Bucket list experience:
Tuscany, Italy
Tuscany is famed for its timeless, rolling landscapes, dotted with ancient villages, farmhouses and castles. Silently drifting 1,000-2,000 feet above them in a hot-air balloon offers a unique and all-encompassing perspective to truly appreciate them, that you just don’t get from the ground.
Flights last about an hour, then it’s back down to earth for a hearty breakfast and glass of Prosecco.
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Destination Guide >Flights depart at dawn (6am in high summer) from various points in Tuscany including Montisi (Val d’Orcia), Cortona, Colle Val d’Elsa and Siena. You’ll need to get yourself to the departure point; most hotels can arrange transfers if you don’t have a hire car.
Baskets carry up to 12, though for an exclusive experience, private flights in a smaller balloon can be arranged. No children under seven, or under 137cm, are allowed to fly, and under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.
Wear trainers or similar (no sandals) and layers of clothing; it can be chilly at dawn even in the summer.
The ballooning season runs roughly from late spring to early autumn with daily flights. Departures are at dawn when there are no thermal currents. In bad weather, flights will be cancelled.
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Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first
San Quirico d'Orcia, Tuscany, Italy
One of the best thermal spa resorts in Tuscany, surrounded by the glorious Val d’Orcia, with superb facilities including a huge indoor-outdoor pool complex with waters heated to a natural 37°C.
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Casabianca, Tuscany, Italy
A long-established agriturismo located in a glorious setting just outside lovely old San Quirico in the Val d’Orica. A working organic farm run by the ninth generation of a family.
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Pignano, Tuscany, Italy
A beautifully-renovated 18th-century villa and its surrounding hamlet, set on a 750-acre estate in the middle of rural Tuscany.
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Tuscany, Italy
A rambling luxe retreat set in a timeless Tuscan landscape of vineyards and olive groves; it’s also a working wine estate producing award-winning vintages.
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Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
Tuscany, Italy
The astonishingly beautiful region of Tuscany has it all: art cities and ancient hill towns, high mountains and long sandy beaches, alongside luxurious hotels and some of Italy’s best food and wine.
