Smoking in Madrid

Glad to hear your Romania-Hungary-Spain trip's been good. We had a great time in Madrid about a year ago (November 2013), and frankly it seemed that Rome the year before had a greater prevalence of smokers on the street, and also in one bar that had a prominent "No Smoking by Law" sign on the front door. None of the customers inside were smoking, but the woman behind the bar was a chainsmoker. We finished our drinks and left.

Marlboro definitely had a presence in Madrid, too, though. The smokiest gauntlet we had to walk through was early evening, outside the eateries on Calle de la Cava Baja with 20- to 30-year olds smoking like their lives depended on it. Smoked ham is one thing, but smoking and jamón is something completely different!

If you enjoy the Prado, while you're in Madrid, be sure to check out the Thyssen-Bornemisza museum - a real gem with a surprizingly great art collection. Rick's guidebook mentions this museum, but doesn't mention that it's free on Monday afternoons, financed by MasterCard. We went on a Tuesday and paid; not sure whether the free days are packed with bargain-seekers.

I visited Madrid for the first time in March 2014. I found that you could not walk outside the hotels, metro or restaurants without avoiding the population that smokes. Everyone taking a break from their job just about smokes outside their work place. I stayed at a non smoking hotel. But I was not used to the second hand smoke which I could not avoid constantly on a daily basis while visiting.
I enjoyed both art museums and took a day trip to Toledo which I loved.

Thumbing thru my 2013 Rick Steves' Spain book, the only smoking refence I found was at the front, under general dining information, and he suggests that at both bars and restaurants, since smoking's not permitted inside, no one would be bothered by smoke in those establishments.

Smoking is more prevalent in Europe than the US which is approaching a total ban in public areas. The movement is slowly catching on in Europe as I see more and more bans each year. But it is something you need to be aware of and prepared to deal with if it is a major concern of yours. Not sure of the significance of smoking/non-smoking being addressed in a guide book other than to let you know that you are not in Kansas anymore.

I don't believe the books provide much more coverage than that mentioned above, since the indoor smoking issue has improved so much across the European Union in recent years. Smoking that used to be allowed inside restaurants, bars, trains, and train stations has now moved outside. Outdoor dining, sitting in a public square, or opening your hotel window can still be smoky experiences.

"Outdoor dining, sitting in a public square, or opening your hotel window can still be smoky experiences."

. . . so can trying to walk into or out of a restaurant, pub, or other building. Especially if it's raining, in Ireland, Spain, or wherever, there will be a cluster of 2 to 5 people huddled right outside the door, getting their nicotine fix, and you may have to fight your way through that bunch on your way in or out.

Smoking in Spain is done by less than 30% of the adult population, even if it doesn't seem that way in some places. The legislation was last tightened indoors in 2011, with some really draconian fines for allowing it - if these were ever used.

Does it really matter what Rick Steves has to say about smoking? Although he probably uses a politically-correct vape pen to enjoy (legally) his weed in WA State and avoid offending those who do not smoke (tobacco or marijuana). Rick is a guide book writer

Let's be real… Much of Europe has made significant strides at curtailing smoking inside most establishments and there have been huge improvements since 40 years ago when you claim you did not notice all the smoking (really? how did you miss the people smoking in their seats in-flight on TWA until those tiny little ashtrays built into the seat arms were chock full of butts after 6 to 10 hours of flight time?).

Agree with Wonderful on this one. There is also a certain amount of irony when some of these non-smokers who so vocally complain about people smoking a cigarette outdoors then think nothing of getting in their giant SUV to drive a quarter of a mile to pick up a gallon of milk. It certainly seems a little dramatic to say "80% or more of the population smokes" or you have to "fight your way" through a "cluster of 2-5 people" just to enter a bar or restaurant when a simple "excuse me" (in the local language of course) might get them to step aside for the 3.5 seconds it takes to pass them. Never fear… Europe will eventually get on board with the "no smoking within X-number of meters of the door", and then you can give the offending parties the stink-eye as you pass by them on the sidewalk or curb further down the block.

It's ironic to have to ask someone to excuse you when they're the one blocking ingress and egress that they're not supposed to be obstructing while smoking in a no-smoking zone. And the jet planes that most of us are using to travel to Europe spew lots of emissions - so we're all contributing at some level, but not all of it's tobacco.

I'm totally with the OP on this one...I just got back from Madrid, Granada, and Sevilla, and I couldn't believe how much smoking there was. Even in "non-smoking" hotels! People opened the window and thought that was okay. As soon as we stepped off the 2.5 hour train from Seville to Madrid, people lit up literally as they were stepping off the train. Forget about sitting outside because you will reek of cigarettes and be inhaling it throughout your entire dinner. And even just walking around, you will constantly be behind someone leaving a trail of smoke behind them. It's everywhere and unavoidable.

I really find it ironic that Europe is considered so health-conscious (they pioneered the ban on plastic bags, the move toward slow, organic food, etc.) and yet it seems like almost everyone smokes. It really bothered me and my husband during our entire trip because it affects US. If someone drinks, it doesn't affect others unless they drive or get aggressive. If someone eats unhealthily, it doesn't affect me unless you factor in healthcare costs. But if someone smokes, everyone around them has to breathe in second-hand smoke, and it gets really old after a while. Two of the three hotels I stayed in smelled like smoke and when I asked the front desk, they said it's non-smoking but "we can't control what people do." Actually, you can--fine them if you smell smoke after they leave, or if you see ashes.

As much as the smoking bothered me, I tried to remember it's "cultural" and that we do things that must drive Europeans crazy, too. And plenty of Americans smoke. But it really was EVERYWHERE. I really, really, really appreciate the indoor ban because it's so unhealthy for servers/bartenders and for other patrons. But smokers basically ruin outdoor seating for the rest of us, and even just walking down the street becomes an exercise in secondhand-smoking. Unfortunately, it is so ubiquitous that I don't think it's going anywhere anytime soon. :-(

Regarding the side discussion about pollution. Of course it's worse to pollute our earth with SUVs and such, but that's a completely different issue. We Americans trail Europe in being earth-conscious (I visited Germany in 2003 and they had already started charging for plastic bags, whereas I feel that will never fly here). But that's a whole other issue and can't be compared to smoking. Plus, it's not a matter of "live and let live" with smoking because as other posters mentioned, their smoking directly affects me. My husband and I decided we could no longer sit outside in Europe because we would quickly be enveloped in smoke (we dine al fresco all the time in the US and rarely have a problem). Yes, it's smokers' rights to smoke outside, but it shouldn't be allowed near doorways--just 2 days ago, I walked out of Santa Justa train station in Seville and within a foot or two, I was hit in the face with cigarette smoke. Ditto for several restaurants I went to--smokers sat outside and the smoke just drifted indoors. There are lots of health and environmental issues in which we're the slow ones to adapt, but I think the US is way ahead of Europe on this one issue--we're moving in the right direction by restricting smoking, which immediately affects way more people than just the smoker.