Heathrow is a smoke-free airport under UK law, so you cannot smoke or vape anywhere inside the terminal buildings. Every terminal has a designated outdoor smoking and vaping area, but once you've cleared security, you cannot get back to one without leaving through passport control and going through security again. Checked 2026.
Heathrow's smoking policy
In line with UK law on smoking in enclosed public spaces, Heathrow does not allow smoking or vaping, including e-cigarettes, anywhere inside its terminal buildings. This applies landside (before security) and airside (after security) alike. The only place you can legally smoke or vape at Heathrow is in a designated outdoor area outside the terminal building, and Heathrow provides interactive maps on its own website to help you find the nearest one to your check-in desk or gate.
Landside smoking areas (before security)
All four terminals have outdoor smoking and vaping areas at ground level, outside the terminal building and before the security search. These are the areas most passengers use, whether they're smoking before check-in or seeing someone off. Because they're outside the building, you'll need to go back through security again afterwards if you want to return airside, so build the extra time into your schedule, especially at busy periods.
Airside smoking areas (after security)
Terminals 2 and 4 also have outdoor smoking terraces airside, accessible after you've cleared security, so you don't need to leave and re-clear security to use them. At Terminal 2, this is near Gate A1 on the ground floor; at Terminal 4, it's near the Gate 7 exit past the Burberry store. Terminals 3 and 5 only have landside smoking areas, so if you're departing from either of those terminals and want to smoke or vape after security, you won't be able to without leaving the departure lounge entirely.
If you're connecting through Heathrow
If you're on a connecting flight and want to smoke or vape during your layover, you can't do so during the connections process itself. To reach a smoking area, you would need to go through UK passport control (formally entering the UK, if your connection allows this) and then pass through security again to get back airside. This takes time and isn't guaranteed to fit within a short connection window, so factor this into your plans if smoking during a layover matters to you, and check Heathrow's own connections guidance for your specific itinerary before you commit to leaving the transit area.
E-cigarettes in hand luggage
If you're carrying e-cigarettes or vapes in your hand luggage, check with your airline about their rules before you travel, since airlines vary in what they allow on board and how vapes and spare batteries must be packed. This is separate from where you can physically smoke or vape at the airport, and applies regardless of which terminal you're flying from.
If you can't reach a smoking area
Given that Terminals 3 and 5 have no airside smoking area at all, and reaching one at T2 or T4 airside still means walking to a specific spot near a numbered gate, some passengers plan around the gap instead of trying to smoke right before boarding. Nicotine replacement products such as patches, gum and lozenges are widely available in UK airport pharmacies and are fine to carry in hand luggage, and many passengers find it easier to switch to one of these for a long-haul flight rather than timing a last cigarette or vape against the security queue.
Smoking areas are usually well signed, but ask if unsure
Heathrow marks its smoking and vaping areas with clear signage, and staff at any information desk or by the gate can point you to the nearest one if you can't find it on the airport's own maps. Because the exact layout changes slightly as terminals are refurbished, treat the general locations above as a starting point and confirm on the day if it matters to your schedule, particularly during a short connection.
At a glance by terminal
| Terminal | Landside (before security) | Airside (after security) |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal 2 | Yes, outdoor area at ground level | Yes, near Gate A1 |
| Terminal 3 | Yes, outdoor area at ground level | No airside smoking area |
| Terminal 4 | Yes, outdoor area at ground level | Yes, near the Gate 7 exit past Burberry |
| Terminal 5 | Yes, outdoor area at ground level | No airside smoking area |
For everything else on getting through security itself, see Heathrow's hand luggage rules, and for terminal-specific facilities more generally, see which terminal is my airline at Heathrow.
FAQs
Can you smoke inside Heathrow Airport?
No. Heathrow is a smoke-free airport under UK law, and smoking or vaping is banned everywhere inside the terminal buildings, both before and after security.
Does Heathrow have smoking areas after security?
Only at Terminals 2 and 4, which have airside outdoor smoking terraces you can reach without leaving the departure lounge. Terminals 3 and 5 only have landside smoking areas, before security.
Can I smoke during a layover at Heathrow?
Not during the connections process itself. To reach a smoking area, you would need to go through passport control and clear security again to get back airside, which takes time and may not be practical within a short connection.
Where is the smoking area at Heathrow Terminal 5?
Terminal 5 only has a landside smoking area, outside the terminal building before security. There is no airside smoking terrace at T5, so once you've cleared security you cannot smoke or vape until you land.
Can I vape at Heathrow Airport?
Vaping is treated the same as smoking under Heathrow's policy: it's only allowed in the designated outdoor smoking and vaping areas outside the terminal, never inside the building, landside or airside.