Tourist Taxes Start in Tomar and Esposende and Rise in Loures

If you are booking a night in Tomar, Esposende or Loures this winter, the bill is about to change. Tomar starts charging a tourist tax of €2 per person per night on 1 November 2026. Esposende introduces its own tax in late November. Loures, just north of Lisbon, raises its rate from €1.50 to €2.50 at about the same time.

All three changes come from municipal regulations published in the Diário da República (Portugal’s official gazette) in October 2026.

Loures: €2.50 a night from late November

The change in Loures is set out in Aviso n.º 26074/2026/2, published in the Diário da República on 21 October 2026 and reproduced on the council’s website. It amends the 2024 regulation to set the Taxa Municipal Turística (municipal tourist tax) at €2.50 per night, up from €1.50, and enters into force 30 days after publication, which puts the start at around 20 November.

• It applies to paid stays in hotels and other tourist accommodation, and in alojamento local (registered short-term lets), anywhere in the municipality, however the stay was booked.
• It is charged to every guest aged 13 or over, whatever their nationality or place of residence, for up to seven consecutive nights per stay. The maximum per guest per stay rises from €10.50 to €17.50.
• Under the amended rules, the tax is paid in full at check-in. Where the council has an agreement with a booking platform, it is due when you book through that platform.
• Exemptions include stays for medical treatment (plus one companion), guests with a disability rating of 60% or more (plus one companion), people displaced by eviction or housed by public social services, and people displaced from their countries by conflict.

The council’s justification cites continued growth in hotels and overnight stays in the municipality, helped by easy access to Lisbon airport and the nearby former Expo area.

Tomar: €2 a night from 1 November

Tomar’s first tourist tax regulation was published in the Diário da República on 26 October 2026. According to the Lusa news agency report carried by mediotejo.net, it applies all year round to guests aged 13 and over, for up to five consecutive nights per stay, so the most a guest pays for one stay is €10. It covers hotels, pousadas, short-term lets, rural tourism and campsites.

Lusa reports exemptions for under-13s, people with a disability rating of 60% or more (and up to two companions), former combatants, students in certain conditions, and people displaced for health reasons or social emergencies. Pilgrims travelling to the Fátima sanctuary, or on routes that cross the municipality, are exempt for the first night of each route with proof. The council expects about €300,000 a year and says the money will go only to tourism-related spending.

Esposende: €1.50 or €2, depending on the season

On the Minho coast, Esposende’s regulation was published in the Diário da República on 23 October 2026 and comes into force 30 days later, around 22 November. According to the Lusa report carried by Correio do Minho, the tax is €2 a night from 1 April to 30 September and €1.50 from 1 October to 31 March. It applies to guests aged 16 and over, for up to five consecutive nights, in all types of accommodation including campsites. Residents of the municipality are exempt, as are guests travelling for medical treatment (with one companion), people housed by public bodies in emergencies, and asylum seekers and refugees.

What it means for your trip

For most visitors the sums are small, but they add up for families and longer stays. Check whether the tax is included in your booking price or charged separately on arrival. In Loures, the amended rules make check-in the payment point. Keep the receipt if you are claiming an exemption, as all three councils require proof.

More news is in our News section, and our Guides cover the practical side of travel in Portugal.

Sources3 sources

Sources

1. Município de Loures: Aviso n.º 26074/2026/2, Diário da República, 2.ª série, n.º 204, 21 October 2026 (PDF), consulted 2026-10-30
2. mediotejo.net / Lusa: Tomar começa a cobrar taxa turística de dois euros por dormida em novembro (26 October 2026), consulted 2026-10-30
3. Correio do Minho / Lusa: Município de Esposende começa a cobrar taxa turística dentro de 30 dias (23 October 2026), consulted 2026-10-30