Yes, you can smoke at Alicante–Elche Miguel Hernández Airport (ALC) — airside, after security, on the Budweiser Bar’s open-air terrace by the B/C gates and on the Wetherspoon terrace in the non-Schengen area, plus at designated outdoor areas outside the terminal doors, landside. The terminal interior is smoke-free.
Alicante is the Costa Blanca’s main gateway and one of Spain’s busiest airports for UK charter and holiday traffic, feeding Benidorm, Torrevieja, and the Alicante coast. It runs from a single large terminal, so once you are through security the airside terraces below are your options; landside, you smoke outside the building.
After Security (Airside)
Budweiser Bar terrace (B/C gates): The main airside smoking spot is the open-air terrace attached to the Budweiser Bar, in the corner between the B and C gates. It sits above the aircraft parking apron with wide windows looking over the runway and the Mediterranean beyond — a genuinely pleasant place to wait. You buy a drink at the bar and are given a pass so you can step out to the terrace and back as you please. Travellers report it opens shortly after 6am, so it is not available for the very earliest departures.
Wetherspoon terrace (non-Schengen area): Spain’s first Wetherspoon opened in the non-Schengen part of the terminal in early 2026, and smoking is permitted on its adjoining outdoor terrace. This is the convenient choice for UK and other non-Schengen flights, which board from the B gates nearby, and it tends to keep longer hours than the Budweiser terrace. Once you have passed through passport control toward the non-Schengen gates you can reach it without leaving the secure area.
Which terrace suits you depends on where your flight boards: Schengen passengers can use the Budweiser terrace, while UK and other non-Schengen travellers routed through passport control will find the Wetherspoon terrace closest.
Before Security (Landside)
Smoking is not allowed anywhere inside the terminal, so before check-in and security you smoke outside the building. There are designated outdoor areas by the terminal doors on both the departures level and the arrivals level, with ashtrays provided. Alicante’s warm Costa Blanca climate makes these comfortable for most of the year.
Arriving passengers should note the same rule: wait until you have cleared passport control, collected your bags, and stepped outside the arrivals hall before lighting up.
Vaping
Vaping is treated the same as smoking at Alicante. E-cigarettes are not allowed inside the terminal, so use the airside terraces or the outdoor areas outside the building for both cigarettes and vapes. Do not vape in the toilets — it can set off the smoke detectors.
Summary
| Area | Smoking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor terminal | No | Smoke-free throughout |
| After security / airside | Yes | Budweiser Bar terrace (B/C gates); Wetherspoon terrace (non-Schengen area) |
| Outdoor (landside) | Yes | Designated areas outside the terminal on departures and arrivals levels |
For Spain’s airport smoking rules and vaping law, see our Spain airport guide.