Smoking in Czech pubs: the 2017 ban, terraces and what about vaping

Until 2017 a night in a Czech pub ended with your clothes in the wash and your hair needing one too. Then the law changed, the grumbling started, and the smoke-free pub turned into just another part of the evening. Politicians have floated softening it more than once. It has held.

Here is what the rules say, where you can smoke and how to avoid an awkward moment with the waiter.

The basic rule

Since 31 May 2017, Czech law has banned smoking in the indoor areas of venues serving food and drink: restaurants, pubs, bars, cafés and the like. The same law covers e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products. In plain terms, you cannot smoke or vape at the table inside.

The duty sits with the venue. The operator has to enforce the ban and can be fined if it does not, and the Czech Trade Inspection Authority (ČOI) is among the bodies that can inspect.

Where you can smoke

Outdoors is the answer. Many venues allow smoking on the terrace or in the garden, but the operator makes the call. Some ban it outright, others mark a corner. Look for the sign, or just ask. Other places have their own restrictions, including public transport vehicles and many indoor public spaces; the Ministry of Health publishes the details.

Why you keep reading that it may come back

The ban has been a political football. Some owners complained of lost custom when it began, and proposals to let certain pubs allow smoking surfaced afterwards. Each time they stalled or failed. When a headline says smoking "may return to pubs", look at the date and the source, then check the current law, not the headline. For what an ordinary evening looks like, read how a Czech pub works.

What it means for you

Visitors. Don't light up inside, even if someone else seems to be getting away with it. Staff will ask you, politely, to step out.

Residents. Learn which terraces permit smoking. If you don't smoke, the clean interior is one of the better recent changes to pub life.

On a terrace. Sit away from tables where people are eating, and keep the smoke away from them. If the terrace is thick with smokers and you aren't one, ask for a table inside.

Beer gardens are where smokers and non-smokers mix most, so see beer gardens in Prague. For manners generally, our guide to Czech etiquette is a good companion. And if the evening involves a pint, how Czechs drink their beer sets the scene.

Vaping

The 2017 law treats e-cigarettes and heated tobacco like cigarettes in the places it covers. Plenty of visitors assume vaping is exempt and are surprised when a waiter asks them to stop. Outdoors, treat vaping as you would smoking: check the venue's policy.

Age and sales

You must be 18 to buy tobacco, and shops can ask for proof of age. See also our note on the drinking age in the Czech Republic.

If the rule is broken

Fines can fall on the venue, and on individuals who ignore a ban. I don't quote amounts, which are set by law and change; the Ministry of Health or ČOI can tell you the current ones.

How we got here

Czechia was among the last EU countries to ban indoor smoking in pubs. For years it was up to the owner, and many chose to allow it. Proposals to ban it failed in parliament more than once before the law took effect in 2017.

Frequently asked questions

Can I smoke in a Czech pub?

Not indoors. Since 31 May 2017, smoking and vaping are banned indoors in restaurants, pubs and bars. Terraces are the usual alternative.

Does the ban cover e-cigarettes?

Yes, it covers e-cigarettes and heated tobacco as well as cigarettes.

Is smoking allowed on terraces?

Usually, unless the venue says otherwise. Check the signs or ask.

Will smoking return to pubs?

Proposals have appeared from time to time, but the ban has stayed in place. Check the current law, not an old headline.

This is a general explainer, not legal or tax advice.