Looking for a great way to save money on cigars? The next time you’re traveling, head over to a duty-free cigar shop while you’re waiting at the airport. At duty-free shops, you can purchase cigars which are tax-exempt, and you can also access a selection that you might not be able to at home. This is also a chance to browse through regional and limited cigar releases. Not all duty-free cigar shops are on par with one another though; some are excellent, while others are not. Here are 5 of the best duty-free shops. Know another duty free shop with a great selection? Tell us about it in the comments area!
1. Dubai Duty Free
At the Dubai International Airport, you’ll encounter a number of duty-free cigar shops (including a La Casa del Habano). The selection is enormous, and you can find even fairly obscure cigars in the shops. They can be very crowded, though, so be ready for that, and don’t expect much out of customer service. Agents are spread thin, and most of them are not cigar experts. Do your research in advance and you should find plenty to choose from and outstanding prices. Dubai Duty Free has a very strong reputation, and you can trust your purchases.
2. Duty Free Liquor & Tobacco – Hong Kong
This duty-free shop in the Hong Kong International Airport is another one that has a reputation spanning the globe. The selection is huge, the staff is friendly and genuinely helpful, and the airport itself is a beautiful, world-class institution. This makes it an enjoyable place to spend some time shopping while you wait for your plane. The drawback is the prices. You may be able to find some obscure or regional cigars here that you can’t get at home, but it may be worth your while to check prices in town too, since the Hong Kong duty-free shop can be expensive. Sadly this is more and more a problem with duty-free shops everywhere.
3. Frankfurt Duty-Free: Terminal 1
There are several different duty-free shops in the Frankfurt Airport. Arguably, the best one is located in the B Area of Terminal 1. Customer service is very knowledgeable, and the selection is excellent. Moreover, the cigars here are actually well maintained in a humidor (some duty-free shops in other airports are not so great at keeping their cigars at the proper humidity level). There is an added convenience as well, which is that you can pre-order your duty-free cigars online. Do so up to 12 hours before your flight, and you get to enjoy a discount on your purchase. Your order will be waiting for you at the check-out counter when you arrive. This is great if you are in a rush!
4. Zurich Duty-Free
The Zurich Airport has a large duty-free zone with a wide selection of reasonably priced cigars. If you are a fan of Davidoff cigars, you will not want to miss the Davidoff shop there. This duty-free shop zone receives consistently positive reviews. While you will not likely find a lot of rare cigars here, you will find better prices than are available at many other more expensive duty-free shops around the world.
5. Tel Aviv
If you will be at the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, the duty-free shop is not to be missed. You will find a lot of older cigars here. The prices are not that low, but the discounts can be quite nice if you take advantage of their deals. The selection is better than average, but mold is a common problem. If you are asking someone else to buy you cigars on a trip to Israel, that could be a problem. If you are able to make the trip and examine them yourself though, you could get some excellent cigars at a low price.
Not Recommended
- Heathrow. The duty-free shop here has gone downhill. Cigars are very expensive and climate control is rather poor.
When shopping duty-free, remember:
- Do your research first. Make a list of cigars you are interested in, and check prices online to try and get a grasp for what a good deal is. That way you will not pay an exorbitant price for something on mistake.
- Check the duty-free shop’s cigar selection online if you can. Some shops even list prices, or let you pre-order and save money and time (like Frankfurt).
- Hunt for deals on bulk buys.
- Be wary of poor climate control. Inspect cigars carefully before purchasing.
On the whole, if you are going to shop duty-free, you should be aware that the prices are probably not going to be as low as you may be expecting. In fact, some duty-free shops may be more expensive than other options, usually because of their location (the Heathrow shop, for example; everything is expensive in the UK). You will save the most money shopping duty-free by taking advantage of deals like the one offered at Tel-Aviv. And you may find cigars for sale in duty-free shops that are hard or impossible to find in your own country.
Dubai Duty free tobacco is now fully taxed on arrival (100% of retail) however on departure is tax free
A friend of mine asked me to get him 100 Cohiba Mini and 25 Cohiba Panatelas. I was visiting Lebanon (my country) from Mexico. I had layovers in Munich and Istanbul so I checked the prices in their duty free but I was planning to buy the cigars in Beirut ( I knew that it’s the cheapest) and this is what I saw: In Mexico City the 100 Minis are for USD250 and I didn’t find the Panatelas. In Munich the 100 Minis are for €64 and I didn’t find the Panatelas. In Istanbul the 100 Minis are for €70 and the 25 Panatelas for €235. In Beirut the 100 Minis for USD50 and the 25 Panatelas for USD187 (The Panatelas were on sale. Original price is USD210). The cigars are at La Casa del Habano at Beirut Duty Free (departure and arrival).
