial collapse, the 2020 Beirut port explosion, and ongoing instability. The guides, restaurant owners, and hospitality workers who have stayed and rebuilt are operating in extraordinary circumstances, and tipping generously in Lebanon is one of the most direct ways a visitor can support an economy working hard to recover.