Port of Vigo harbor at misty dusk with cranes and reflections, Galicia, Spain, May 2023 · Sergei Gussev · CC BY 2.0 · cropped
Vigo City Council gave definitive approval on September 7, 2026 to a tourist tax that takes effect on October 1, 2026, adding a nightly surcharge of 0.80 euros to 2 euros per person depending on accommodation type, according to Demócrata reporting on the plenary vote.
The practical decision is small but immediate: budget up to 2 euros per person per night for Vigo stays starting October 1, and check your hotel category before arrival. Visitors planning wider Galicia travel can use Things to Do in Vigo Cruise Port Guide to organise port, old town and estuary time around the new charge.
- What changed: Vigo plenary definitively approved a tourist tax on September 7, 2026.
- Effective date: October 1, 2026, applied gradually from that day.
- Cost: 0.80 euros to 2 euros per person per night by accommodation type.
- Phase rule: Only the first two nights taxed until July 1, 2027, then up to five nights per visit.
Rates by Accommodation Type
Guests in five star hotels in normal and superior categories, and in four star superior hotels, pay the top rate of 1.82 euros plus VAT, which totals 2 euros per overnight stay, as set in the ordinance approved by the Vigo plenary and reported by Demócrata. Guests in standard four star hotels and three star hotels pay 1.46 euros plus VAT, which totals 1.60 euros per night under the same ordinance.
Other hotels and guesthouses carry a fee of 1.09 euros plus VAT, which totals 1.20 euros per night. Tourist rental homes pay 1.46 euros plus VAT, which totals 1.60 euros per night. Hostels, campsites, rural tourism accommodation, apartments and tourist homes carry a surcharge of 0.73 euros plus VAT, which totals 0.80 euros per night. Travel Tomorrow reporting on the measure describes the same structure, with visitors paying up to 2 euros per person per night depending on where they stay.
What You Pay in the First Year
From October 1, 2026 until July 1, 2027, no surcharge applies to the third, fourth and fifth night of a stay, so a visitor staying four or five nights pays the tax only on the first two nights. A four night stay in a five star hotel therefore adds 4 euros per person in tax during this phase, not 8 euros, because nights three and four carry zero surcharge.
From July 1, 2027, the ordinance sets a maximum of five taxed overnight stays per visit, so a seven night stay is taxed on five nights at most. A seven night stay in a hostel in July 2027 therefore adds at most 4 euros per person, at 0.80 euros across five nights, with nights six and seven untaxed.
Cruise Stays Join in July 2027
A specific tax of 1.20 euros per person per night applies to stays on tourist cruise boats, but this category does not come into effect until July 1, 2027, under the ordinance reported by Demócrata. Cruise passengers visiting Vigo in October 2026 do not pay this charge, a timing point that matters because some early summaries describe cruise inclusion without dating it.
Travel Tomorrow reporting confirms the same phased design, noting that cruise passengers are included only from July 2027 while overnight land stays are taxed from October 2026. The phased approach is presented as a transition measure to give tourists and the local tourism sector time to adjust.
Exemptions and Zero Surcharge Cases
Stays motivated by health reasons, for both the patient and companions, are exempt, as are stays by federated athletes attending competitions and stays arising from force majeure situations managed through municipal social services. Minors are exempt, as are persons with a disability rated at 65 percent or higher, stays financed by social programs of any public administration, overnight stays in Xunta public hostels integrated into the Xacobeo Plan, and stays in youth hostels.
Finance councilor Jaime Aneiros defended the charge in the plenary as the cheapest among cities on the Atlantic facade and below the charges applied by cities such as A Coruña or Santiago, calling it balanced and proportionate and noting its progressive implementation. Aneiros said collection will reinforce Vigo tourist promotion and that the measure was announced in advance so operators and the Port Authority could adapt planning.
Opposition councilors objected. Patricia García of the PP said the ordinance lacked consensus with the sector and pursued a revenue raising purpose, while Xabier Pérez Igrexas of the BNG called it a cut down measure that did not reach the legal maximum.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Stay in a Vigo five star hotel from October 1 | Add 2 euros per person per night for the first two nights of the visit. |
| Stay in a hostel, campsite or rural lodging | Add 0.80 euros per person per night for the first two nights until July 1, 2027. |
| Stay four or five nights before July 2027 | Pay the tax on nights one and two only; nights three to five carry zero surcharge. |
| Sleep aboard a tourist cruise boat in Vigo | Pay nothing until July 1, 2027, when the 1.20 euro nightly rate begins. |
How to Budget the Tax
Check whether your hotel includes the tax in the upfront price or collects it at check in, because practice varies by property and some hotels add it on arrival in cash or by card. For a two night October stay for two adults in a standard four star hotel, set aside 6.40 euros total, at 1.60 euros per person across two taxed nights.
Keep the exemption documents with you if you claim one, such as health related proof, federation credentials for athletes, or social program paperwork, since exempt status depends on the reason for the stay rather than the booking channel. Families should note that minors are exempt while accompanying adults pay the rate for their accommodation type.
October 1, 2026 is the payment gate. From this date, add the nightly rate for your accommodation type to every Vigo budget, limited to the first two nights per visit.
July 1, 2027 is the expansion gate. From this date, the tax reaches five nights per visit and cruise boat stays begin at 1.20 euros per night.
Booking confirmation is the check gate. Before paying, confirm with the property whether the tax is included or due at check in.
How much is the Vigo tourist tax?
From 0.80 euros to 2 euros per person per night depending on accommodation type, with five star and four star superior hotels at 2 euros and hostels, campsites and rural lodging at 0.80 euros.
When does the Vigo tourist tax start?
October 1, 2026 for overnight land stays, following definitive plenary approval on September 7, 2026; cruise boat stays begin July 1, 2027.
How many nights are taxed per visit?
Only the first two nights until July 1, 2027, then a maximum of five taxed nights per visit from that date.
Who is exempt from the Vigo tourist tax?
Minors, health related stays for patients and companions, federated athletes at competitions, force majeure cases through social services, persons with disability of 65 percent or more, social program funded stays, Xunta Xacobeo public hostel stays and youth hostel stays.
