Are cigarettes cheaper in Benidorm, at the airport or on the plane?
Dear Brenda
I'm heading out in February and want to bring tobacco back for myself and some for my father-in-law. Is it cheaper to buy in the resort, at Alicante duty free on the way home, or on the plane? Is the stuff in the shops genuine? And how much am I actually allowed to bring back to the UK these days?
For a February trip, buy yours and your father-in-law's in a licensed tabac in town, and treat Alicante duty free as a top-up only. Duty free was a little cheaper in 2026, about €5 less on 200 cigarettes and €73.68 against €77.50 for five 50g pouches of Amber Leaf, but it can sell out, the queue eats your time, and the plane trolley often runs short. Yes, the tabacs (estancos) are state-licensed and sell the genuine brands, the same ones you see at the airport. As for the allowance, GOV.UK says each adult aged 17 or over can bring 200 cigarettes or 250g of tobacco into Great Britain, or half of each, and you can't pool allowances, so your 250g has to cover you and your father-in-law. Go over it and you pay duty on the whole lot, not just the extra.
Who the regulars recommend
- Licensed tabacs on Avenida del Mediterráneo and round the indoor marketGenuine brands, always your brand in stock, and the regulars' first choice when the price gap with the airport is this small.
- Eurotabac shops in townNamed by 2025 visitors for keen pouch prices, including smaller 30g pouches that worked out cheaper per gram. Check it's still trading.
- Expendeduría No. 15, by the indoor marketA 2026 visitor priced most brands of 200 cigarettes at about £60 to £70 here. Check it's still open.
- Alicante airport duty free, departuresUsually about €5 cheaper on 200 cigarettes than town, if your brand is in and you have time.
- The tabac on Avenida del Mediterráneo, Hotel Belroy side, towards the Old TownRecommended in 2025 for cigars, from small ones at about €9 up to Cohibas.
Watch out for
- Don't leave it all to the departures shop: it can run out of popular brands, and queues eat into a tight connection.
- The 10- and 15-pouch bundles sold on board are well over one person's 250g allowance; duty is charged on the whole lot.
- Allowances can't be pooled, so tobacco for someone at home comes out of your own 250g.
- Nothing is sold in the Alicante arrivals hall, so you can't stock up when you land.
- Check the smoke-free signs on Levante and Poniente; a dropped cigarette end can bring a litter fine of up to €750.
Resort, airport or plane: which is cheapest?
Alicante duty free, usually, but only by a few euros. In 2026 one visitor priced five 50g pouches of Amber Leaf at €77.50 in town and €73.68 at Alicante duty free, and another put the airport about €5 cheaper on 200 cigarettes. In 2025, ten 50g pouches of Golden Virginia were €150 in town and €142.50 at the airport. Alicante also beats the UK: in 2026 a visitor paid £104 for 250g of Amber Leaf at Manchester duty free against €76 at Alicante. Plane prices are in pounds and some visitors find them the cheapest of all, but the bundles sold on board, such as 15 pouches for about £190 in 2026, are three times one person's allowance.
Is the tobacco in the town shops genuine?
Yes. The tabacs, or estancos, are licensed by the Spanish state and sell the same brands as the airport. Regulars buy there without complaint, and there are several along Avenida del Mediterráneo and around the indoor market. One money-saving tip from 2025 and 2026: smaller 30g pouches have worked out cheaper per gram than the 50g ones, so compare the shelf before you buy. The tabacs also sell cigars, from about €9 each up to about €75 for a Cohiba in 2025.
How much can I bring back to the UK?
200 cigarettes or 250g of tobacco per adult, or half of each, such as 100 cigarettes and 125g. That is the GOV.UK allowance for arrivals in Great Britain, which we checked on 15 October 2026. Five 50g pouches is exactly 250g. You can't add someone else's allowance to yours, so tobacco for a relative at home has to fit inside your own, and it must be a genuine gift. If you go over, duty is charged on everything in that category, and goods can be seized, so a few euros saved can cost you far more.
Can I buy when I land, or leave it to the flight home?
Not when you land: in 2025 visitors reported that nothing is sold in the Alicante arrivals hall. So you buy in town during your stay or in departures on the way home. Regulars warn against relying on departures: the shop can run out of popular brands, it gets busy, and if your flight is tight you may not have time. Several buy in town and pack it in the suitcase, which also saves carrying it through the airport.
Where can I smoke?
Not everywhere. Since July 2024 there are smoke-free areas on Levante and Poniente beaches, so check the signs before you light up. Cigarette ends dropped on the sand count as litter, a minor offence with a fine of up to €750. Indoors, smoking is not allowed in Spanish bars and restaurants, and on terraces the rules have been tightening, so follow the signs at each bar.
What the regulars say
- Buy in town if your brand matters; duty free and the plane can run out.
- Compare 30g and 50g pouches on the shelf; the smaller ones have been cheaper per gram.
- Pack what you buy in town in the suitcase rather than carrying it through the airport.
- Stock up before Christmas and New Year; tabac opening hours vary over the holidays.
- Take your ends with you; parts of Levante and Poniente are smoke-free.
The numbers
| What | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| UK allowance per adult (17+), arriving in Great Britain | 200 cigarettes or 250g tobacco, or half of each | GOV.UK, checked 15 Oct 2026 |
| Amber Leaf, 5 × 50g, in town | €77.50 | visitor reports, 2026 |
| Amber Leaf, 5 × 50g, Alicante duty free | €73.68 | visitor reports, 2026 |
| Amber Leaf, 250g, Manchester duty free | £104 | visitor reports, 2026 |
| L&B Silver, 200, in town | €77.50 | visitor reports, 2026 |
| Golden Virginia, 10 × 50g, town / Alicante | €150 / €142.50 | visitor reports, 2025 |
| Cigars in the tabacs | about €9 to €75 each | visitor reports, 2025 |
| Beach litter fine, including cigarette ends | up to €750 | benidorm.co.uk/practical, checked 14 Oct 2026 |
Reader figures are what visitors reported in that year. We have not checked them ourselves unless the source says so.
Your other questions, answered
2026Is it cheaper in town, at the airport or on the plane?
Alicante duty free, usually, by a few euros: €73.68 against €77.50 for five 50g pouches of Amber Leaf in 2026. The plane can be keen but the trolley often runs out.
2026How much are 200 L&B or B&H in the tabacs?
A 2026 visitor paid €77.50 for 200 L&B Silver in town. Duty free was about €5 cheaper per 200.
2026What's Amber Leaf costing at Alicante airport?
€73.68 for five 50g pouches in 2026, and another visitor paid €76. That's well under the £104 one visitor paid at Manchester.
2025Has airport tobacco gone up since the UK Budget?
Duty-free prices aren't set by UK Budget tax changes, though they still rise. Golden Virginia was €142.50 for ten 50g pouches at Alicante in 2025.
2025How much Golden Virginia can I bring home?
250g per adult, which is five 50g pouches. Bring more and you pay duty on all of it (GOV.UK, checked 15 Oct 2026).
2025Where can I find a decent cigar?
The licensed tabacs sell them, from about €9 up to about €75 for a Cohiba in 2025. Regulars point to one on Avenida del Mediterráneo, on the Hotel Belroy side, towards the Old Town.
2024Are the tobacconists open over Christmas?
Don't count on it: opening varies over Christmas and New Year. Stock up before the bank holidays.
2024Can I smoke outside on the beach or a terrace?
Not in the marked smoke-free areas of Levante and Poniente, which started in July 2024. On bar terraces, follow each bar's signs.
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Check your allowance before you buy, and you'll sail through at the other end.
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