Vilnius & Trakai: Hot Air Balloon Flight with Champagne

4.95

(137 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t expect my stomach to flutter before we even left the ground. We met our pilot, Tomas, just outside Vilnius — he had that calm way about him that made me trust the whole thing instantly. The grass was still wet from last night’s rain, and there was this earthy smell everywhere as they started to inflate the balloon. I kept glancing at the city skyline behind us, thinking: are we really about to float over all that?

We ended up flying over Trakai instead of Vilnius because of the wind (Tomas said it’s always a bit of a gamble), which honestly felt like luck. The lakes below looked like someone scattered blue glass across the land, and then there’s Trakai Castle just sitting there on its own island — I couldn’t stop staring. There was this weird silence up there except for the occasional whoosh from the burner. At one point, a woman next to me whispered something in Lithuanian and pointed out a stork’s nest on a chimney far below; I probably looked ridiculous squinting down at it.

After landing — which was softer than I’d imagined — we all stood around in a field while Tomas popped open a bottle of champagne (apparently it’s tradition). The grass brushed against my ankles and someone laughed when I tried to say “ačiū” properly. It felt like everyone was just quietly happy for a minute, nobody rushing off anywhere. I still think about how small everything looked from up there, and how different it all feels now when I walk through Vilnius or see photos of Trakai Castle. Hard to explain unless you’ve done it.