The new laws ban smoking in restaurants and bars that don't have separate smoking rooms. But the precise guidelines vary widely from state to state with Bavaria having the toughest restrictions, which include a smoking ban in beer tents. Violators can face fines of up to €  2,500.
Germany's legislation is piecemeal: a ban on smoking in all public buildings, including bars, restaurants and nightclubs, applies from January 1 in eight of the country's 16 federal states. Three of the remaining states have already brought in the ban, whilst the remaining five states will follow suit between February and July 2008. (pi)