The Flight
Check-in & Preparation
Ballooning is one of the best things to do in Florence and we’re excited to be part of your trip. Once you have booked your hot air balloon ride with us, we will send you a confirmation of the flight. The night before your scheduled ballooning experience, we will send you a message confirming the exact takeoff location and takeoff time, this varies as the sun rises earlier or later during different times of the year, but as a rule of thumb, we take off with the sunrise, so expect to be early!
You can arrive about 30 minutes before your hot air ballooning flight and watch the preparation, the keen photographer will have the best time, because here is where you can see these majestic beasts slowly inflating, as the flames dance in the sunrise. Remember that it is always very important to arrive at least 10 minutes before the scheduled flight, and carry the voucher or the email booking on your mobile phone.
The Hot Air Balloon Flight
When you arrive on the field, you will be directed to your ballooning experience by our crew. Once the hot air balloon is inflated and the pilot says it is safe to do so, you will be asked to get into the basket, it does include a little bit of gymnastics to get inside the basket, and we’re there to help you. Once safely inside the basket, your pilot will give you a full briefing and explain what you should expect during the fight and landing. We then take off and you will enjoy our beautiful planet from the sky for about one hour. Don’t forget to take as many pictures of your ballooning experience as you can, unleash the photographer in you!
The Landing
Your pilot will prepare you for the landing. This is a really enjoyable part of the hot air ballooning experience, it’s different every time, it can be very gentle, or you could have a mild adrenaline shot, it all depends on the wind on that specific day. Our crew will always warn you ahead if it will be a bit bumpy, we’ve done it many times before! Remember that the hot air balloon ride is safe, ballooning is a safe form of transport, so you can be confident to have a safe adventure with us. This truly is one of the best things to do in Florence Italy!
Breakfast Time
After the flight, as the pilot and his crew put away the hot air balloon, you can enjoy a rich and tasty breakfast with local products. It comes without saying that we will cheer with some bubbles! Our post flight breakfast is one of the best in Italy, we serve only the highest quality produce, from a wonderful bakery that you are likely to fly over during your ballooning experience.
Going Back to the Cars
As a hot air balloon cannot be steered, we cannot guarantee where we will land, so we make sure you can get back to your car safely. We will go back together to the take-off field, where the cars are parked. However, if you have a private driver, they can pick you up directly at the landing area and take you back to your accommodation, or begin a day of adventure in the Chianti!
Thank You!
Hot air ballooning is a magical way to fly and there is a lot of work and preparation behind the scenes of every single flight. Ballooning in Italy is an amazing adventure and we want to thank our crew, without whom none of this would be possible. Thank you for choosing us as one of the things to do in Florence!
The UpBallooning Team
