Tourist tax in check: Germany's most expensive beach costs around 10 euros

Whether on the North Sea , in the mountains, or in historic old towns – anyone traveling in Germany often pays a so-called tourist tax or bed tax. These fees finance the tourist infrastructure and vary greatly depending on the region. This year in particular, there have been many adjustments, as an analysis by the travel platform "Holidaycheck" shows.

The booking portal examined tourist taxes and bed taxes in over 360 German municipalities and analyzed their development compared to the previous year. Only taxes levied on overnight stays were taken into account, not day visits.

We show where costs are rising, which holiday resorts charge the highest taxes, which is the most expensive beach in Germany and where you can still get cheap holidays.

Tourist taxes remain particularly high on the North Sea coast. At the beginning of the year, it seemed as if Spiekeroog would be the leader, with €5.50 per night per adult during the peak season between March and October.

In May, however, the small town of Dorum-Neufeld on the North Sea coast between Cuxhaven and Bremerhaven catapulted itself to the top – or more precisely, the town's popular grassy beach. Here, in addition to the usual €3.40, overnight guests are charged an additional €6.50 for beach use. That makes a total of €9.90 per night . Day visitors pay €10.50 . The town explained to NDR that the decision was based on high running costs – the adjacent swimming pool, in particular, is very expensive. Many beachgoers, however, don't even want to use it.

In the Hessian state capital of Wiesbaden and the municipality of Hürtgenwald in North Rhine-Westphalia, prices exceed €5. Other high-priced locations include:

• Langeoog: 4.95 euros
• Wangerooge and Norderney: 4.90 euros
• Juist and Borkum: 4.80 euros
• Zinnowitz (Usedom Island): 4.20 euros
• Cuxhaven: 4.10 euros
• Hamburg, Sankt Peter-Ording, Bad Salzuflen, Bad Kissingen, Hanover: 4 euros

Overnight stays on Langeoog become significantly more expensive during the high season.

Source: IMAGO/Dreamstime

Considering the increase in tourist tax, it will be expensive in 2025, as in some municipalities it will rise significantly:

• Bad Münstereifel: from 1 to 3 euros (+200 percent)
• Beach Dorum-Neufeld: from 3.40 to 9.90 euros (+191 percent)
• Bad Doberan: from 1 to 2.50 euros (+150 percent)
• Bad Herrenalb and Wustrow: Doubling: from 1.50 to 3 euros and from 1.20 to 2.40 euros respectively (+100 percent)
• Koserow (Usedom Island): from 2 to 3.65 euros (+82.5 percent)

The increase is attributed to higher costs for infrastructure and services.

Bad Münstereifel is significantly increasing the prices of the tourism tax.

Source: IMAGO/Dreamstime

Larger cities often rely on a percentage tax that increases with the overnight price. This means that the more expensive the room, the higher the tax. It is particularly expensive in:

• Berlin : 2025 increase from 5 percent to 7.5 percent of the net price
• Dortmund and Flensburg: also 7.5 percent
• Hamburg : 4 euros for 200 euros of accommodation costs, plus 1 euro for every additional 50 euros

According to the cities and towns, the tourist tax is used to finance tourism infrastructure and improve the vacation experience. It is intended to contribute to the maintenance of beaches, hiking trails, and parks, promote cultural events, and often enable free or discounted offers such as museum admission or public transport tickets. It is also increasingly being used for climate protection projects.

The good news for thrifty travelers: In most regions, the tourist tax remains moderate. According to the analysis, there were no adjustments in 2025 in over 200 locations examined, for example, on the popular North Sea island of Sylt:

• Wenningstedt-Braderup: 3 euros
• List: 3.30 euros (+ 10 percent)
• Municipality of Sylt: 3.70 euros
• Hörnum: 3.70 euros
• Kampen: 3.70 euros
• Rantum: 3.90 euros
• Westerland: 3.90 euros

If you want to save on the tourist tax, you should either choose cheaper accommodation, travel outside of peak season, or vacation in the following locations.

Tourist tax:

• Lindenfels in the Odenwald ( Hesse ): 0.25 euros
• Kassel (Hesse): 0.50 euros
• Eckenhagen, municipality of Reichshof ( North Rhine-Westphalia ): 0.77 euros
• Lörrach ( Baden-Württemberg ), Wolfegg (Baden-Württemberg), Grasellenbach (Hesse), Nümbrecht (North Rhine-Westphalia): 0.80 euros

Bed tax (depending on the overnight price):

• Damp (Schleswig-Holstein): 1.50 percent
• Darmstadt (Hesse): 2 percent
• Trier (Rhineland-Palatinate): 3.50 percent
• Ringsheim (Baden-Württemberg): 4 percent
• Lüneburg (Lower Saxony): 4 percent

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