It is a charge you see on every holiday and nobody ever explains. Here it is: no jargon, with the real figures from the municipal orders we verify for every destination in our catalogue.
What it is, briefly
The tourist tax (местен туристически данък) is a local charge, paid to the municipality, for each night of accommodation and each adult guest. It is not a platform commission and it is not something we keep — it goes entirely to the local budget. In Bulgaria the amount is set by each municipality, within national legal limits.
Who pays
Adults. Children are as a rule exempt or pay reduced rates — the exact rule depends on the municipality. In our tables the "applies to" column shows who is charged in each locality.
How much, concretely, in our destinations
Figures verified from municipal orders (not estimates), in force from 2026:
- Bansko: 1.17–2.35 leva (0.60–1.20 EUR) per adult per night, by star category.
- Borovets (Samokov municipality): 1.56 leva (0.80 EUR) per adult per night.
For a family of two adults, 7 nights in Borovets: 2 × 7 × 1.56 = 21.84 leva — about 11 EUR for the whole holiday. The tax is never the reason to give up on the house.
Why it appears as a separate line
Because it is a legal tax, not the host's income. We show it separately, with the destination's exact rate, in the price breakdown at booking — open any villa and see "Tourist tax" on its own row. No surprises at check-out: the sum you see is the sum you pay.
A whole house does not change the tax
An 8-person villa pays the tax for 8 adults (if all are adults), and nothing for children. A hotel "sleeping 8" would pay the same. The difference is that in a villa the rest of the price — the accommodation itself — divides by 8, and that is where you win.
The tax is calculated on nights actually spent. Leave a day early and you pay the nights you stayed — you do not need to ask for a refund, our system does it automatically.
What the municipality does with it
By law, tourist-tax revenue goes to the local budget for tourism and infrastructure: beach maintenance, marked trails, lighting, cleaning. It is your holiday's contribution to the place you enjoy it in.
Questions guests ask us
Do I pay at booking or on site? With us, everything — accommodation, taxes, cleaning — goes into the final price shown at check-out. Nothing in cash to the owner.
What if I am a Bulgarian resident? The tax applies to accommodation, not citizenship — Bulgarians on holiday pay it too.
Is it the highest in the EU? No. Many Italian, Spanish and Austrian cities charge higher per-night city taxes. Bulgaria usually sits in the lower half of the European range.
Any question about a bill or the tax on a specific villa — write to us and we will show you the calculation line by line.
