My Review Of The Best Ljubljana Hot Air Balloon Tour

I had booked with Manawa for outdoor activities on my travels before, so they were my first stop in my search for a hot air balloon tour in Ljubljana.

I came across this tour and saw that while it was quite new to Manawa, the reviews it did have were all 5 star reviews. But… me being me, I had to do a bit more research. So I checked out the company (Balonarski Center Barje) reviews on Trip Advisor just to be sure.

Established in 1995, Balonarski Center Barje is a small family run business. They are Air Operated Certified (AOC), which is a certificate issued by the Slovenian Civil Aviation Agency which allows them to conduct public transport with hot air balloons.

While we flew out of and around Ljubljana, the capital city of Slovenia, they also do hot air balloon tours around Lake Bled.

In Europe, balloon operations are covered by EASA rules, including pilot responsibilities for the safety of passengers on board. Slovenia’s civil aviation authority also includes ballooning in its aviation safety work and has flagged the main risks as things like obstacle collisions and abnormal landings, which is exactly why weather checks, route planning, and pilot judgement matter so much.

The main thing to know is that ballooning is far more weather-dependent than most tourist activities. If the wind is too strong, conditions are unstable, or visibility isn’t good enough, the flight will be delayed or cancelled.

And yes, that can be mildly annoying when you’re the one who got up at an ungodly hour for a sunrise flight (like I did for my Cappadocia balloon flight…. 3 times), but it’s also reassuring. A company that cancels due to bad weather conditions is doing exactly what you want it to do.

It’s also worth noting that a balloon ride isn’t the same as boarding a scheduled flight at an airport. Landings can be a bit bumpy, and part of the safety briefing usually involves showing you the correct position for take-off and landing. That doesn’t mean anything is wrong. It just means ballooning is a real flying activity.

FOR PEACE OF MIND, FIND OUT HOW MUCH IT COSTS TO SAFEGUARD YOUR TRIP

The total cost was €240 per person, which I thought was reasonable. For this price, you get the following:

The meeting point was at the Ljubljana WOW sculpture – FYI there are two…. And, you guessed it, we were at the wrong one at 6.30am waiting for our pick up. They were very understanding and arrived at our location just 5 minutes later.

I should point out that my sister had no idea what we were doing up until now. It was a surprise for her birthday! Only when the car with trailer came around the corner, with a clear view of the basket and folded up balloon on the trailer, did she finally realise what we were up to.

We drove for about 20 minutes before stopping to pick up two more guests – a couple from Ljubljana. At this point, our pilot explained that this is where they were subject to safety checks.

Once we were given the go-ahead, it was another short drive and we arrived at the take off point. We had the safety briefing, signed our lives away (just kidding, sort of), and watched the team prep and inflate the hot air balloon.

Our pilot gave us a demonstration of how we would land – specifically to hold onto the opposite edge of the basket, while taking a sitting pose. This was in the event the basket was to tip over upon landing.

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The basket itself was small, with enough room for the 4 of us guests and the pilot. We still had enough to move about a little bit though.

Take off was so smooth. Apart from the intermittent noise of the propane burner, it was eerily quiet.

I did my usual – asking the pilot how long he had been doing this. And to my delight he answered ‘Ah this is my first day’! He was kidding of course, but it shows that humour is universal.

Within minutes we were floating over Ljubljana city and could spot the sun peaking out from behind the Julian Alps. It was beautifully serene.

The flight lasted for an hour. Honestly, I could have stayed up there for hours without getting bored.

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After all the hard work was done, out came the Champagne! This tradition actually dates back to 18th-century France. According to the usual story, balloonists carried champagne to offer local landowners or farmers as a peace offering after landing in their fields, and over time that turned into the now very normal post-flight toast.

We were asked to kneel in front of our pilot while he held a flame above our heads (far enough not to worry about a hair spray accident), sprinkled some dirt and then some Champagne on our hair. This ceremony symbolises the elements of fire, air, earth and water.

We were then presented with certificates naming us as honourary balloonists, before heading back to the city for drop off.

Sure, it’s a little costly, involved a very early start, and came with the usual weather-related uncertainty, but I still thought it was absolutely worth doing.

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Part of that is the obvious reason: the stunning views. Seeing Ljubljana from a hot air balloon isn’t something you forget in a hurry. You’re high enough to take in the entire city, the river, the patchwork of fields and villages around it, and the mountains in the distance.

For me, though, it felt memorable, different, and far more surreal than I expected. So yes, for a special experience in Ljubljana, I’d say it was worth it. Especially if you’ve already done a hot air balloon ride before.

I recommend booking your tour a few months in advance, as it’s one of those activities that books up early, and there are only a few spots available each morning.

You’ll be standing in a field before take-off, climbing in and out of the basket, and landing in whatever bit of countryside the wind has decided on, so practical wins.

It’s also worth wearing layers. Even if the day ends up warm, the balloon ride starts early in the morning when it’s cooler, and standing around before take-off can feel quite chilly.

Once the burner is going, though, you may not feel as cold as you expected, so being able to add or remove a layer is helpful.

As for what to bring, keep it simple. Bring your phone or camera for the photos. I put my phone on a lanyard as I was a little terrified of dropping it off the side of the basket!

Sunglasses are also a must.

I wouldn’t be bringing a full bag of gear, unless you have other plans for after the balloon ride. It’s better to be able to move about the basket without bags getting in the way.

• Kids need to be at least 6 years old, and passengers need to be at least 110 cm / 3.6 ft tall. That makes sense once you’re in the basket. It’s not set up for tiny children who can’t properly see over the edge or follow instructions during take-off and landing.

• It’s also not ideal for everyone from a mobility point of view. You’ll need to be able to climb in and out of the basket and stay standing for the entire flight, so if you have back, knee, or mobility issues, it’s worth checking with the operator before booking rather than assuming it’ll be fine.

• Pregnant travellers are generally not allowed to fly, which is pretty standard for hot air balloon rides because of the landing position and the possibility of a bumpier descent.

• If the wind is too strong or the conditions aren’t right, the flight may be postponed or cancelled. Slightly inconvenient, yes, but also exactly what you want when the alternative is worse. They will reschedule you to the next day if your flight is cancelled due to weather.

• If you’re generally afraid of heights, all I can say is don’t worry. A balloon ride is usually much calmer than you’d expect, and it doesn’t have the same stomach-dropping sensation as something like a cable car or a glass viewing platform.

And better yet, my sister really enjoyed her special birthday present. So it was a win win scenario for me.

Seeing Ljubljana from above was obviously the big draw, but the whole experience of watching the balloon go up, climbing into the basket, and drifting quietly over the landscape – even helping to fold up the balloon after the flight – made it an exceptional activity.