Europe tightens tourist rules
Italy, Spain and Portugal have rolled out new entry restrictions, higher tourist taxes and stepped‑up border checks aimed at curbing overtourism — changes are especially heavy in Barcelona and major Italian cities (travelandtourworld.com). Spain specifically confirmed a tourist tax rise under a new law effective in 2026, and Easter travelers should expect restricted store hours, limited public transport and curtailed entertainment in some regions (euroweeklynews.com) (visitukraine.today).
Spain’s new national law was published and confirmed on March 23, 2026, giving regions wider powers to raise visitor levies and local surcharges. (euroweeklynews.com) (euroweeklynews.com) Catalonia will apply a stepped accommodation tax from April 2026 with Barcelona set at a maximum €4.50 per night through March 2027 and scheduled to rise to €6 per night after that. (idealista.com) (idealista.com) Semana Santa in Catalonia runs from March 29 to April 6, 2026, with Good Friday (April 3) and Easter Monday (April 6) treated as public holidays that shorten shop and attraction opening hours. (lisbonexplorers.com) (lisbonexplorers.com) Barcelona’s transit operator publishes special holiday timetables and has warned of reduced metro and bus services during major public-holiday periods, prompting organizers to advise checking TMB schedules. (tmb.cat) (tmb.cat) Italy will have the EU Entry/Exit System covering all airports and ports by April 2026, increasing biometric passport checks and automated recording of non‑EU arrivals and exits. (tourissimo.travel) (tourissimo.travel) A draft Milan decree from January 2026 permits Italian municipalities to allocate part of tourist-tax revenue to CCTV and crowd‑management measures in city centres. (visahq.com) (visahq.com) Several Italian destinations — including Rome, Milan, Venice, Verona and parts of the Amalfi Coast — have revised city or landmark fees for 2026, with some historic sites introducing paid-entry controls to manage visitor flows. (idealista.it) (idealista.it) Portugal has delayed full biometric passport checks until September 2026 while rolling out pre‑enrol fingerprinting at Lisbon, Porto and Faro to reduce queues, and its 2026 State Budget proposes a National Unit for Foreigners and Borders within the PSP to tighten controls. (portugalpost.com) (theportugalpost.com)
