Train staff - tip?

On the overnight train from Paris to Italy (Venice in my case) I understand the train staff (do they call them %26quot;porters%26quot; in France?) comes in to get the beds set up. For first class, I believe they also bring coffee/juice/croissant to your compartment in the morning.

So for this service are we expected to provide a tip? If so, how much - 5 Euro? More?

If a tip is expected but not provided, perhaps that%26#39;s behind some of the comments about grumpy train staff.

Thanks for your help. Hope to blend in and not be labeled an ugly American.

Also, I%26#39;ve noted some less than enthusiastic comments about the Artesia. We%26#39;ll bring a picnic dinner (avoiding the dinning car), settle in behind our locked door (no paranoia about theft) and let the train%26#39;s motion rock us to sleep. If it%26#39;s at all comparable to the ride I took from London to Glasgow some years ago, I%26#39;m expecting a great night%26#39;s sleep and a wonderful start to Venice, even if it%26#39;s not a sumptuous luxury experience. Reasonable expectations and a good attitude helps maximize the joy of travel.

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I think you will find that most Europeans, including me, would not tip a sleeping car attendant for doing the job they are paid for. If they are really helpful with luggage etc. then perhaps something.

We went to Venice on the train last year and the restaurant car was OK. It is Italian and you get a 3 course meal including wine for a fairly reasonable price. First class passengers get priority reservations which helps as I think they had 3 sittings and we got in the second. Families with children seemed to get priorirty for the early sitting which makes sense.

The breakfast is not very exciting.

I splept until the train jolted to a stop in Milan at about 5 in the morning!

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I would not tip. You have already paid for the service, and they are earning a decent salary. If you make some sort of special request (extra blanket, special refreshment...) then you can consider tipping.

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Thanks for the insight.

I%26#39;ll probably go ahead with plans for bringing my own food on board, even though the dinning car may be %26quot;ok.%26quot;

Perhaps a smile and even my feeble attempt at French will get a decent response from the staff.

Bon voyage!

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We have taken the train Venice to Paris and it was a great experience. We opted for the 4 person sleeper, and there was us and an older woman, who got off in the middle of the nite when it stopped. The breakfast was nothing great....but watching the sun come up over rural France with my wife while eating it more then made up for it....

Sean

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I%26#39;ve never found the train staff to be grumpy.

Sometimes they don%26#39;t speak English very well and even if they do they are often busy and so they don%26#39;t have time to stand around and chat until the middle of the night when most people are asleep. They also need to complete their job of checking the tickets and passports etc before they can cater to any special requests. In the morning when they serve the breakfast they need to serve the entire carriage not just you so the service may be quite brisk and efficient.

As you said %26quot;reasonable expectations and a good attitude helps maximize the joy of travel.%26quot; I think you also need a reasonable expectation and a good attitude about the type of service you may receive.

Perhaps those who find the train staff grumpy are the same people who consider French waiters to be rude? Maybe it%26#39;s just that their expectations were not realistic?

I%26#39;ve never considered tipping the train staff. It%26#39;s certainly not expected but it%26#39;s your money so I guess you can do whatever you want with it.

Have a great trip - arriving in Venice is spectacular!

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We had a very friendly train guard on our recent trip on the Artesia. We didn%26#39;t tip him (didn%26#39;t think about it at the time) but I wish we had because he was helpful.

We also had a picnic on the train. It was lovely sitting in our own little compartment watching the suburbs of Paris roll by while we ate our bread, cheese, salad, pastries and wine. It seemed like something from a bygone age of travelling.

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VickS - Sounds like a good menu. Can you or others recommend a place near Gare de Bercy to pick up our picnic supplies?

Seems like the consensus is to tip for service that seems above and beyond, but not otherwise. Glad to get advice from those more in the know than this 1st time visitor to France.

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Chuck - I bought our picnic from a Monoprix supermarket which is about 10 minutes walk from the Gare de Bercy. I can%26#39;t remember the exact directions but if you go down the stairs from the station, turn right and walk under the railway bridges you should reach it. I asked at the ticket office and they told me how to get there.

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VickS - Excellent! Thanks for taking the time to reply. I already have visions of dinner in our compartment even though the trip is still months away.