Yes, you can smoke at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD) after security — at open-air terraces, as there is no indoor smoking room anywhere in the airport. There are also marked outdoor smoking spots landside.
Budapest is Hungary’s main international gateway, handling all scheduled traffic through the linked Terminals 2A and 2B — 2A serves Schengen flights, 2B serves non-Schengen flights, and the glass-roofed SkyCourt building connects the two airside. Hungary banned indoor smoking in enclosed public spaces in 2012, so every smoking option at BUD is in the open air. The good news for smokers: the airport responded by building proper open-air terraces on the airside roofs, so you can smoke after security in both the Schengen and non-Schengen zones.
Terminal 2A — SkyCourt Rooftop Terrace (Airside)
The main airside smoking area is the open-air terrace on the roof of Terminal 2A, above the SkyCourt. To reach it after security, walk past the duty-free shops into the SkyCourt central hall, take the escalators up to the food-court level, and follow the signs to the terrace — travellers in 2025 describe the entrance on the left side of the food court, up on the third floor. The terrace is fully open-air with a view over the apron, and it doubles as a café space: The Terrace bar on the rooftop serves coffee, beer, wine and cocktails, and its partly open-air seating is usable by smokers. Toilets are on the same food-court level.
The terrace is not a 24-hour facility. Opening hours vary with season, weather and operations (recent listings show it closing around 21:00), so on a very early departure or a late-night connection, smoke landside before security if the terrace matters to you.
Terminal 2B — Non-Schengen Transit Terrace (Airside)
Passengers flying to non-Schengen destinations get their own dedicated option: a roughly 200 m² open-air observation and smoking terrace on the lounge mezzanine (second floor) of Terminal 2B, beyond passport control. The airport built it on the terminal roof on a separate steel structure and opened it in September 2022 in direct response to passenger feedback. It offers a wide view of the apron, and a covered section (non-smoking) lets you enjoy the view in bad weather. Because it sits inside the non-Schengen transit zone, it is reachable after exit passport control — exactly where long-haul and non-EU transit passengers need it.
Landside Smoking Areas
Before security, marked outdoor smoking spots sit just outside the Terminal 2A and Terminal 2B entrances. These are the first option for arriving passengers — step out of the exit doors and the designated spots are at the kerbside — and the fallback for departing passengers when the airside terraces are closed. Smoking anywhere else on the forecourt, or anywhere indoors, is prohibited.
Smoking During a Layover at BUD
Both airside terraces let you smoke on a connection without leaving the secure zone, so no re-screening is needed. Route by where your onward flight goes: connecting within Schengen, use the SkyCourt rooftop terrace at the Terminal 2A food-court level; connecting to a non-Schengen destination, clear passport control into the 2B transit area and use the rooftop terrace there. If your connection is overnight or before dawn, plan around terrace hours — the landside spots outside the terminal remain the round-the-clock option if you are able and willing to exit and re-clear security.
Vaping
Hungary treats e-cigarettes and heated tobacco (such as IQOS) exactly like cigarettes. They are banned indoors and permitted only at the designated open-air smoking areas, whether airside or landside.
Summary
| Area | Smoking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| T2A SkyCourt rooftop terrace | Yes | Airside, via the food-court level; open-air, café alongside; hours vary |
| T2B transit terrace | Yes | Airside, non-Schengen, after passport control; ~200 m² rooftop, opened 2022 |
| Indoor smoking room | No | None anywhere — indoor smoking banned since 2012 |
| Outdoor landside | Yes | Marked spots outside the T2A and T2B entrances |
For Hungary’s airport smoking rules, vaping law and tobacco-purchase rules, see our Hungary airport guide.