Yes, you can smoke at Spanish airports, always outdoors: on open-air terraces after security at most of the big airports — Madrid Terminal 4, Barcelona, Palma, Málaga, Alicante, Valencia, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Menorca and Girona — and outdoors outside the terminal before security. The indoor smoking ban (Ley 28/2005, often called the Ley antitabaco, as amended by Ley 42/2010 from January 2011) ended indoor smoking rooms at Spanish airports, so the terraces are where you smoke after security.
Spain 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Alicante (ALC) | Yes | Yes |
| Barcelona–El Prat Josep Tarradellas (BCN) | Yes | Yes |
| Bilbao (BIO) | Yes | – |
| Fuerteventura (FUE) | Yes | Yes |
| Girona (GRO) | Yes | Yes |
| Gran Canaria (LPA) | Yes | Yes |
| Ibiza (IBZ) | Yes | – |
| Lanzarote (ACE) | Yes | Yes |
| Madrid (MAD) | Yes | Yes |
| Malaga (AGP) | Yes | Yes |
| Menorca (MAH) | Yes | Yes |
| Palma de Mallorca (PMI) | Yes | Yes |
| Santiago de Compostela (SCQ) | Yes | – |
| Seville (SVQ) | Yes | – |
| Tenerife (TFN) | Yes | Yes |
| Tenerife South (TFS) | Yes | Yes |
| Valencia (VLC) | Yes | Yes |
How Spanish Airport Smoking Works
The ban, article 7 of Ley 28/2005 as amended in 2010, prohibits smoking in enclosed public places, airport terminals included. In practice:
- Open-air terraces after security at Madrid (Terminal 4), Barcelona, Palma, Málaga, Alicante, Valencia, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Menorca and Girona
- At Tenerife South, the only terrace after security is inside the paid Montaña Roja VIP Lounge; at Tenerife North, the terrace of the paid Nivaria VIP Lounge, which Aena describes as suitable for smokers
- Smoking outside the terminal only at Seville, Ibiza and Bilbao; Santiago de Compostela lists no smoking area, so ask staff whether smoking is allowed on the open-air terrace on Floor 1 of its boarding area, or ask staff where to smoke outside the terminal
- Most terraces are free; Alicante’s Budweiser terrace needs a receipt from the bar
- Aena publishes no vaping rule for the public areas of its airports, so ask staff before you vape; a tobacco bill sent to parliament on 21 July 2026 would apply the smoking limits to e-cigarettes and to bar and restaurant terraces, from 20 days after its publication in the official gazette
The Major Hubs
Madrid Barajas (MAD). A free open-air terrace after security on Floor 0 of Terminal 4, below the J gates and beside baggage reclaim hall 10, reached from the boarding area and on the way to baggage reclaim, ask staff for the route from your gate. The T4S satellite and Terminals 1–3 list no smoking area after security, and no terminal lists one before security, so ask staff; the paid Cibeles VIP Lounge in Terminal 1, for non-Schengen passengers with a Terminal 1 boarding pass, has a terrace.
Barcelona El Prat (BCN). Three open-air terraces after security, two in Terminal 1 and one in Terminal 2; ask staff whether both Terminal 1 terraces are open. The terminals are not linked after security, so use the terrace in your own terminal, and from the D and E gates of Terminal 1 smoke before passport control. Before security the airport lists no smoking area, so ask staff.
Beach-Resort Airports
Palma de Mallorca (PMI). A small terrace after security opposite Gates C42–C43 in Module C. UK and other non-Schengen flights leave from Module A, behind passport control, so smoke before you go through.
Málaga (AGP). Aena’s designated smoking terrace after security, by Gate D72 at the far end of the D gates; on a non-Schengen flight from the B or C gates, use it before passport control.
Alicante (ALC). Two terraces after security: the Budweiser Bar’s, in the corner of the B and C gates, entered with a receipt from the bar, and the Wetherspoon’s, past passport control in the non-Schengen B gates.
Ibiza (IBZ). Outdoor spots outside the departures and arrivals doors, before security only.
Other Spanish Airports
Valencia (VLC) has an open-air terrace after security on Floor 0, beside Gates 21 and 22. Gran Canaria (LPA) has a rooftop terrace after security above the C-zone gates. At Tenerife South (TFS) the only terrace after security belongs to the paid Montaña Roja VIP Lounge. Lanzarote (ACE) has an open-air terrace after security in the north of Terminal 1’s departure hall. Fuerteventura (FUE) has two open-air terraces after security in the boarding area. Menorca (MAH) has two open-air terraces after security on the boarding level, to the north and south. Girona (GRO) has three open-air terraces after security in the boarding area. At Tenerife North (TFN) the terrace after security belongs to the paid Nivaria VIP Lounge, on the first floor of the pre-boarding area, which Aena describes as suitable for smokers. Seville (SVQ) and Bilbao (BIO) have smoking outside the terminal only. Santiago de Compostela (SCQ) lists no smoking area; it lists an open-air terrace on Floor 1 of the boarding area, so ask staff whether smoking is allowed on it, or where to smoke outside the terminal.
Tips for Smokers at Spanish Airports
- Look for “Zona de fumadores” signs, and ask staff if you cannot find a terrace
- On a non-Schengen flight from Palma or Málaga, smoke before passport control
- At Alicante, the Budweiser terrace needs a bar receipt; at Tenerife South and Tenerife North, the terrace after security is inside a paid lounge
- Aena publishes no vaping rule for its public areas, so ask staff before you vape