Yes, you can smoke at Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL) — in designated outdoor smoking areas outside its single terminal, on both the Departures and Arrivals levels. The areas are landside (before security), and the terminal itself is a smoke-free environment with no indoor or airside smoking.
Montréal-Trudeau is Canada’s third-busiest airport and the main gateway to Québec, handling more than 20 million passengers a year. The smoking setup is simple and well signed: the airport clearly delineates its outdoor smoking areas and marks the no-smoking stretches of curb just as clearly, and provincial health inspectors carry out regular checks. Stick to the marked areas and you are fine.
Departures Level
The Departures (upper) curbside has designated, signed smoking areas outside the main entrance doors to the check-in hall. The airport does not publish door numbers for them — follow the signage along the curb and you will find a marked area within a short walk of any entrance. This is the natural spot for a last cigarette after drop-off or check-in, before you head to screening.
Stand within the marked boundary: under Québec’s Tobacco Control Act, smoking must stay at least 9 metres from every door, opening window and air intake, and the delineated areas already account for that setback.
Arrivals Level
The Arrivals (ground) curbside has further marked smoking areas near the Ground Transportation area, where the taxis, buses and hotel shuttles pull up. If you have just landed, this is your first opportunity — step out past baggage claim (and Canadian customs on international arrivals) and the areas are right along the curb. The same marked-boundary and 9-metre rules apply as upstairs.
Terminal Layout and US Preclearance
YUL operates one integrated terminal on two levels, with three airside jetties reached from the shared landside concourse: the domestic jetty (gates 1–34, including a tunnel-linked regional satellite), the international jetty (gates 50–68) and the US transborder jetty (gates 72–89). Security checkpoint A feeds the domestic and international jetties; checkpoint C feeds the US transborder jetty. None of the three jetties has an indoor or post-security smoking area, so your last chance to smoke is landside.
The US transborder jetty deserves special care. Gates 72–89 sit behind US Customs and Border Protection preclearance — once you pass checkpoint C and CBP, leaving the sterile area means repeating both preclearance and security screening. Flying to the United States, smoke at the Departures curbside before you enter checkpoint C.
Smoking During a Layover
There is no way to smoke airside at YUL, so a layover smoke means exiting to the public area, using an outdoor area on the Arrivals or Departures level, and re-clearing security. Passengers arriving on international flights pass through Canadian customs anyway, which puts you landside already — smoke outside Arrivals before heading up to re-clear security for your onward flight. On domestic connections, weigh the security queue against your connection time; this is realistic on connections of two hours or more. On tight connections, wait until your destination.
Vaping and Cannabis
Vaping and e-cigarettes follow exactly the same conditions as smoking at YUL: designated outdoor areas only, within the marked boundaries, never inside the terminal. Cannabis is a separate matter entirely — consumption is prohibited everywhere on the airport site, including the parking lots and grounds, and airport security applies zero tolerance. The designated outdoor areas are for tobacco and vaping only.
Summary
| Area | Smoking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor terminal | No | Smoke-free environment throughout |
| After security / airside | No | No smoking in the domestic, international or US transborder jetties |
| Outdoor Departures level | Yes | Marked areas outside the main entrance doors, 9 m from doors |
| Outdoor Arrivals level | Yes | Marked areas near Ground Transportation |
| Cannabis | No | Prohibited anywhere on the airport site, including parking |
For Canada airport smoking rules, vaping rules, and provincial setback distances, see our Canada airport smoking guide.