Forget the Eiffel Tower and Big Ben — luxury cigar lounges offer the international traveler a different, more robust cultural immersion. Visiting a lounge in an unknown city feels like being part of a secret club of regal gentlemen, whether you’re a Maduro guy (usually selected by experienced cigar smokers) or a first-timer in need of recommendations. Go solo or bring your travel companion (women like cigars too).
Be sure to pack a nice outfit to wear and puff away at these notorious lounges we love.
Capella Bar & Cigar Lounge (Dusseldorf)
Extravagant in the all best ways (hello zebra flooring!), Capella Bar and Cigar Lounge in Düsseldorf, Germany, transports you to a dim, rich space ripe for excess. You’re on vacation, after all. Go wild. Start by ordering a drink from the wood and black marble bar where the cocktail team is renowned for their drinks using unique and herbaceous ingredients like licorice, fennel, Himalayan salt, and Arabic spices — they even make a house celery vodka. Glass in hand, transition to the comfortable cigar lounge with leather flooring (yep, flooring) and posh wood paneling. Pick from a range of 124 Cuban and Dominican cigars fresh from the walk-in humidor.
The Kleber Cigar Lounge at The Peninsula Paris Hotel (Paris)
Enter through the ground floor of the ornate 19th-century hotel (only blocks away from the Eiffel Tower), pay the 150€ cover charge (around USD $185), and savor a cigar in the ultra-discreet and intimate atmosphere of The Kleber. If anyone argues that this experience lacks culture, tell them the two ceiling paintings in the lounge were restored by Cinzia Pasquali, famous for preserving the works of Leonardo da Vinci at the Louvre and working at the Palace of Versailles. The Kelber offers a relaxed space to chat with fellow travelers, locals, and cigar sommeliers, something you won’t get crowding around the Mona Lisa. A regular traveler to The Peninsula? The Kleber will reserve an exclusive cigar storage cabinet for you. Dress code: “smart casual.”
Lone Wolf Cigar Company & Lounge (Los Angeles)
This full-service smoking lounge is a cigar paradise created so the “lone wolf smoker” can a temporary pack (the lounge is a private club with yearly membership fees, but offers a day pass in the form of $50 worth of cigars). Expect to find high-level Los Angeles executives taking a break from the run-around, some on their computers working with a stogie in paw. That’s because Long Wolf makes you want to stay, with authentic turn-of-the-century décor jotted with modern notes, rich leather chairs, deep emerald walls, concrete floors, and high ceilings. The knowledgeable staff — connoisseurs both locally and from around the world — is waiting to help you hand-select a cigar and accessories. Love it so much you plan on returning? Get one of the large Spanish cedar storage lockers for your personal collection and return anytime. It’s like stepping into a vintage 1890s cigar lounge … but with Wi-Fi. Which every man needs.
The Wellesley Knightsbridge Cigar Terrace (London)
Step out to the heated cigar terrace of the luxury Wellesley Knightsbridge hotel in London for a cigar that is truly one of a kind. The Wellesley offers limited-edition Bolivar cigars, along with Montecristo, Cohiba, etc. The private terrace adorned with inviting leather seats is open-air, yet shielded by a vine-covered wall with built-in fireplace. The in-house humidor specialist, Giuseppe Ruo, is always on hand with his expert team to make the selection process as fun as Christmas morning. Looking for an educational experience? Take a two- to three-hour Cigar and Cognac Experience class on the terrace to better understand the art that many forget is ingrained in the ritual of sip and smoke.
The Cigar Lounge at The Address Downtown (Dubai)
The Cigar Lounge at Dubai’s Address Downtown hotel is like being in a king’s spaceship. The curved lounge opens up to views of the glowing skyline and Burj Khalifa (the world’s tallest building, for the time being) while the stocked humidor houses some of the most sought-after, limited-edition cigars, particularly from Cuba and South America. The Lounge’s portfolio tops out at about 40 brands. But don’t just smoke — order one of the many exotic appetizers like the Arabic mezze, caviar, or a light dessert to balance the flavors of your cigar. Here you’ll cross smoke with heirs to supercar fortunes and men richer than should be humanly possible.
