Barcelona. Photo: Shutterstock Visiting Barcelona is now officially more expensive. Starting April 1, 2026, you will need to dig deeper into your pockets, as the city has doubled its municipal tourist tax.
As a result of Parliament giving the green light to the Tax on Stays in Tourist Establishments (IEET), tourists will now be subject to a combined regional and city fee ranging from €7 to over €12 per person per night.
In addition to the standard tax, cities and towns can add local surcharges. In Barcelona, the City Council voted for a tax byelaw that would increase the surcharge from €4 to €5, and agreed to increase it by €1 until 2029, reaching a maximum of €8/night.
The newly calculated tax will gradually go up across the rest of Catalonia, reaching twice the current level by next year.
All travelers over the age of 16 who choose to stay overnight in the city for at least 7 nights will need to brace themselves for the change. Depending on the type of accommodation they choose, visitors will pay:
-€12 per night for 5-star hotels, luxury campsite and equivalent establishments
-€8.40 per night for 4-star hotels, 4-star superior hotels, and establishments or facilities of equivalent category
-€6 per night for youth hostels
-€7 for other campsites and other establishments and facilities
-€9 for cruise ships lasting more than 12 hours and €11 for cruise ships under 12 hours
Bucharest also added a €2 tourist tax at the beginning of 2026, joining Paris, Rome, and Amsterdam, which have already implemented their own taxing policies for tourists. London is also considering applying a similar tax to overnight visitors. As a reminder, in February, Rome started charging a €2 entrance fee to visit the Trevi Fountain.