The bill at the end
What the rate you booked does not include
Three euros a night, per person, collected separately. It is small, it is legitimate, and it surprises people at check-out because almost no booking site shows it.
Porto charges a municipal tourist tax — the taxa municipal turistica — on every paid night in a hotel, guesthouse or licensed short-term rental inside the municipality. It is a city charge, not a hotel one, and the property collects it on the council's behalf.
The numbers
- EUR 3.00 per person, per night. Raised from EUR 2.00 on 1 December 2024.
- Capped at seven consecutive nights per person, per stay. Night eight onwards is free.
- Children aged 12 and under do not pay.
- Also exempt: stays for medical treatment and up to two companions, and people with a disability or incapacity of 60% or more and up to two companions. Documentation is required.
- Paid at the property, usually at check-in or check-out, by card or cash. It is not part of your booking payment.
For two adults on four nights, that is EUR 24 added to a bill you thought was settled. It is not a large sum and it is not a scam — but it is real money that does not appear in any price comparison, and it is worth knowing before you stand at a desk being asked for it.
Vila Nova de Gaia is a different municipality and charges its own city tax. It went up to the same EUR 3.00 per person per night on 21 August 2026, also capped at seven consecutive nights — but the age at which a guest starts paying is set separately from Porto's, so a family bill is not necessarily the same on both banks. Ask the property.
The other things not in the rate
The tax is the one everybody meets. Three others turn up often enough to plan for.
- Parking. Rarely included, and charged per night where a hotel has a garage at all. In the restricted streets of the old centre there is often no cheaper alternative to accept instead.
- Breakfast. Commonly excluded from the headline rate in Porto and priced per person. A pastelaria on the same street will do it better and for less.
- Cleaning fees on apartments. A one-off charge, so the shorter the stay the more it distorts the nightly price you compared. It is usually shown at the very last step of a booking flow, after you have chosen.
Tourist tax
What people ask about the Porto city tax
How much is the tourist tax in Porto?
EUR 3.00 per person per night, since 1 December 2024, for a maximum of seven consecutive nights per person per stay.
Do children pay the Porto tourist tax?
No. Children and young people aged 12 or under are exempt.
Is the tourist tax included in my booking?
Almost never. It is collected by the property itself, usually at check-in or check-out, and it does not appear in the rate you compared on a booking site.
Does Vila Nova de Gaia charge the same tourist tax as Porto?
Gaia is a separate municipality with its own city tax. Since 21 August 2026 it is also EUR 3.00 per person per night, capped at seven consecutive nights, but the age at which a guest becomes liable is set separately from Porto's.
What happens after seven nights?
Nothing more is charged. The tax is capped at seven consecutive nights per person per stay, so a two-week trip costs the same in tax as a one-week one.
Practical Porto