Anyone who’s been to Barcelona will know why it’s one of the most visited cities not just in Spain, but on the planet. However, the Catalan capital has also been in the spotlight over the last couple of years due to some of the largest anti-tourism protests seen across Europe in the summer of 2025.
The problem? Barcelona is suffering a housing and affordability crisis. In late 2024, the city announced its plans to ban all holiday apartments by 2028. And now, tourists will have to cough up the cash to stay overnight in the city.
According to Travel Tomorrow, visitors to Barcelona will have to pay double the current tourist tax for overnight stays. The new levies will be implemented in April, in a bid to reduce tourist numbers before the busy summer season.
Under the new regulations, levies on overnight stays in short-term holiday apartments will jump from €6.25 to a maximum of €12.50 per night.
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While a lot of local discontent is about the proliferation of holiday apartments, hotel levies will see the steepest increase. Those staying in hotels will reportedly have to pay between €10-15, depending on the accommodation’s star rating, which is up from €5-7.50.
To break that down, a two-night stay in a typical four-star hotel will mean €45.60 on top of your bill for tax – that’s €11.40 per person, per night. In a five-star hotel, the nightly levy per person will be €15.
Overall visitor numbers to Barcelona reached 15.8 million in 2025, and it’s this staggering number that has contributed to a strain on housing costs. However, Manel Casals, who represents the city’s hoteliers, said: ‘One day they will kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.’
Environmentalists have also expressed concern about the fees, as cruise passengers won’t face an increase. The tax for those on cruise ships is set to stay at €6 per night.
So what’s going to be done with the extra income? The ‘Tourism Reinvestment Fund’ launching this year will earn the city around €100 million, and is earmarked to go towards improvements in public transport, security, and sustainability initiatives in communities where there’s high tourism footfall.
It’s definitely an interesting time to visit Barcelona. If you’re headed there soon, keep an eye on this page for updates. Alternatively, you could go to one of these underrated European cities instead.
📍 Check out the best things to do in Barcelona in 2026.
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