Tourist Taxes in Europe 2026: Barcelona, Venice and Edinburgh
Barcelona's tourist tax now runs from €6 to €12 a night per person depending on where you stay. Edinburgh adds 5% to overnight stays from 24 July 2026, for up to five nights. Venice's day-tripper access fee trial ended for 2026 on 27 July.
Tourist taxes are the cost nobody puts in the advert. They're small per night, but on a few nights for two people they add up. Here's what three of the big ones charge right now.
How much is the Barcelona tourist tax in 2026?
Catalonia doubled its tourist tax from 1 April 2026. In Barcelona, including the city's own surcharge, it's now per person, per night:
- Five-star hotels: €12
- Four-star hotels: €8.40
- Tourist accommodation: €9.50
- Other places to stay: €7
- Hostels: €6
- Cruise passengers: €11 for stops under 12 hours, €9 for over 12 hours
Barcelona has also approved a €1 rise in its surcharge every year up to €8 by 2029, so it's going up again.
Do you have to pay to visit Venice?
Not right now. Venice's access fee for day trippers ran as a trial in 2026, at €5 if you paid by the fourth day before your visit or €10 after that. The city says the 2026 trial ended on 27 July, and from then you could visit without paying. Whether it comes back is up to the city, so check before a trip next year.
What is the Edinburgh visitor levy?
Edinburgh added a 5% visitor levy to overnight stays from 24 July 2026. It covers hotels, hostels, B&Bs, self-catering and short lets, and you only pay it on up to five nights in a row.
How do you budget for tourist taxes?
- Check if the price you're shown includes it. Often it's paid at the hotel, not at booking
- Hostels usually come out cheapest per person
- Day trips skip it entirely, because no overnight stay means no overnight tax
- Couples pay twice. It's per person, not per room
That third point is why we like day trips. Fly out in the morning, home by bed, no hotel and no tax. See today's cheapest day trips.
Founders pay £19 a year for BudgetBro Day Trips, for as long as they stay. See the founders offer
Sources: Catalan News, 1 April 2026. Venezia Unica, access fee page. City of Edinburgh Council, visitor levy. Photos: kallerna, CC BY-SA 4.0. Andraszy, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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