Yes. You can smoke at Cartagena Rafael Núñez International Airport (CTG) — outdoors only, on the landside, near the departures entrance and away from the terminal doors. There are no airside smoking areas and no indoor smoking rooms anywhere in the terminal, so smoke before you clear security.
Rafael Núñez is Cartagena’s international gateway on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, sitting in the Crespo neighbourhood just a few minutes from the walled Old City. It is one of the country’s busiest airports and a major arrival point for tourists heading to the coast.
Where to Smoke
Smoking is permitted only outdoors and only landside — outside the terminal building, before the security checkpoint. Travellers report the designated area is outside near the departures entrance, so step out of the building, keep clear of the doors, and light up in the open air. Published sources do not pinpoint a signed spot beyond that, so plan to use the open-air landside curb and stay well away from the entrances.
Colombian national law and the airport’s health regulation prohibit smoking inside enclosed public spaces, which is why there is no marked airside smoking area and no indoor smoking room. Whether you are flying out domestically or on an international departure, the rule is the same: finish your cigarette outside before you check in and pass security, because once you are airside there is nowhere to smoke.
Terminal and Departures
Rafael Núñez runs a single passenger terminal that handles both domestic and international flights, with the international departures area sharing the building. Neither the domestic side nor the international side has an indoor smoking room, so the smoke-free rule applies right through the concourse, the gates and the boarding areas.
Because the smoking area sits landside near the departures entrance, the best time to smoke is right before you go in to check in and screen. Give yourself a few minutes at the curb, then head inside — from that point on, the terminal is smoke-free all the way to the aircraft.
Transit and Connections
Transit and connecting passengers should note an important caveat: there is no airside smoking area at Rafael Núñez. A passenger changing planes cannot smoke without leaving the secure zone — you would have to exit to the landside curb outside the terminal, smoke in the open air, then re-clear security to return to the departure gates. On short connections this is usually not practical, so many transit smokers simply wait until they land.
If your layover is long, you can step out to the landside curb between flights, smoke outdoors away from the doors, and head back through security when you are ready to fly.
Vaping
Colombia’s Law 2354 of 2024 regulates e-cigarettes, vapes and heated tobacco products the same way as cigarettes. Vaping is banned in enclosed public spaces, including the terminal. As with smoking, vaping is allowed only outdoors on the landside, away from the entrances.
Summary
| Area | Smoking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor | No | No indoor smoking rooms anywhere in the terminal |
| After security / airside | No | No airside area — must exit and re-clear security |
| Outdoor (landside) | Yes | Outside the terminal near the departures entrance, away from doors |
For Colombia’s airport smoking rules and vaping law, see our Colombia airport guide.