Frequently asked questions

Balloon flights require light wind conditions, good visibility, stable air and no precipitation!

All year round, seven days a week! The flights are early in the morning or late in the day, shortly before sunset. It is at these times that we have the optimal conditions for this activity. Check here flight times according to the season.

From April to the end of October, our flights operate in Lake Geneva region (Geneva, Lausanne, Rolle and Yverdon-Les-Bains), from Fribourg region and the Alps.
From November to March we take off from Château d’Oex and Gstaad area.

The exact location of the flight is chosen based on weather conditions and regulations. Feel free to tell us about your favorite flying region so that we can, as far as possible, satisfy you at best. Visit our map for more details.

In general, the flight lasts an average of one hour. However, it takes three to four hours for the whole adventure.

The Adventure flight offers two hours of flight and takes six hours of your time.

It all depends on the direction and speed of the winds. The balloon is the only aircraft to navigate according to the wind. The average distance traveled during a flight varies between 12 and 18 kilometers.

Nothing in particular. However, we recommend natural fibers for clothes and walking shoes. In general, an outfit similar to the one you would use for hiking.

Anyone wishing to fly in a hot air balloon must be able to stand up for the duration of the flight. Unfortunately, we cannot accept pregnant women, people with heart problems or anyone who has had a recent surgery. In case you have a doubt, consult your doctor. People under the influence of alcohol or drugs will not be able to board.

Très certainement votre appareil photo… Et votre bonne humeur ! 🙂

Absolutely if you wish to do so! Your pilot will encourage you to help setting everything up and preparing the hot air balloon! Our team will be there to brief you on what needs to be done!

Not necessarily, the temperatures at normal altitudes aren’t very different from the ones at ground level.

Very few people who normally suffer from vertigo have this kind of issue when they are flying in a hot air balloon. Vertigo normally happens when there is a connection between the ground and where you are (the Eiffel Tower, a ladder, a chair, etc.). When you fly, you aren’t connected to the ground, therefore there is very little chance you would suffer from vertigo.

Sometimes we fly just skimming the trees, sometimes at more than 6000 feet. But usually, the hot air balloon stays between 500 and 4000 feet.

There is no minimum age to fly in a hot air balloon. Our passengers must be at least 1m20 (4 feet) tall. Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

They are welcome to participate to the preparation of the balloon and can follow our vehicle with their own car to the landing spot.

We will communicate the meeting point address and time by text message on your mobile phone either on the day of the flight, if you’re flying in the evening, or the day before if it is a morning flight. If you don’t receive our text, we ask you to give us a call between 1.30pm and 2.30pm CET if your flight is in the evening or the day before between 6 and 7pm CET if your flight is in the morning. If the forecast isn’t good enough to fly, we will reschedule the flight with you.

Once you’ve made the payment which activate your boarding ticket, we invite yo​u to check our availability on the calendar. You can then fill in the online request form to schedule your flight. You will then receive an email confirmation with all the details. You can also send us an email at booking@ballons-du-leman.ch

You can either do it online by clicking on the buy a ticket page, or you can simply call our office. The flights can be paid by credit card, cash or bank transfer. If you chose to pay by bank transfer, we will send you our bank details by email or post.

Yes, all our flights are celebrated with champagne, juices and other soft drinks after the flight. We also serve nibbles to go with the drinks.

Unfortunately, that is not possible. It is up to the pilot to decide if the weather conditions are good to operate the flight, which means when the air is stable, there is no rain and there is a light wind.

If the weather conditions are too bad to do the flight, we will reschedule it for another date. It happens on very rare occasions that we have to cancel the flight at the last moment, sometimes even just before taking off. Security comes first, and we don’t compromise on that.

Our balloons have different size and capacity but always have a human scale. Our smallest balloons welcome from 2 to 4 passengers, the medium size ones can fit up to 8 passengers and our largest balloons have a capacity of 12 to 14 people.

That is not a problem. As long as you contact us at least 48 hours before the date of the flight. The ticket will be considered as used if the flight was cancelled after this deadline or in case of no-show.

Statistics prove it: hot air ballooning is one of the safest air sports there is. Security is our first priority and we will not do any compromise on it.

No worries. You can buy a validity extension of 24 months for your ticket.

In that case, don’t hesitate to drop us an email or give us a call.