The Barcelona tourist tax is a tax that tourists must pay for each night they stay in the city . This tax applies to all overnight stays in tourist establishments , including hotels, tourist apartments, campsites, and other similar accommodations.
Starting in October 2024, Barcelona City Council was implementing a €4 surcharge per night for stays in the city.
Starting in July 2025, Barcelona City Council has approved a progressive increase: the municipal surcharge will increase by one euro each year, rising from the current €4 to €5 in 2026, €6 in 2027, €7 in 2028, and up to €8 in 2029. This means that, combined with the regional rate, the total tourist tax could be between €10 and €15 for stays in hotels and premium accommodations, consolidating Barcelona's position as the city with the highest tourist tax in Europe. Furthermore, the regulations contemplate the possibility of adapting the surcharges according to city areas and establishment categories.
Content
After several months of dialogue, the Comuns spokesperson in the Catalan Parliament announced an agreement with the Catalan government to double the current surcharge from €4 to €8, with the aim of tourists paying between €10 and €15 by 2029. If this surcharge is ultimately implemented, Barcelona would become the city with the most expensive tourist tax in Europe.
To this city council surcharge, the general rate (the common rate in Catalonia) for each type of establishment must be added to determine the total tourist tax.
Currently, Barcelona's tourist tax is among the top five most expensive tourist taxes in Europe .
These fees and surcharges help finance the maintenance of tourist infrastructure and the promotion of the city as a tourist destination.
| Type of establishment (Barcelona city) | General rate (from 04/01/2023) | Surcharge from the Barcelona City Council (since October 2024) | Total rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5-star hotel, great luxury, luxury camping and establishment or equipment of equivalent category (EB1) | 3,50 € | 4,00 € | 7,50 € |
| 4-star and 4-star superior hotel, and establishment or equipment of equivalent category (EB2) | 1,70 € | 4,00 € | 5,70 € |
| Housing for tourist use (EB4) | 2,25 € | 4,00 € | 6,25 € |
| Rest of establishments and equipment (EB3) | 1,00 € | 4,00 € | 5,00 € |
| Cruise boat – More than 12 hours (CR1) | 2,00 € | 4,00 € | 6,00 € |
| Cruise boat – 12 hours or less (CR2) | 3,00 € | 4,00 € | 7,00 € |
Barcelona's tourist tax has several purposes, all focused on improving and maintaining the infrastructure and services related to tourism in the city. Some of the main uses of this rate include:
With this phased increase, five-star hotels and large accommodations will be able to charge up to €15 per night per person in 2029, while tourist apartments and other categories will see proportional increases. The tax ordinance approved in 2025 sets these maximums and forecasts that annual revenue from the tourist tax will exceed €200 million, primarily intended to finance sustainability projects, security, public services, and actions to reduce the impact of tourism in the busiest neighborhoods.
These funds ensure that Barcelona can remain an attractive and well-maintained destination for tourists, while improving the quality of life for its residents.
Starting in 2025, the City Council has announced the creation of a Tourism Return Fund, aimed at reversing the negative impact of tourism and improving the daily lives of residents in the most affected neighborhoods. Institutional campaigns also seek to raise visitor awareness about local culture, language, and respect for local traditions.
Try the Check-in Scan app
Stop using paper and take care of the environment with check-ins in the cloud.
The Barcelona City Council increased the surcharge from the current € € to € 4 per spell. This measure entered into force in October 2024 . In order to implement this proposal, both the Generalitat and the Parliament of Catalonia modified Law 5/2020 of fiscal and financial measures so that the amount of this surcharge could exceed the previous amount of € 3.25.
According to Jordi Valls , councilor and deputy mayor of Economy, Finance, Economic Promotion and Tourism of the Barcelona City Council, he has detailed that the city of Barcelona would go from collecting 95 million (75 million from the surcharge and 20 million from the Tax on stays in tourist establishments – IEETS) to 115 million euros .
The tourist tax is a tax applied by the Government of the Generalitat and managed by the Catalan tax agency. This tax falls directly on tourist accommodation and they in turn apply this surcharge to the price of the overnight stay , so the tourist tax will be included in the final price paid by the guest.
As we have already mentioned previously, each tourist accommodation must settle this fee before the Catalan Tax Agency .
This procedure must be done semi-annually and electronically . In each of the settlement windows, the tourist accommodation will have 20 days to complete the process .
The settlement and payment of the tourist tax continues to be carried out electronically every six months, maintaining the 20-business-day deadline. It is important that establishments monitor changes in rates and surcharges, as municipal regulations allow for adjustments in amounts and conditions according to the budgetary needs of the City Council and the Generalitat.
