Smoking bans in Europe: where can you still smoke in 2026?
There is no longer a single answer — the rules differ by country and are tightening fast. The 2026 overview: a country-by-country snapshot, what the EU is planning, and what it means for companies operating across borders.
What you'll find on this page
Why there is no single answer
Updated October 2026.
Where you can smoke now depends heavily on the country — and increasingly on the city. Here is the 2026 snapshot for the markets that matter most in our region:
| Country | Outdoor & public spaces |
|---|---|
| France | Beaches, parks, bus shelters and areas near schools smoke-free since 2025; €135 fine |
| Belgium | Smoking and vaping ban on hospitality terraces announced for 1 January 2027 (bill not yet published in October 2026) |
| United Kingdom | Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026: generational sales ban; power to ban filters |
| Germany | No national outdoor ban; hospitality rules set by each federal state |
| Netherlands | Indoor hospitality smoke-free; school grounds and playgrounds smoke-free |
Smoking indoors in bars and restaurants, country by country
The question most travellers and operators ask is simpler: can you still smoke inside? In October 2026, smoking indoors in bars and restaurants is banned in every country below. The differences lie in the exceptions: separate smoking rooms, small-bar exemptions, or none at all.
| Country | Bars & restaurants (indoors) | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | Total ban | Since 1 November 2019, including all guest areas. |
| Belgium | Smoking rooms allowed | Enclosed smoking rooms allowed, closed to under-18s since April 2024. The government plans to abolish them, and to ban smoking on terraces, from 1 January 2027 (bill not yet published in October 2026). |
| Bulgaria | Total ban | Since June 2012, in all enclosed public places. |
| Croatia | Smoking rooms allowed | One ventilated smoking room of at least 10 m², at most 20% of the public area. |
| Cyprus | Total ban | Exceptions limited to hotels (cigar lounges, smoking rooms). |
| Czech Republic | Total ban | Since May 2017, no smoking rooms; water pipes (shisha) are not covered. |
| Denmark | Small-bar exemption | Pubs under 40 m² that serve no proper meals may allow smoking; elsewhere, smoking rooms with no service. |
| Estonia | Smoking rooms allowed | Only in designated rooms where no food is served, ventilated straight outdoors. |
| Finland | Smoking rooms allowed | Separate rooms only: no food or drink, no staff working inside. |
| France | Smoking rooms allowed | Since 2008: optional enclosed rooms, at most 20% of the area and 35 m², no service, no under-16s. |
| Germany | Depends on the state | Total ban in Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saarland. The other states allow smoking rooms and/or single-room bars under 75 m² serving no prepared food, adults only. |
| Greece | Total ban | Since 2019 also in casinos and large venues; covered terraces count as indoors unless open on two sides. |
| Hungary | Total ban | Since 2012; outdoor smoking spots only. |
| Ireland | Total ban | Since 29 March 2004. |
| Italy | Smoking rooms allowed | Since 2005: enclosed, ventilated rooms covering less than half of the venue. |
| Latvia | Total ban | No smoking rooms in cafés and restaurants; outdoor cafés may designate smoking spots. |
| Lithuania | Total ban | Only purpose-built cigar and pipe clubs are exempt. |
| Luxembourg | Smoking rooms allowed | Since 2014: authorised, sealed rooms, at most 30% of the customer area, no service, no under-18s. |
| Malta | Total ban | Smoking rooms remain only in casinos. |
| Netherlands | Total ban | Smoking rooms no longer allowed; terraces only if fully open on one side. |
| Norway | Total ban | Since 1 June 2004. |
| Poland | Smoking rooms allowed | Venues with at least two rooms may set one aside as a closed smoking room. |
| Portugal | Smoking rooms allowed | Since 2023, only in venues of at least 100 m²: room at most 20% of the area, airlock, no service, no under-18s. |
| Romania | Total ban | Since March 2016, in all enclosed public spaces. |
| Slovakia | Partial ban | Smoking allowed only in a structurally separated area, at most half of the venue. |
| Slovenia | Total ban | Smoking rooms abolished on 1 January 2026. |
| Spain | Total ban | Since January 2011. A bill extending the ban to terraces and beaches was sent to Parliament in July 2026. |
| Sweden | Smoking rooms allowed | Rooms where nothing is served; outdoor serving areas smoke-free since July 2019. |
| Switzerland | Depends on the canton | Federal minimum: smoking rooms up to a third of the serving area, and smoking bars up to 80 m² where the canton allows them. 18 cantons have stricter rules. |
