On the street, yes. In a public park or garden, no — since a regulatory change that took effect on 29 June 2025 and caught a lot of regulars off guard. From there, the rules shift depending on whether a terrace is open or enclosed, and whether you're talking about smoking or vaping.
The street is still fine
No law bans smoking while walking down a Paris street: it's the one part of this that stays simple.
Parks and gardens are now smoke-free spaces
A decree published on 28 June 2025, in force the very next day, bans smoking in public parks and gardens, on beaches in season, at bus shelters, and near schools. This national rule covers Paris's own gardens too, including the Luxembourg or the Tuileries: lighting a cigarette on a park bench is now an offense, with a fine that can run from €135 to €750.
Open terraces are fine, enclosed ones aren't
A café or restaurant terrace that's open on at least one side, with no wall or awning closing the space off completely, counts as outdoors, so smoking there is fine. Once it's closed off like an indoor room, it falls back under the indoor smoking ban.
Public transport is a complete no
The metro, RER, buses, and their covered platforms all fall under the ban on smoking in enclosed spaces, in force since the anti-smoking decrees of the 2000s.
Vaping follows different rules
E-cigarettes aren't covered by the same ban as tobacco: vaping stays banned in schools, enclosed public transport, and shared enclosed workplaces, but nothing so far suggests it's banned in Paris's parks the way smoking now is. A stricter local rule is still possible, so it's worth checking on the spot if unsure.
Venues can be fined too
A terrace operator who enables the offense, say by letting people smoke indoors, risks a fine of their own, usually higher than the smoker's.
Tips
The change most likely to catch a visitor from elsewhere off guard is the park ban: something as casual as lighting a cigarette on the grass at the Jardin du Luxembourg is now an offense. When in doubt about a terrace, one glance settles it: if it's fully enclosed like a room, it counts as indoors.
