Rome or Florence: what the tourist tax costs you

For the same kind of hotel, Rome and Florence charge within a euro of each other, 7.50 against 7.00 euro per person a night in a 4-star, but Rome charges up to 10 nights and Florence stops at 7, so the longer you stay the more the gap grows; Rome is level or higher in every hotel category.

The two rate tables, category by category

Hostels are the one line where Florence is dearer. Everywhere else Rome is level or higher, and at the top end it's 2.00 euro a night more.

The cap on nights is what changes the bill

Rome charges its contribution for up to 10 consecutive nights in the same property; Florence stops at 7. On a short stay the difference is a coffee, and on a long one it's a dinner.

Take one person in a 4-star. Over 3 nights you pay 22.50 euro in Rome and 21.00 euro in Florence. Over 10 nights you pay 75.00 euro in Rome, because every night counts, and 49.00 euro in Florence, because nights eight to ten are free. That's our arithmetic from the published rates, not a figure either city publishes.

If you're splitting a long trip between the two, the cap argues for doing your long stretch in Florence.

Rome's table dates from 2023, Florence's from 2025

Rome's rates were set by the Giunta Capitolina on July 17, 2023 and applied from October 1, 2023. Florence's were redetermined by Giunta deliberation no. 535² of December 10, 2024 and took effect on February 1, 2025.

Florence's 2025 change was narrow: it raised by 0.50 euro only the rates for B&Bs, rooms for rent and tourist rentals, the kind of accommodation that works like a private home. Hotels kept their previous rates.

One correction worth knowing if you've read guides online: several list Rome's 4-star rate as 7.00 euro. The official PDF says 7.50 euro, and that's the figure used here.

Who doesn't pay in Florence

Florence exempts children under 12, students of the University of Florence, day hospital patients, up to two companions per inpatient, police and civil protection staff on duty, and the property's own staff when they sleep there for work.

For families that first line is the one that matters: two children under 12 pay nothing in Florence. Rome has exemptions too, but we couldn't verify their details on the city's own documents, so we don't list them here.

Why the rates can go above 5 euro

The tourist tax is set by each municipality under article 4 of legislative decree no. 23 of March 14, 2011, with an ordinary ceiling of 5 euro a night. The law lets that ceiling be raised for municipalities where tourist presences far exceed the resident population.

That's the legal room behind Rome's 10.00 euro and Florence's 8.00 euro at the top of their tables. Both cities are using it.

The charges that aren't the tourist tax

Rome has added a separate charge at one monument: since February 2, 2026, entering the basin area of the Trevi Fountain costs 2 euro for tourists and non-residents. It's a ticket, not a tax, and it's covered on Trevi Fountain access.

Florence has gone the other way, restricting supply rather than charging. Since May 31, 2025 no new short-term tourist rentals can open in the UNESCO area, and on June 4, 2026 the city council extended the limits to more districts and set a minimum floor area of 28 sq m, with fines from 1,000⁶ to 10,000⁶ euro.

What to budget

Budget for Rome at up to 10 nights and for Florence at up to 7, at the rate of your category, times the number of people over 12 in Florence. The tax won't decide between the two cities, but it's worth knowing before you book.

For the rules in other cities, see the tourist tax in Italy, and for where to sleep in each city, where to stay in Rome and where to stay in Florence.

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