| United Kingdom | Total ban | Since 2006 in Scotland and 2007 in England. |
Where can you still smoke indoors in Europe? Only in exempted spaces. Small bars can still allow smoking in most German states (under 75 m²), in Denmark (under 40 m²) and in Swiss cantons that authorise smoking bars (up to 80 m²); Slovakia allows a separated smoking area. Elsewhere, smoking indoors means a dedicated smoking room, where one is still allowed: Belgium (until the planned 2027 ban), Croatia, Estonia, Finland, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal and Sweden. No smoking rooms at all in Austria, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Checked in October 2026 against national legislation and official health ministry or government pages for each country (for example the Austrian business service portal USP, Belgium's FPS Public Health, the Czech Ministry of Health, Denmark's Retsinformation, Finland's Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Berlin and Lower Saxony state governments, Ireland's HSE, Latvia's likumi.lv, Malta's legislation.mt, Government.nl, the Polish and Slovenian governments, Spain's BOE and Ministry of Health, the Swedish Riksdag and Public Health Agency, legislation.gov.uk, Switzerland's FOPH and Norway's Directorate of Health). General information, not legal advice: local rules can be stricter.
The EU direction
The trajectory is clear — and increasingly aimed at the cigarette butt itself:
- The Council Recommendation of December 2024 advises member states to extend smoke-free areas to the outdoors and to e-cigarettes (non-binding).
- A ban on cigarette filters is under study.
- The stated goal is a tobacco-free generation — under 5% smokers — by 2040.
The common thread: the filter and the butt are increasingly in lawmakers' sights. Companies that structure the topic today are ahead of the regulation rather than behind it.
The workplace
For employers, the most relevant rule is the duty to protect staff from second-hand smoke. Indoor workplaces are smoke-free across Europe, and several countries restrict or ban indoor smoking rooms outright — the Netherlands removed them in 2022, France allows them only under strict conditions. → Smoking at work: employer obligations
Why the butt is the real issue
The cigarette butt is the most common item of litter in public space. Its filter is made of cellulose acetate, is not biodegradable and releases pollutants for years. A single butt can contaminate up to 500 litres of water. For site operators that is both a reputational issue and a fire risk — which is exactly where concrete solutions apply, from butt collection to recycling.
What it means for site operators
If you operate across France, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands or Luxembourg, the frameworks differ in detail but move the same way. For multi-site and cross-border organisations, a single, consistent policy — one approach rolled out across every location — is the practical answer, and the fines for cigarette littering make the case on their own. → What a dropped butt actually costs
Frequently asked questions
Can you smoke indoors anywhere in Europe?
Not in ordinary bars and restaurants: every European country bans it. Exceptions remain for separate smoking rooms (for example in France, Italy, Belgium, Poland or Sweden) and for small bars in most German states, Denmark and some Swiss cantons.
Which countries have no smoking rooms in bars at all?
Austria, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Slovenia (since 2026), Spain and the United Kingdom, among others.
Is there a Europe-wide outdoor smoking ban?
No. Rules are set nationally and locally. The EU recommended extending smoke-free areas outdoors in 2024, but the recommendation is non-binding.
When does Belgium ban smoking on terraces?
The federal government has decided to ban smoking and vaping on hospitality terraces, and to abolish public smoking rooms, from 1 January 2027. In October 2026 the bill had not yet been published in the Belgian Official Gazette.
Will cigarette filters be banned?
A filter ban is under study at EU level, and the UK's Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 gives the power to ban filters. Nothing is in force yet, but the direction is set.
What are the rules at work?
Indoor workplaces are smoke-free across Europe and the employer must protect non-smokers; several countries also restrict or ban indoor smoking rooms.
Easy to Change is part of the Easy To group, alongside Easy to Compost (bio-waste) and Easy to Clean (cleaning).
Bring your smoking area up to standard?
Free on-site assessment, costed report within 5 days, recommendations matched to the rules that apply to you.