--- title: "Smoking at Varna Airport – VAR" canonical: "https://www.airportsmokingzones.com/bulgaria/var-smoking-at-varna-airport/" language: "en-us" description: "Smoke at Varna Airport (VAR) on the open-air terrace in the departure lounge after security, or outdoors before security; the terminal interior is smoke-free." lastmod: "2026-09-25T00:00:00Z" --- # Smoking at Varna Airport – VAR Yes, you can smoke at **Varna Airport (VAR)** — the airport’s own site permits smoking on an open-air terrace in the departure lounge, airside, after the security check, and outside the terminal building, landside. The rest of the terminal interior is smoke-free. Varna Airport serves Bulgaria’s third-largest city, with scheduled commercial flights handled through Terminal 2 of the airport’s three-terminal site. Article 56 of Bulgaria’s Health Act bans smoking in enclosed public places and lets airports set aside separate enclosed rooms as an exception; Varna doesn’t use that room exception — its two smoking spots are both open to the air, which is why they sit outside the indoor ban rather than inside a designated room. ## After Security — Open-Air Terrace Once you clear security, the departure lounge has an open-air terrace where smoking is permitted — the airport’s site states this directly as one of only two places smoking is allowed anywhere on airport property. It’s a terrace rather than an enclosed room, so it’s exposed to the weather. ## Landside — Outside the Terminal Before security, or after collecting your bags on arrival, smoking is permitted outside the terminal building. This is the landside option and the only one available to anyone who hasn’t yet passed through the security checkpoint. ## Vaping Varna Airport’s own smoking-area page prohibits “any cigar, cigarette, e-cigarette, pipe or any other form of tobacco product” inside the passenger terminal and other airport buildings, so vaping follows cigarettes to the same two spots: the open-air terrace in the departure lounge airside, or outdoors before security. ## Summary | Area | Smoking | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | | Terminal interior (general) | No | Smoke-free throughout | | Departure lounge open-air terrace (airside) | Yes | After security; open to the air, not an enclosed room | | Outside the terminal (landside) | Yes | Before security, or after arrival | | Vaping | Same as smoking | Open-air terrace airside, or outdoors landside — named alongside cigarettes on the airport’s own rule | [Sofia Airport’s free smoking area near gates B1-B4](https://www.airportsmokingzones.com/bulgaria/sof-smoking-at-sofia-airport/) and [Burgas Airport’s own open-air departure terrace](https://www.airportsmokingzones.com/bulgaria/boj-smoking-at-burgas-airport/) are the options if you’re connecting through another Bulgarian gateway. For Bulgaria’s airport smoking rules and vaping law, see our [Bulgaria airport guide](https://www.airportsmokingzones.com/bulgaria/). ## Useful Links [Varna Airport — smoking area (official)](https://varna-airport.bg/en/passenger-guide/smoking-area) [Varna Airport (official)](https://varna-airport.bg/en) ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Are there smoking areas at Varna Airport (VAR)? Yes — Varna Airport’s own site permits smoking outside the terminal, landside, and on an open-air terrace in the departure lounge, airside, after the security check. The rest of the terminal interior is smoke-free. ### Is there smoking after security at Varna Airport? Yes — the departure lounge’s open-air terrace, past the security check, is one of the airport’s two smoking spots. It’s open to the sky, not an enclosed room. ### Where can I smoke at Varna Airport? Airside, on the open-air terrace in the departure lounge after security; and landside, outside the terminal building. Varna Airport’s own site names these as the only two places smoking is permitted. ### Can you vape at Varna Airport? Yes — Varna Airport’s own smoking-area page names e-cigarettes alongside cigarettes, cigars and pipes as prohibited inside the passenger terminal and other airport buildings. Vape on the open-air terrace airside, or outdoors before security. ### Is smoking allowed inside the main terminal at Varna Airport? Smoking inside the building itself isn’t permitted at Varna — the airport’s own site confines smoking to the open-air terrace in the departure lounge and the outdoor area outside the terminal, both open to the air rather than enclosed rooms.