Yes, you can smoke at Riga International Airport (RIX) — airside, at the smoking terrace just past security at the start of sector B and at a smoking cabin by the C gates; landside, at the designated outdoor areas outside the terminal. Latvia’s tobacco law expressly allows smoking areas in international-airport departure halls, and Riga uses that allowance.
Riga is the Baltics’ biggest hub and the home base of airBaltic, handling around 7 million passengers a year through a single terminal whose gates split into Schengen and non-Schengen flows. For smokers connecting through the Baltics, RIX is one of the easier stops in northern Europe: you do not need to leave the secure zone to light up.
After Security: the Sector B Smoking Terrace
The main airside option is a smoking terrace on the left side just after security control, at the beginning of sector B — next to the café and opposite the duty-free shop. It is the first smoking spot you reach after screening and the easiest to find: clear security, look left, and follow the signs.
The C Gates and Non-Schengen Departures
Deeper into the concourse, travellers consistently report a small smoking cabin behind the Needstop cafeteria, opposite Gate C2, with further designated spots reported around Gates C8 and C10. If you are flying from the far end of the pier, this saves the walk back to sector B.
In the non-Schengen departures area, travellers report a smoking room after the passport-control booths, near the C10–C12 gates, and recent reports mention additional indoor smoking areas by the Departures C lounge and by Gate C12. Individual spots can move during terminal works — ask the airport information desk for the nearest open one.
Landside: Outside the Terminal
Before security, smoking is at the designated outdoor areas outside the terminal, on both the departures and arrivals levels. The airport’s house rules prohibit smoking directly at the terminal entrances and anywhere else on airport territory outside the marked areas, so use the signed spots.
Arrivals
Passengers arriving from Schengen destinations report a café terrace before baggage claim where smoking is possible; it closes at night. Non-Schengen arrivals collect their bags first and smoke at the outdoor areas outside the terminal.
Vaping
Latvia treats e-cigarettes like tobacco: vaping is banned wherever smoking is banned, which covers the open terminal, the gate areas and the shops. Use the designated smoking areas — the airside terrace and cabins, or the outdoor landside areas — for vapes as well as cigarettes.
Summary
| Area | Smoking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| After security (Schengen) | Yes | Terrace at the start of sector B, just past security; cabin behind Needstop cafeteria opposite Gate C2 |
| After security (non-Schengen) | Yes | Smoking room reported after passport control, near Gates C10–C12 |
| Indoor terminal (general) | No | Smoke-free outside the designated cabins and rooms |
| Outdoor (landside) | Yes | Designated areas outside the terminal, departures and arrivals levels; not at the entrances |
For Latvia’s airport smoking rules and vaping law, see our Latvia airport guide.