An increasing number of European destinations are charging visitors a nightly fee, in addition to accommodation and attraction costs.
Venice is currently trialling a €5 entry fee for visitors to the city during daytime hours, plus additional costs for tourists staying in Venice overnight.
Holidaymakers visiting Paris pay up to €14.95 per night, while there is an additional 5% charge on room fees in Berlin.
Travel insurance experts at Quotezone.co.uk have researched the cost of tourist fees for the most popular countries in Europe. The website said that travellers need to incorporate additional costs into their holiday budget ahead of their spring and summer trips.
Tiffany Mealiff, travel insurance expert at Quotezone.co.uk, said: “The new and increasing tourist fees across Europe allow cities to fund measures to attract more holidaymakers, support the local infrastructure and businesses, as well as preventing damages from overtourism.
“If you’re taking a trip to any city in Europe this year, you must be aware of the potential additional costs to your holiday – which are often not obvious beforehand and normally due for payment when you check out of your accommodation. Tourism taxes range anywhere between less than €1 to almost €15 and can be charged per person, per night.
“Many fees are based on the hotel rating or the type of accommodation, and charges vary from city to city depending on whether individuals are charged each night or for the whole trip.
“A recent Quotezone survey showed 45% said they don’t plan for hidden or additional expenses on holiday, so it’s important to check before you travel to avoid any expensive surprises.”
European tourist taxes
Venice
Tourists visiting Venice for the day will have to pay a €5 entry fee to enter the city between the hours of 8.30am and 4.00pm. The scheme is currently going through a trial period, but it is expected to come fully into force in 2025.
Currently, anyone staying overnight in Venice on holiday is charged a fee an additional €1-5 on top of their accommodation price.
Manchester
The UK city introduced a £1 per room per night tourist tax across 73 hotels in order to fund improvement measures to attract more tourists. The scheme has currently raised more than £2m in a year to pay for street cleaning and marketing campaigns.
Barcelona
The Spanish city recently hiked its existing tourist fee from €2.75 to €3.25 for those staying in official accommodation.
Lisbon
The Portuguese capital enforces a €2 fee per person per night for a maximum of seven nights.
Athens
The Greek government’s Climate Crisis Resilience Fee charges tourists anywhere from €0.50 to €10 per room per night, depending on the hotel category and the time of year.
Dubrovnik
Visitors to the Croatian city must pay €2.65 per person per night throughout April to September. The Croatian government has temporarily reduced this fee to €1.86 for the rest of this year.
Paris
The French Government charges visitors a tourist tax depending on the type of accommodation. The most expensive charge is €14.95 for a stay in palaces, and €0.65 at one or two star campsites, per person per night. Those staying in a typical four-star hotel are charged about €8.
Prague
For visitors to Prague, tourist tax has increased from 21 CZK to 50 CZK each day (roughly €0.82 to €1.97).
Budapest
Tourists staying in the Hungarian capital are charged an additional 4% each night, which is calculated based on the price of the room.
Berlin
Berlin increased its city tax recently. Tourists must now pay 5% of the room price, excluding VAT and service fees.
