Gate-side Aelia Duty Free in Terminal A
Aelia Duty Free sits airside in Terminal A at Warsaw Chopin, right after central security, so you basically walk through it on the way to most Schengen gates. It’s the main stop for tax-free liquor, perfume and last‑minute gifts before flights on LOT and other carriers out of A.
Liquor promos here often undercut city-centre prices by a few euros on 1L bottles of vodka and whisky, and they lean hard into Polish brands like Żubrówka and Chopin. Cigarettes and rolling tobacco are behind the counter, with posted duty-free allowances for EU vs non‑EU flights if you’re not sure what you can carry.
Cosmetics take up a big chunk of floor space, with big names like Dior, Chanel and Estée Lauder lined up in separate branded corners. Travel-size skincare sits near the front, so you can grab a 50 ml moisturizer or 100 ml perfume without worrying about the 100 ml liquids rule you just cleared at security.
Food-wise, you’ll see rows of Wedel chocolate, Krówki caramels and pierniki gingerbread boxes, many under PLN 30, plus standard travel snacks and multipacks of gum. They also stock Polish vodkas in gift boxes and small 100 ml minis, which fit easily into a laptop bag without wrecking your carry-on weight.
It’s usually open from early morning departures through the last evening bank of flights; figure roughly 05:00 until around the final LOT long-haul push. If you care about price comparisons, snap a photo of shelf tags and decide at your next duty free; lines can spike to 10–15 minutes right before big wave departures, so shop just after security instead of right before boarding.