Poland has prohibited smoking in enclosed public spaces, including bars and clubs, since 2010. The only exception is a fully separated, dedicated smoking room with independent ventilation, which is a substantial and expensive piece of construction rather than a corner with an ashtray.
This applies to vaping and heated tobacco products in most venues as well, and it is enforced. Visitors from countries with looser rules are regularly caught out.
Why Cellars Are a Particular Case
A vaulted underground room is exactly the kind of space where a compliant smoking room is hardest to build. There is no straightforward route for independent ventilation, and the structure is usually protected, which limits what can be altered.
The practical result across Krakow's Old Town cellar venues is that smoking generally means going up to street level.
What This Means for Your Evening
If you smoke, expect to leave the room and go up the stairs, and factor that into a winter evening when the temperature outside is well below zero.
Please call us to ask about the current arrangements at our venue specifically rather than assuming either way. We would rather tell you plainly on the phone than have you discover it at midnight in January.
Consideration for Other Guests
Whatever the arrangements, the ordinary courtesies apply: do not smoke in doorways where everyone has to walk through it, and be mindful that a private salon is a shared space with people who may not smoke.
Cigarette ends belong in the receptacles provided rather than on a medieval street.
Frequently asked questions
Can you smoke inside bars and clubs in Poland?
No. Smoking in enclosed public spaces has been prohibited since 2010, with the only exception being a fully separated dedicated room with independent ventilation.
Does the ban cover vaping?
Most venues apply the same restriction to e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products as to conventional smoking. Assume it does unless told otherwise.
Is there a smoking area at your venue?
Please call and ask about our current arrangements. Cellar venues face particular difficulties building a compliant smoking room, so we would rather tell you plainly than have you assume.
What do people generally do at Old Town cellar clubs?
Typically they go up to street level. It is worth bearing in mind on a winter evening, when the temperature difference is considerable.
Is the ban actually enforced?
Yes. Penalties fall on both the individual and the venue, so staff will ask you to stop rather than overlook it.