Napa Valley Balloon Ride - Takeoff and Landing Tips - plus scenic Napa Valley

Hot air ballooning in Napa Valley - we got it. We give you planning tips and and an idea of what to expect when you take a hot air balloon ride in the Napa Valley including take off in Yountville (or possibly alternative locations) and landing in the city of Napa. Balloons and Napa just go together and this is one of the top non winery activities in the Napa wine country. Floating serenely over the beautiful Napa Valley and wine region allows a perspective like no other. You may choose to have champagne and the end of your trip to top it off. Expect to devote 3 to 4 hours to the whole process and each flight is unique but spend about 1 - 2 hours in the balloon basket. It may be captain obvious but there are no bathrooms in the balloon basket.

We focus this video on the take off and landing because that is where the action is.

Napa Valley has 3 balloon operators and they mostly take off rom Yountville about 15 minutes north of the city of Napa. They typically offer a shuttle service in case you don't want to drive to Yountville. Balloon rides are weather dependent so sometimes participants are shuttled to other places for the lift off. Sometimes the shuttle can take up to an hour so flexibility is important for your safety. IF the weather turns out to be too windy or cloudy the ride may be cancelled - for your safety.

Balloon rides are piloted by FAA certified pilots and there is a large crew that goes into the take off and landing process.

Expect to pay about $300 for the ride. Of course expect weekends to be the busiest and often sell out several weeks in advance.

Be prepared to stand while in the basket and best not to bring much other than phone/camera as you are arm to arm with others. The balloon is filled with hot air so the ride is not as cold as you think - in fact in can be warm. Some people like to bring a hat to keep the heat off their head.