Are you planning to visit Barcelona anytime soon? Before you embark on your journey, make sure you account for a higher tourist charge that kicked in on April 1.
Tourists visiting the Spanish city now have to pay a city tax surcharge of €3.25 (C$4.76) per night per person.
According to the Municipal Institute of History of Barcelona, this tax was initially introduced in the summer of 2021, when it was just €0.75 (C$1.10) per night. It has since gone up by €2.5, rising three times.
Institut Municipal d’Hisenda de Barcelona
This surcharge is separate from the regional tax you must pay based on your accommodation type.
According to the Spanish publication The Olive Press, a night’s stay in an apartment will cost €2.25 (C$3.30) in regional tax. For five-star hotels, this increases to €3.5 (C$5.13) per night.
That means a Canadian visitor staying at an Airbnb apartment will pay €5.50 (C$8.06) per night. If they decide to stay at a five-star hotel, they’ll pay €6.75 (C$9.89) per night.
USA Today says cruise day-trippers must now pay €6.25 (C$9.16).
The publication also reported that the city has implemented this tax hike to “encourage quality tourism over big numbers.”
If you plan to stay in Barcelona for over a week, you won’t have to pay the tourist tax after seven days. But a week of tax still amounts to quite a bit of money.
Suppose a Canadian family of four visits Barcelona and spends a week in an apartment, the total tax they’d pay would be €154 (C$225.60).
If they feel fancy enough to stay at a five-star accommodation, they’ll pay €189 (C$276.87).
Are you still excited to go? The city is beautiful, so you will likely not regret the extra expenses.