Yes, you can smoke at Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport (BLQ) — at the designated outdoor areas just outside the terminal, landside. The terminal and boarding area are smoke-free, so plan to smoke before you pass through security.
Bologna Marconi is Emilia-Romagna’s main gateway and one of Italy’s busiest airports, handling around 10 million passengers a year from a single, recently renovated terminal. It is named after the radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi, who was born in the city. Because all the smoking areas sit outside the building, it helps to know exactly where they are before you check in.
Before Security (Landside)
Smoking at Bologna is at the designated outdoor areas outside the terminal, landside. Step out through the departures or arrivals doors, find a marked spot with ashtrays near the curbside, and you are clear to light up. The airport’s own guidance is simple: the smoking area is located outside the terminal, and you should look for the “Area Fumatori” signage that is standard across Italian airports.
Do your smoking here before you go through the security checks, since there is nowhere to smoke once you are past them. If you are arriving on an early flight or waiting to check in, these curbside areas are the place to go.
After Security (Airside)
There is no smoking area after security at Bologna. The airport confirms that there is no smoking area inside the boarding area, and that smoking is strictly forbidden throughout the terminal as well as on the apron. That covers the departures lounge, the boarding gates, the shops and cafés, and the restrooms — all of it is smoke-free.
For transit passengers this means a smoke requires leaving the secure zone: exit into the arrivals area, walk out to the outdoor smoking areas by the terminal doors, then re-clear security to get back to your gate. On a short connection that may not be practical, so weigh the time against your boarding call before you leave airside.
Arrivals
Arriving passengers can smoke as soon as they are outside the building. Collect your bags, head out through the arrivals doors, and use the same designated outdoor areas at the curbside on the way to the taxi rank, the bus stops, the Marconi Express monorail to Bologna Centrale, and the car parks.
Vaping
Vaping is treated the same as smoking at Bologna. Italian law extends the indoor ban to e-cigarettes and heated-tobacco devices such as IQOS, so use the outdoor areas outside the terminal for vapes as well as cigarettes. Do not vape in the enclosed check-in hall, the boarding gates, or the restrooms.
Summary
| Area | Smoking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor terminal | No | Enclosed spaces are smoke-free under Italy’s 2003 Sirchia Law |
| After security / airside | No | No smoking area in the boarding area; transit must exit and re-clear |
| Outdoor (landside) | Yes | Designated areas outside the terminal entrances |
For Italy’s airport smoking rules and vaping law, see our Italy airport guide.