Yes, you can smoke at Sofia Airport (SOF) after security — Terminal 2 has a free half-open smoking area down by gates B1-B4, plus the indoor smoking section in the Aspire Business Lounge and the Primeclass Lounge’s open-air terrace, and there are designated outdoor smoking areas outside both terminal buildings. Terminal 1 has no smoking after security.
Sofia Airport is Bulgaria’s main gateway, built around two passenger terminals about a kilometre apart. Most international and full-service carriers use the larger Terminal 2, which is where every airside smoking option is located; Terminal 1 is used mainly by low-cost and charter airlines and keeps its smokers outdoors. If smoking during your wait matters, Terminal 2 is the terminal you want.
Terminal 2 — Airside Smoking
Aspire Business Lounge (Level 0). Reached by stairs, escalator, or lift one level down after passport control, the Swissport-run Aspire Lounge has a designated indoor smoking section that takes up roughly half the floor — a full-service seating area rather than a sealed booth. Walk-in entry is around €30, and it is complimentary with Priority Pass, DragonPass, or an eligible business-class ticket. Travellers who used the lounge in early 2026 describe the indoor room as signed for heated tobacco and e-cigarettes, so cigarette smokers should confirm on arrival.
Primeclass Lounge (open-air terrace). Opened in March 2026, this 990 m² TAV-operated lounge pairs a 540 m² interior with a panoramic terrace overlooking the aircraft stands, and the terrace carries a designated smoking area. It seats up to 222 travellers and admits passengers on any airline through the main lounge-membership programmes, typically opening a couple of hours before the first departure. The interior itself is smoke-free; smoking is on the terrace only, which makes it the more comfortable option in good weather.
Free smoking area near Gates B1-B4. Terminal 2 also has a free designated smoking area that needs no lounge pass: head downstairs towards gates B1-B4 and follow the signage. It is a half-open space, so fresh air comes through, with views over the apron, and travellers use it for vapes as well as cigarettes. A member of our Airport Smoking community photographed it in July 2026:
The free half-open smoking area by gates B1-B4 in Terminal 2, overlooking the apron — traveller-contributed photo, July 2026
Away from the lounges and the B-gates smoking area, the rest of the Terminal 2 concourse and gates are smoke-free.
Terminal 1 — Airside Smoking
Terminal 1 handles mostly low-cost and seasonal flights and has no airside smoking area. Once you clear security here you cannot smoke again until you return to the designated outdoor spot outside the building, so plan a final cigarette before you pass the checkpoint.
Landside & Vaping
Landside: Smoke at the designated areas outside the Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 entrances, both before security and after collecting bags on arrival.
Vaping: Bulgaria’s indoor smoking ban, in force since 2012, covers the terminals, and e-cigarettes are treated the same as tobacco — vape in the Terminal 2 lounge smoking areas or outdoors, never in the general concourse. Disposable vapes were banned from sale in Bulgaria in 2025, so buy pods or a refillable device before you travel.
Summary table
| Area | Smoking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| T2 near gates B1-B4 | Yes | Free half-open smoking area, downstairs by the B gates; cigarettes and vapes |
| T2 Aspire Business Lounge | Yes | Indoor smoking section, Level 0; lounge access or ~€30 walk-in |
| T2 Primeclass Lounge terrace | Yes | Open-air terrace smoking area; lounge access |
| T2 rest of concourse & gates | No | Smoke-free outside the designated area and lounges |
| Terminal 1 airside | No | No smoking after security |
| Outside both terminals | Yes | Designated landside areas |
For Bulgaria’s airport smoking rules and vaping law, see our Bulgaria airport guide.