Edinburgh Tourist Tax Starts 24 July 2026. What You'll Pay

Edinburgh will become the first UK city to charge a tourist tax when its visitor levy launches on 24 July 2026. The scheme adds 5% to accommodation costs, capped at seven nights, and applies to bookings made on or after 1 October 2025.

How the Levy Works

The Edinburgh Visitor Levy applies to all paid accommodation within the city boundary. This includes hotels, guest houses, B&Bs, serviced apartments, and short-term lets. The charge is calculated on the gross booking cost, excluding VAT.

| Stay Length | Levy Applied |

|-------------|--------------|

| 1 night | 5% of room rate |

| 7 nights | 5% of total |

| 14 nights | 5% of first 7 nights only |

The cap at seven nights means long-stay visitors and business travellers on extended assignments pay no more than a week of charges.

When It Applies

The key date is the booking date, not the stay date. Any reservation made on or after 1 October 2025 for a stay after 24 July 2026 will include the levy. This means some travellers will pay the charge for stays in late 2025 if they booked early.

Accommodation providers collect the levy at checkout and remit it to the council. It appears as a separate line item on receipts, similar to resort fees in the United States.

Why Edinburgh, Why Now

Edinburgh receives over four million visitors annually. The city argues it bears infrastructure costs from tourism, including street cleaning, public transport pressure, and heritage site maintenance. The levy is expected to raise around £50 million per year for council services.

Other UK cities are watching closely. Manchester has explored a similar scheme. London politicians have debated the idea for years. If Edinburgh's implementation runs smoothly, expect other destinations to follow.

How to Avoid or Minimise It

You cannot avoid the levy if you stay in Edinburgh. The only exemption is for accommodation outside the city boundary. Leith, while culturally part of Edinburgh, falls within the charge zone. Travellers would need to look to Musselburgh, South Queensferry, or Livingston to escape it entirely.

For short stays, the cost is modest. A £150 hotel night adds £7.50. A week at £1,000 adds £50. The real impact is psychological. The UK has never had tourist taxes, and British travellers in particular may bristle at an unexpected add-on.

What This Means for Your 2026 Plans

If you are visiting Edinburgh for the Festival in August, the levy applies. If you are booking a Hogmanay trip for December 2026, it applies. Early bookers who reserved before 1 October 2025 escape the charge, but most future visitors will pay it.

The precedent matters more than the money. Once established, tourist taxes rarely disappear. Edinburgh is betting visitors will absorb the cost without changing behaviour. Time will tell if that holds true.

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**Sources**

- [Edinburgh Visitor Levy introduction](https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/visitor-levy/), City of Edinburgh Council

- [Visitor levy legislation](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2024/10), Scottish Parliament

- [Tourism statistics Edinburgh](https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/file/26356/edinburgh-by-numbers-2023), City of Edinburgh Council