Yes, you can smoke at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) — it has enclosed indoor smoking rooms after security in both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, plus designated outdoor areas landside outside the terminals. Important: e-cigarettes and vapes are completely illegal in Taiwan — do not bring one into the airport.
TPE is Taiwan’s main international gateway and the mega-hub for EVA Air and China Airlines, operating from Terminals 1 and 2 (a new Terminal 3 north concourse opened for trial service in December 2025, with the main building due by 2027). It is one of East Asia’s busiest transfer points, so most smokers passing through are connecting between flights — and the good news is that both terminals keep proper airside smoking rooms inside the secure zone.
Terminal 1 (Airside)
Once you are through security in Terminal 1, the main enclosed smoking room is reported near the A8–A9 gates, with travellers describing it as clean and well-ventilated. A second, quieter room is reported near the A3 gate end of the concourse, which tends to be less crowded at peak departure times. Some passengers also point to a room around the B8–B9 gates, so if one is busy there is usually another within a short walk.
Treat the exact gate numbers as a starting point rather than a fixed marker — Terminal 1’s concourses have been refurbished in stages, so follow the smoking-room signage (喫煙室 / 吸菸室) once you are airside, or ask staff for the nearest “smoking room” if the signs are hard to spot.
Terminal 2 (Airside)
Terminal 2 also has enclosed smoking rooms inside the secure departures area. The most commonly reported one is found by turning toward the A/D gate concourses after security — travellers describe a room on the right as you walk that way. Additional rooms are reported deeper into the C and D gate piers, so passengers spread across Terminal 2’s satellite concourse are not far from one.
As in Terminal 1, gate references can shift with layout changes near the duty-free halls, so use the airside signage to home in on the exact room once you are past security.
Smoking During a Layover
Because both terminals keep their smoking rooms airside, transit passengers on a Taoyuan layover can smoke without clearing immigration or being re-screened. Stay inside the secure zone, find the nearest marked room in your departure concourse, and you are set for a connection. A walkway links Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 airside, so passengers moving between the two terminals for a connecting flight can reach a smoking room in either building without exiting security.
Landside (Outdoor)
Landside, smoking at TPE is only allowed at the designated outdoor areas outside the terminal buildings. Step out through the terminal doors and use a marked spot near the entrances or the kerbside pick-up zones. Smoking is not permitted anywhere inside the public landside halls, the check-in concourses, or the arrivals area.
Vaping — IMPORTANT
E-cigarettes and vapes are fully illegal throughout Taiwan. Since 22 March 2023, under the amended Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, the use, sale, import and possession of vapes are all banned nationwide — there is no legal way to use one at the airport, indoors or outdoors.
- Vape devices are confiscated at the airport.
- Transit and arriving passengers carrying a vape must declare it at the Red Lane on arrival for bonded storage rather than keeping it on them.
Heated-tobacco devices (such as IQOS) are not a safe assumption either: only a small number of officially approved products became legal in late 2025 and the market remains unsettled, so do not assume any device is legal.
Summary
| Area | Smoking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal 1 airside | Yes | Enclosed rooms near A8–A9 (and A3 / B8–B9), after security |
| Terminal 2 airside | Yes | Enclosed rooms toward the A/D and C/D gate concourses |
| Outdoor landside | Yes | Designated areas outside the terminals |
| Vaping / e-cigarettes | No | Illegal nationwide — confiscation on the spot |
For Taiwan’s airport smoking rules and the vape ban, see our Taiwan airport guide.
Travellers comparing the two Taipei airports should note that Taipei Songshan’s airside option is a single semi-outdoor rest area, whereas Taoyuan offers fully enclosed indoor smoking rooms after security in both terminals.