What is the city tax charged to travelers?
- Dulce Carranza
- Nov 12, 2023
- 1 min read
You arrive at the hotel after paying for your entire stay, and the receptionist tells you that your room is paid for, but you also need to pay the city tax... What is this? 🤯
For travelers who are just beginning to explore the world of tourism, this tourist tax can come as a surprise and even be annoying, but it's entirely normal.
Most European Union countries have this tax, which is generally collected during your accommodation, meaning it's the responsibility of hotels, hostels, or Airbnbs.
Each place chooses how to collect it; it can either be included in the room or apartment rental price, or it can be charged at the end of your stay. The latter option is less common, but it's one of the most transparent approaches because if, for some reason, the customer can't make their reservation and their rate is non-refundable, at least they save on the tax.
What is it for, and who imposes it?
The tourist tax is a tax imposed by municipalities with the aim of creating a fund dedicated to the maintenance of the city being visited.
All restoration work on historical buildings, cleaning, planting in parks, free events organized by municipalities, as well as tourist advertising, are funded by this revenue.
In which cities is it paid, and how much does it cost?
| Barcelona Valencia Las Islas Baleares | 2,75€ Between 0,5 centim and 2€ Between 1 and 4€ |
| Paris Lyon | Between 0,20 and 4€ |
| Oporto Lisboa El Faro | Between 1 and 2€ |
| Frankfurt Hamburgo Berlin | 5% of the total accommodation bill |
| Amsterdam | 7% of the total accommodation bill |
| Roma | Between 3 and 7€ |
| Brussels Bruges Amberes | Varies by city, but the average is 7,5€ |
| Vienna Salzburg | 3.02% of total cost per person |
| Prague | Less than €1 |
| Varies by city | Varies by city, but the average is 1,33€ |
| Budapest | 4% extra per night depending on the room rate |
| Varies by city | Varies by city, but the average is 2,20€ |
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