The doubling of the municipal surcharge applies from April 1 in the Catalan capital. Depending on the category of accommodation, tourists can pay up to 15 euros more per night.
From April 1, staying in Barcelona will cost more for tourists. In question, the increase in the tourist tax on the one hand (now between 1 and 7 € depending on the category of accommodation) and in the municipal tax on the other hand (which increases from 4 to 8 €). Applicable to stays in hotels, youth hostels and short-term rentals, they can, combined, represent up to €15 per night per person.
The measure was announced in March 2025 but was approved by the Catalan parliament only a few weeks ago. The Barcelona city council voted in favor of an increase in the municipal tax of one euro per year until 2029. Objective: to fight against the housing crisis. Residents regularly demonstrate against the increase in rents which are partly attributable, according to them, to the growing number of seasonal rentals such as Airbnb.
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Up to €11 per day for cruise passengers
In a four-star hotel – which represents almost half of the local hotel supply – a two-night stay for a couple could cost up to 45 euros more. Passengers on cruise ships must also pay these taxes: they will pay 12 € (instead of 8 €) if they disembark more than twelve hours or 14 € (instead of 11 €) if they stay less than twelve hours. An exception remains for a category of accommodation: hostels registered in the Registry of Youth Hostels of the Generality of Catalonia, for which the fees remain at €1.
With these new rules, the autonomous region of Catalonia hopes to collect 200 million per year. On its website, the Catalan government specifies that “25% of tourist tax revenues will be allocated to the Generality’s housing policies, while 75% will be integrated into the Tourism Promotion Fund, [notamment] to housing policies [et aux] economic promotion policies.»
