Yes, you can smoke at Faro Airport (FAO) — travellers report a small enclosed indoor smoking room airside in the Gates B (Non-Schengen) departures zone, and there are designated outdoor smoking areas landside outside the terminal.
Faro is the main gateway to the Algarve in southern Portugal and carries heavy UK and Irish holiday traffic. Operated by ANA, it has a single terminal split airside into a Schengen zone (Gates A) and a Non-Schengen zone (Gates B), the latter serving destinations such as the UK and Ireland. Where you can light up after security depends on which of those two zones your flight leaves from.
Smoking After Security (Airside)
The airside option is in the Gates B (Non-Schengen) zone. Travellers (Aug–Sep 2025) describe a small, air-conditioned enclosed smoking room reached by going up the stairs above the shops, by Mulligans Bar — a glass-fronted room at the top of the stairs, fitted with a couple of standing tables, ashtrays, and an EU power socket. It is on the small side and can get busy at peak departure banks. This room is not listed on the official ANA site, so treat it as traveller-reported and check signage on the day. Portugal’s 2025 tobacco law bans new indoor smoking rooms while exempting airports, so an indoor airport room remains legally permissible.
The Gates A (Schengen) zone has no reported airside smoking area, so passengers on Schengen and intra-EU flights have no smoking option once through security. If you are in that zone, smoke landside before you clear the checkpoint. There is no open-air airside terrace at Faro; the only after-security option is the enclosed Gates B room.
Landside Smoking (Before Security)
Before security, smoking is permitted in the designated outdoor areas outside the terminal building. These are marked spots near the departures and arrivals frontage — step away from the doors and follow the signage before lighting up, as the terminal interior is entirely smoke-free. This is the reliable fallback for anyone flying Schengen from Gates A, or arriving and wanting a cigarette before onward transport.
Vaping
Faro treats vaping the same as smoking, so use the designated smoking areas rather than vaping at the gate or in the terminal. At security, e-cigarettes and spare lighters should be placed in your transparent liquids bag with your other carry-on items.
Transit and Connections
Faro is primarily a point-to-point holiday airport rather than a connecting hub, so most passengers are either departing or arriving rather than transferring airside. If you have a long wait before a Non-Schengen departure, the Gates B room is your one indoor option; for a Schengen departure, plan to smoke landside before security, since re-entering means passing screening again. Arriving passengers can smoke in the outdoor landside areas once they exit the terminal while waiting for a transfer, hire car, or taxi to the Algarve resorts.
Summary
| Area | Smoking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Airside room (Gates B, Non-Schengen) | Reported | Up the stairs above the shops, by Mulligans Bar, past duty-free |
| Airside (Gates A, Schengen) | No | No reported smoking area in the Schengen zone |
| Outdoor landside | Yes | Designated marked areas outside the terminal |
| Vaping | Designated smoking areas only | E-cigs and lighters in liquids bag at security |
If you are travelling via Portugal’s other airports, the enclosed smoking areas at Lisbon Airport (LIS) are available after security, while Porto Airport (OPO) keeps smoking outdoors and landside only.
For Portugal’s airport smoking rules and vaping law, see our Portugal airport smoking guide.