Amsterdam tourist tax 2026: 12.5 percent plus 21 percent VAT
by RuinMyTrip Editorial · Aug 26, 2026
Amsterdam charges Europe's highest tourist tax at 12.5 percent of the net room rate, stacked on a 21 percent VAT that took effect 1 January 2026. The coalition plans 16 percent in 2027.
Amsterdam is no longer a cheap city that happens to have a canal tax. In 2026 the overnight bill is a 12.5 percent tourist tax, already the highest in Europe, stacked on Dutch VAT on hotel accommodation that jumped from 9 percent to 21 percent on 1 January 2026. On a 200 euro net room, the tourist tax is about 25 euros before VAT. Together they take roughly a third of the quoted rate.
What you pay in 2026
The tourist tax is 12.5 percent of the net room price, per night. It is a percentage, so it scales with the hotel. The VAT change is national, not an Amsterdam extra, but it lands on the same line. The new municipal coalition has said it plans to raise the tourist tax from 12.5 percent to 16 percent in 2027, and later toward 20 percent. That is a plan, not the current rate. Budget 12.5 percent plus 21 percent VAT now.
Why the city is doing this
Amsterdam logged 23.7 million overnight stays in 2025, about 800,000 more than 2024, while running the Stay Away campaign against stag-party search traffic. A citywide hotel bed freeze has been in effect since November 2024. From 1 April 2026, short-term holiday rentals in the city centre and De Pijp are capped at 15 nights a year. Ocean cruise dockings are capped at 100 per year from 2026. None of that reduced demand enough to drop the tax.
What else hits the same trip
Anne Frank House tickets are 16.50 euros for adults in 2026, 7 euros for ages 10-17, and they release every Tuesday at 10:00 Amsterdam time, six weeks ahead. Popular midday slots have been reported gone in two to three minutes. A GVB 24-hour transit ticket is 10 euros; OVpay GVB Max caps the day at 10.50 euros. Bike rental from a reputable shop is 12 to 18 euros a day, and the city estimates around 28,500 actual bike thefts a year.
The Amsterdam destination page and the Amsterdam 2026 guide cover Red Light District rules (100 euro outdoor cannabis fine, no photos of windows). Compare the tax against other cities in the 2026 tourist tax table.
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