By Rhodes Airport Guide Editorial Team · Updated July 2026
Quick answer: There is no smoking area after security at Rhodes Diagoras Airport. Smoking is banned throughout the terminal building, and unlike larger hubs there are no glass smoking cabins in the departure hall. The only places you can smoke are the designated outdoor areas outside the terminal, which are landside — before check-in and security. Once you pass the security check, that is it until you land. Greek law treats e-cigarettes the same as tobacco indoors, so vaping in the terminal is not an alternative either. Plan your last cigarette before you join the security queue.
At a glance: smoking rules at Rhodes airport
| Where | Can you smoke? |
|---|---|
| Outside the terminal (landside) | Yes, in the designated outdoor areas |
| Check-in hall | No |
| After security / departure gates | No — there is no airside smoking area at all |
| Airport lounges | No. The lounges are inside the terminal and non-smoking |
| E-cigarettes and vapes | Treated as smoking indoors. Outdoors only, same as tobacco |
| On the apron while boarding by bus | No. It is an active aircraft area |
Is there a smoking area after security at Rhodes airport?
No. This is the single most common surprise at Diagoras, and it is worth stating plainly because several large European airports do have sealed smoking cabins airside. Rhodes does not. Once your boarding pass is scanned at security, there is no lounge, cabin or terrace where smoking is permitted.
The airport is compact and the departures area is a single indoor space. There is no outdoor terrace on the airside, and the gates lead to buses rather than jet bridges, so there is no point at which you are outdoors and free to smoke. Standing on the apron waiting for a bus is not an option either: that is an active aircraft movement area with fuel around, and staff will stop you.
Where can you smoke at Rhodes airport?
Outside the terminal building, in the designated outdoor areas. In practice that means the forecourt in front of departures, where signage and ash bins mark the spots. This is landside, so it is available to you:
- while you wait for check-in to open, which at Rhodes often happens only a couple of hours before a flight in the summer charter season;
- after you drop your bag, before you enter the security queue;
- on arrival, once you have collected your luggage and walked out.
Keep clear of the doorways. Greek rules require smoking areas to be away from entrances, and staff do ask people to move along when the forecourt gets busy at peak departure times.
What does Greek law actually say?
Greece bans smoking in all enclosed public spaces, and the ban has been enforced seriously since the national crackdown of late 2019. Airports are covered like any other indoor public building, and there is no provision for indoor smoking rooms of the kind you still find in some Asian and Middle Eastern airports.
Two points travellers often get wrong. First, e-cigarettes are covered by the same indoor ban, so vaping in the terminal is not a legal workaround. Second, the rule applies to staff areas and hospitality spaces too, which is why no cafe or lounge inside Rhodes airport can offer a smoking section.
How to plan your last cigarette before a flight from Rhodes
Because there is nothing airside, timing is the whole game. A practical sequence for a summer departure:
- Arrive with time in hand. Rhodes handles heavy seasonal charter traffic and the security queue can be long in July and August.
- Check in and drop bags first. This frees you from the queue and lets you use the forecourt without watching the clock.
- Smoke immediately before entering security, not an hour earlier. From that moment, count on being indoors for the wait plus the flight.
- Add the flight time. A four-hour flight to northern Europe plus two hours in the terminal is a six-hour gap. Nicotine pouches or gum bought beforehand are the usual answer, and they are allowed on board.
If you are on a tight connection through Rhodes rather than starting your trip here, the arithmetic is worse: leaving the secure area to smoke means clearing security again, and at peak times that can cost you more minutes than you have.
Smoking outside the airport in Rhodes
Once you leave the terminal the picture changes. Greek cafes and tavernas have outdoor seating where smoking is normal, and the same indoor ban applies everywhere on the island. Hotels are required to keep indoor public areas smoke free, though many rooms have balconies. If you are heading to your flight from a resort, the last comfortable cigarette is usually on the hotel terrace, not at the airport.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a smoking area inside Rhodes airport?
No. Rhodes Diagoras Airport is entirely non-smoking indoors, and there is no smoking cabin or lounge after security. Smoking is only allowed in the designated outdoor areas in front of the terminal, which are before check-in and security.
Can I vape at Rhodes airport?
Not indoors. Greek law treats e-cigarettes the same as tobacco in enclosed public spaces, so vaping is banned throughout the terminal, including the lounges. You can vape in the outdoor smoking areas.
Can I leave the secure area to smoke and come back?
Physically yes, but you would have to pass through the security check again. In the summer season the queue can be long, so it is a poor trade for one cigarette. Plan your last one before you go through.
Do the airport lounges at Rhodes allow smoking?
No. Both lounges are inside the terminal and fall under the same indoor ban. A lounge pass gets you a seat, food and Wi-Fi, but not a place to smoke.
What are the penalties for smoking inside the terminal?
Greek anti-smoking law provides for fines on both the individual and the venue, and enforcement in airports is consistent. In practice you will be asked to stop immediately; do not treat the ban as a formality.
Can I buy cigarettes at Rhodes airport?
Yes, tobacco is sold in the duty free shops airside. Buying it does not give you anywhere to smoke it, so anything you buy is for after you land, subject to the allowance rules of your destination country.
Related: Rhodes Airport Departures · Rhodes Airport Terminal Guide · Rhodes Airport Lounges · Rhodes Airport Layover
