Not to hijack the thread, but as you noted "tax and tip is not included." I wish there would be a definitive answer on tipping in Europe, Our European relatives say do not tip like in the US as the wait staff does not depend on tips for their salaries, unlike in the US. Also our restaurant bills in four countries never added tax--perhaps the amount on the menu includes it?
I think I meant to say "tax and tip IS included", in Europe.
Tax (VAT) is included in the menu prices absolutely everywhere in Europe, including weird places like the UK. It is a trading offence to put up ex-VAT prices in the catering industry. If you see it, you're being ripped off. One exception: if a hotel is in a town with a tourist tax, this will be added on at the end of your stay and is never quoted in the room rate. It's typically 50¢/person/day, so nothing to worry about.
I almost never leave a tip. In a small restaurant you might well be being waited on by the proprietor, or a member of their family. Even if not, the waiter will typically being paid an amount above minimum wage - they may get a cut of the total bill as well. Leaving a tip which is a percentage of the bill is pretty much a faux pas. It is not unheard of for Americans to leave a €15 tip on a €85 bill and be followed down the street by the server because "you forgot your change".
If you're having lunch in Germany, say, and the server is settling up at the table with one of those big purses which they have, and the bill is €27.20, it's Ok to say "make it twenty-eight" and the server will thank you (without irony) for the 80-cent tip. This is really hard for Americans to get, as I imagine that a US waiter would probably regard it as a calculated insult, worth than totally failing to tip at all. If you're having lunch in France, you will either go to the central register, or the waiter will bring your change back to your table, and will not be surprised, or spit, if you scoop it all up. (90% of French people pay for their meals by debit card; the little PIN code machine is brought to your table, the exact amount on the check is typed in, you put in your code, they give you your ticket, off you go.)
In some places such as Croatia, I have even had difficulty getting people to accept a really small tip. During the Communist time, tipping was illegal, so they never got into the habit.
The only exception to all this is the UK, which has always had a half-baked approach - Brits are easily embarrassed by this sort of thing - although things seem to have settled down in most cases to "Service charge not included". 10% is considered OK, 15% would get you remembered. But you don't tip at all when eating in pubs if you order and pay for your food at the bar (even if someone brings it out to you). And some places add a 10% service charge as soon as the party gets to be 4 or more, as groups are bad at tipping (the moral pressure gets spread thin, it seems).
You also don't tip when drinking in a bar. This also applies in a pub in Britain - again, it's mostly part-self-service, but if you sit at the bar all evening, you don't have to push coins over at the barman/maid/tron. (There is a slightly strange form of tipping in the pub, which is too complex to go into here and should not be attempted by tourists.)
You should also avoid the American habit of sitting at a bar with your money and/or your cigarettes in front of you. The money will look weird and may get stolen, and in parts of Spain, an open pack of cigarettes on the bar is an invitation for anyone to help themselves to one of yours.
PS: Another place where tipping is almost unknown (and this surprised me): Australia.
