Yes, you can smoke at Polish airports, in designated smoking rooms and areas: Warsaw Chopin, Katowice, Wrocław and Poznań have smoking rooms or areas after security, Kraków has an outdoor smoking area after security on the non-Schengen side, and Gdańsk allows smoking at outdoor places it designates and marks, without naming them. Polish law treats e-cigarettes and heated tobacco like cigarettes, so they are banned wherever smoking is.
Poland Airports Compared: Before and After Security
Before security, you can always smoke outside: at a designated smoking area where there is one, or outside the airport property, beyond the terminal kerb and car parks. After security, Yes means there is a smoking area past security and a dash means none is listed. Each airport’s page has the details.
| Airport | Before security | After security |
|---|---|---|
| Gdansk (GDN) | Yes | – |
| Katowice (KTW) | Yes | Yes |
| Krakow (KRK) | Yes | Yes |
| Poznan (POZ) | Yes | Yes |
| Warsaw (WAW) | Yes | Yes |
| Wroclaw (WRO) | Yes | Yes |
How Polish Airport Smoking Works
Poland’s tobacco act (ustawa o ochronie zdrowia przed następstwami używania tytoniu i wyrobów tytoniowych) bans smoking in buildings that serve travellers, and since the amendment of 22 July 2016 the ban covers e-cigarettes and heated tobacco too. An airport may set up designated smoking rooms (palarnie) and areas, so:
- Warsaw Chopin: three smoking rooms after security
- Kraków: an outdoor smoking area after security on the non-Schengen side; on the Schengen side, ask staff about the glass cabin opposite Gate 1
- Katowice: smoking rooms after security in Terminals A and B, and in the Terminal C arrivals baggage hall
- Wrocław: two smoking areas after security, one on each side of passport control, and one in the Executive Lounge
- Poznań: smoking cabins in the Schengen departure hall
- Gdańsk: at outdoor places the airport designates and marks, without naming them; no smoking room listed in the departure halls, and a designated smoking space in the paid VIP Lounge
- Outside the terminals, smoke where the airport marks a smoking area, and ask staff where none is marked
The Main Airports
Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW). Three smoking rooms after security in Terminal A: on the Schengen pier between Gates 32/31 and 30/29, beside passport control near Gates 23N and 22N, and by Gate 1N on the ground floor. Outside, marked areas at the departures kerb and on the arrivals forecourt.
Kraków John Paul II International Airport (KRK). An outdoor smoking area after security on the non-Schengen side, reached through the corridor to Gates 19–24; on the Schengen side, ask staff whether the glass cabin opposite Gate 1 is still open. Before security, a designated area in front of the entrance to the VIP Terminal.
Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport (GDN). Smoking at outdoor places the airport designates and marks with a “TU WOLNO PALIĆ” sign, without naming them, so ask staff where they are; no smoking room is listed in the departure halls, and the paid VIP Lounge has a designated smoking space.
Katowice Airport (KTW). Smoking rooms after security in Terminal A (non-Schengen) and Terminal B (Schengen), and in the Terminal C arrivals baggage hall.
Wrocław Copernicus Airport (WRO). Two smoking areas after security, by the Gate Bar at Gates 1–2 (Schengen) and by the Gate Bar Non Schengen at Gates 11–12, plus a smoking area in the Executive Lounge.
Poznań Ławica Airport (POZ). Smoking cabins in the Schengen departure hall, plus three marked outdoor spots outside the terminal entrances.
Tips for Smokers at Polish Airports
- At Warsaw Chopin, Katowice and Wrocław you can smoke after security without leaving the secure area
- At Kraków the smoking area after security is on the non-Schengen side; once through passport control you cannot go back to the Schengen zone
- At Gdańsk, ask staff where the marked smoking places are before you clear security
- E-cigarettes and heated tobacco are banned wherever smoking is; outside Warsaw Chopin the airports publish no vaping rule for their public areas, so ask staff before you use them in a smoking area