The cigar shop at Dubai Duty-free has a wide selection of Cuban Cigars brands from Partagas, Cohiba and Montecristo to Cuban domestic market brands like Fonseca, Cuaba, Vegueros, Trinidad, Ramon Allones and Vegas Robaina.
Prices are quite reasonable e.g. 25 Box of Fonseca Delicias is around $80 USD
I recommend Beirut Duty Free for cigars (La Casa Del Habano) the owner Mr. Mohammad Zeidan is one of the tycoons in the cigar business for over 40 years, and he imports straight from the source, mainly Cuba. The quality, humidity and prices are excellent!
Guys the Singapore duty free terminal 3 has DFS Vintage located in Departure Transit Lounge, near Gate A, Level 2, Transit Area.
They have good selection of cuban cigars and few arturo fuente cigars as well. Prices are moderate.
Example: 1No. Partagas Deluxe Tubo is SGD $8
1No. Punch tubo is SGD $13
Arturo Fuente box of 858 10Nos. is SGD $95
RC, to be fair, I did not check the humidity in the HK airport Cigar room. Its a new room that opened early 2015.
Prior to that the cigars were in glass wall cabinets and humidity control was non existent.
In HK week of June 7th will take time to check the humidity and temperature and report back.
Hong Kong Duty free cigar prices are a total joke. I can buy retail cigars cheaper Japan than the duty free price in HK airport.
Suggest you check the prices of cigars at home before you are conned in HK. Pretty shocking prices.
Pity though as they have a fine humidified cigar room but they feel they can charge any price they want as they have captive customers.
EG
Monte Cristo No.4 HK$2540 = US$325.00 box of 25
Retail price in Tokyo US$10.00 each = US$250 box of 25
Can’t believe HK duty free are on the list!
Cigars there are in poor condition due to the unacceptable low humidity, price is even higher than most of the cigar shop at HK…
I doubt if the manager and staff there really know anything about cigar…
I strongly suggest you take this shop out from the list.
Hi,
Anyone with knowledge about the cigar prices at Zurich airport?
Best Regards
Can’t believe you missed Beirut Duty Free.
I have personally done the comparison myself, and I travel to Dubai monthly, and to Europe. There is no place better in terms of selection or pricing better than Beirut, unless you find something on promotion somewhere. You can also do the comparison online and check the prices.
Dubai as number one? No way. Its Beirut in Lebanon!
Beirut International has the best duty free for cigars and it’s also the biggest LCDH in the world. Best selection of new and old at the best prices. It’s also the first duty free to sell cigars.
Dubai’s selection is okay but the storage conditions are horrible! Cigars are over humidified. The staff has zero knowledge of cigars for the most part.
Indeed, believe it or not, Beirut is the best duty free for Aficionados! Better than Dubai, Frankfurt, Zürich and many others I have visited. And also the cheapest. They also have a second walkhumidor in the backside, full of vintage and limited edition cigars.
I would also suggest you to take a look at Beirut Duty Free.
Forgot to add: try Bahrain duty free instead of Dubai. Also, there is a LCDH in the Kuwait Airport, not in the duty free area. It’s small and prices are slightly high, but better than going without.
I have found CDG (Paris) and AMS (Amsterdam) not bad on pricing – relative to UK prices of course!! CDG seem to really look after their better cigars, Cuban and non-Cuban.
Agree: duty free as a whole isn’t the great marketplace it use to be. Still worth a look though. You never know what you might find.
Dubai is the only half decent Duty Free airport in my opinion.
Hong Kong was a great disappointment when I was there last month, especially when I discovered my 5 duty free cigars destined for Australia cost about 35% more than what my internet supplier charges. One is forewarned of course by the advertising hoardings assuring all and sundry that Hong Kong Duty Free will match downtown prices. What?
Like Cpt Bluebear states, Duty Free bargains are a thing of the past. And don’t get me started on Australian Duty Free stores.
Cheers
PC
A good one!
If I may, I suggest Beirut Duty Free: http://www.beirutdutyfree.com/l/168-cdh-tr
Good stuff!
Duty free shopping has really gone to the dogs in the last two decades.
When I was growing up any OS trip was time to load up on booze, tobacco, cameras, watches etc. Dad’s standard order was two bottles of Glenfiddich, a carton of Marlborough red and as many cubans as he could afford. I remember the thrill of going to the duty free stores as a kid. It was magic.
These days its nothing special. Hong Kong prices are strictly for those that don’t know any better and Singapore is just the last stop for booze and a couple of packets of Asian market cigarettes before you hit Oz. Dubai looks like a return to the good-old-days until you see the crowds and the prices. Heathrow has been crap since I first went though in the early ’80s. Duty free has become just another way to squeeze money out of bored travelers stuck in transit I’m afraid.
However, I have been told you can find some good stuff at more obscure airports. A mate says Reykjavik had a great selection of booze the last time he came through. Sadly carry on restrictions meant he couldn’t take advantage and he knows nothing of cigars!