By Elena Garcia, airport editor
Yes, you can smoke at Barcelona Airport after security, and that makes BCN friendlier to smokers than most big European hubs. The airport keeps open-air smoking courtyards in the boarding areas: two in Terminal 1 (the north and south courtyards on floor 1) and one terrace in Terminal 2, also on floor 1. Indoors, smoking and vaping are banned everywhere by Spanish law, so the choice is simple: the marked terraces airside, or the open air outside the terminal doors before you check in.
Smoking areas at Barcelona Airport at a glance
| Where | Location | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| T1 north courtyard | Boarding area, floor 1 | Open-air terrace, bar service nearby |
| T1 south courtyard | Boarding area, floor 1 | Open-air terrace; one T1 terrace adds a pet area with a water fountain |
| T2 terrace | Boarding area, floor 1 | Open-air terrace with a restaurant and pet space |
| Before security | Outside the terminal doors | Open air, landside; the only option if you have not checked in yet |
All three airside spots are genuine open-air courtyards rather than the glass smoking boxes some airports use, and they double as fresh-air breaks even for non-smokers: each sits next to a restaurant or bar, and the pet areas make them the designated stop for passengers flying with animals.
Where exactly is the smoking area in Terminal 1?
After you pass security in T1, follow the signs for the terrace: the courtyards sit on floor 1 of the boarding area, one on the north side and one on the south side, so whichever pier your gate is on, one of them is reasonably close. Practical detail that catches people out: the courtyards are open to the sky, which is wonderful in May and less wonderful in a January downpour, so keep a layer handy in winter. Grab your coffee from the bar before you step out; you can take it with you.
And in Terminal 2?
Terminal 2 has one open-air terrace on floor 1 of the boarding area, with a restaurant and a space for pets. T2 is the low-cost terminal, and its terrace is correspondingly simpler than the T1 courtyards, but it does the job. If you are landside in T2, the only legal option is outside the building entrances; allow time to come back through security afterwards, since T2's security lines move slower than T1's at peak departure waves.
Can I vape at Barcelona Airport?
The same rules apply to e-cigarettes as to tobacco. Spanish law treats vaping in enclosed public spaces the way it treats smoking, and the airport enforces it: no vaping in the terminals, lounges or toilets, smoke detectors included. Use the same terraces and courtyards. One packing note for the flight itself: vape devices and spare batteries must travel in your cabin bag, never in checked luggage, and airlines ban using or charging them on board.
Timing your smoke break around a flight
Because the smoking spots are airside, you do not need to plan the desperate pre-security cigarette and the sprint that follows. A workable rhythm for a departure: check in, clear security, walk to your gate first to confirm it, then double back to the nearest courtyard with time in hand. On a layover in Barcelona the terraces are the easiest fresh-air stop that does not cost you a trip back through the checkpoints. Arriving passengers are the exception: there is no smoking area in the baggage-claim flow, so the first legal cigarette after landing is outside the arrivals doors.
Buying tobacco on the way is easy: the airport keeps tobacconist counters among the shops at BCN, and duty-free carries cartons for non-EU departures. Prices inside the airport run higher than a city estanco, so stock up in town if you can.
Fines are real
Lighting up in a toilet cubicle or a quiet corner of the pier is the expensive shortcut. Spanish anti-smoking law backs the airport's rules with fines, smoke detectors are sensitive, and staff do act on them. With three legal open-air spots past security, BCN is one of the few large EU airports where breaking the rule is genuinely unnecessary.
FAQ
Can you smoke at Barcelona Airport after security?
Yes. There are open-air smoking courtyards in the boarding areas: two in Terminal 1 (north and south, floor 1) and one terrace in Terminal 2. Indoors, smoking is banned everywhere.
Is there a smoking area at arrivals?
No. Arriving passengers can first smoke outside the terminal doors after exiting baggage claim. The airside terraces belong to the departures flow.
Can I vape inside the terminal at BCN?
No. Spanish law treats vaping in enclosed public spaces like smoking. Use the same outdoor terraces and courtyards, and carry your device in cabin baggage only.
Are the smoking areas open at night?
The courtyards are open-air parts of the boarding areas and follow terminal operations, so they are accessible whenever your departure area is. Bar service next to them keeps shorter hours.
About the author
Elena Garcia is the airport editor for barcelona-bcn-international-airport.com. She checks this guide against Aena's official service pages for Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport.
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