Yes, Vienna International Airport (VIE) keeps enclosed indoor smoking rooms after security — unusual for the EU, where most airports have gone fully smoke-free. Austria was a late adopter of indoor smoking bans, and that history still shows at its main airport, where smokers can light up without leaving the secure area.
Vienna is one of a handful of European airports keeping indoor smoking rooms after security — see Zurich Airport’s many indoor smoking lounges after security and Munich Airport’s indoor smoking lounges after security.
VIE is a major Star Alliance hub and Austria’s busiest airport, so most travellers passing through will find a smoking option close to their gate. Departures at Vienna are organised by pier rather than by numbered terminal at the gate: Terminal 1 feeds the B, C and D gate clusters, while Terminal 3 (Check-in 3, the Austrian Airlines and Star Alliance hub) feeds the F and G piers. The enclosed smoking areas sit inside these piers after security, and Flughafen Wien AG lists each of them by gate in its official Vienna Airport Guide.
Smoking Rooms in the F-Pier (Terminal 3, Schengen)
The F gates are the easiest place to find a smoking room at Vienna. The airport’s own guide places the F-pier smoking area at gates F34 and F35, toward the far end of the pier. These are walk-in cubicle-style rooms with standing room and, in the larger booths, small tables. The F-pier is the most reliable bet if you are connecting through the Schengen side.
Smoking Rooms in the G-Pier (Terminal 3, Non-Schengen)
The G gates handle non-Schengen departures, reached through passport control, and keep their own smoking areas so you do not have to cross back through passport control to the Schengen side for a cigarette. The official guide places them near gate G16 and at the end of the pier near gate G32. If you are flying long-haul or outside the Schengen zone, head down the G-pier and look for the enclosed booth before you reach your gate.
Smoking Rooms Near the C and D Gates
The C and D clusters, fed from Terminal 1, have their own smoking options. The guide’s “You can smoke here” page lists smoking areas at the C gates and at the D gates, and marks the VIENNA Lounge separately as a place to smoke on the way to Gates C and D. The guide names the gate clusters rather than the exact cabins, so follow the smoking-area signage once you are in the right pier.
Lounge Smoking Facilities
Both airport-run lounges have a smoking spot of their own:
- VIENNA Lounge (paid): In Terminal 1, level 2, after security and in front of passport control, open daily 04:30–22:00, and recommended by the airport for departures from Gates C and D. Its facility list names a “Terrace with smokers area” and a “Spectacular view of the airfield”. Any passenger can pay in at the door — EUR 59 per person for a stay of up to three hours — and lounge memberships, selected credit cards and eligible tickets also give access.
- SKY Lounge (paid): In Terminal 3, level 2, after security and before passport control on the Schengen side, open daily 04:30–23:00, and recommended for departures from Gates F and G. The airport lists a “Smokers’ booth (in front of the Lounge)” among its facilities, so the smoking spot is right outside the lounge door. Entry is EUR 49 per person, with free or reduced admission on selected cards, memberships and tickets.
The airport’s lounge house rules state that “Smoking or vaporizing tobacco or liquids is only permitted in designated outdoor areas of the Vienna Lounge (Terminal 1)”, so the lounge interiors themselves are smoke-free. The free public smoking areas on the F and G piers stay open to everyone.
Landside (Before Security)
Landside, smoking is permitted outdoors only, in the open areas outside the terminal buildings — by the kerbside, drop-off zones and outside the arrivals doors. The indoor rooms are all airside, so if you are only meeting an arriving passenger you will smoke outside.
Vaping
E-cigarettes are allowed in the same marked smoking areas as tobacco. Flughafen Wien AG’s own conditions of use for the airport put vaping under the smoking rule: outside the marked smoking areas a general ban applies, and that ban covers electronic cigarettes and similar products. The lounge house rules use the same wording for vaporizing tobacco or liquids. Vaping is therefore not permitted in the general terminal, restaurants or gate seating — use the marked smoking areas.
Transit and Layovers
Because the smoking rooms are spread across the F, G, C and D piers airside, a layover at Vienna rarely means leaving security for a cigarette. Connecting passengers on the Schengen side should aim for the F-pier booths; those transferring to or from non-Schengen flights have the G-pier rooms after passport control. Give yourself a few minutes’ buffer — the rooms are not always next to your gate, and locations shift over time.
Summary
| Area | Smoking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor gate smoking areas (airside) | Yes | Gates C, Gates D, Gates F34/F35, Gates G16/G32 — the four listed in the official airport guide |
| Lounge smoking facilities | Yes | VIENNA Lounge terrace smokers area (T1, level 2); SKY Lounge smokers’ booth in front of the lounge (T3, level 2) — both paid |
| Landside | Yes | Outdoors only, outside the terminal buildings |
For Austria’s airport smoking rules and vaping law, see our Austria airport guide.