Floating Over Castles Is a Real Thing in France’s Loire Valley

The Loire Valley is one of the most beautiful and fascinating regions of France, and one of the most unique ways to experience it is from above…

In a hot air balloon!

In fact, the Loire Valley often shows up on lists of the best places in the world to go hot air ballooning, thanks to the jaw-dropping experience of seeing its châteaux from the sky.

During these first years, hot air ballooning was very much a form of entertainment for royalty and the aristocracy to watch and participate in.

In French, a hot air balloon is still called a montgolfière, an acknowledgement of those enterprising brothers.

What the Hot Air Balloon Experience Is Like

We did a morning flight, which meant getting to the meetup point early, at 7am. This was in mid-September; if you’re visiting in summer, expect meet-up times as early as 5am. There are also evening flight options.

The meeting point was an open parking lot in the middle of the countryside. Several different operators pulled in, so we found the one with our company’s name on it and checked in with the crew.

One quick note: I’d definitely recommend arriving early. The crew arrived about 15 minutes before the scheduled time, and almost everyone was checked in and ready to go before 7am.

Watching the Balloons Inflate and Take Off

From the meeting point, we were loaded into vans and driven about 15 minutes to the launch site, which was a big, wide-open field. Several other companies were also setting up nearby, so the atmosphere was really fun, watching multiple balloons inflate and then lift off one by one.

We got to stand right behind the basket and watch the crew efficiently unload everything, set up the burners, and begin the inflation process. It’s really exciting to see it all come together so quickly and smoothly.

This particular crew is run by a group of Lithuanians who speak fluent French and English, and gave instructions in both languages. The crew was incredibly fun and easygoing, but also clearly very professional and confident in what they were doing. The overall vibe in the group was lighthearted and excited.

Liftoff and the First Castle: Flying Over Chenonceau

Once the balloon was fully inflated, the basket was kept tipped on its side while everyone climbed in, with our backs to the ground. When everyone was settled, the basket was turned upright – and just like that, we lifted off.

Watching the ground slowly fall away beneath us and looking up to see the balloon carrying us higher was such a surreal moment. Everyone in the basket was excited, and that excitement ramped up quickly.

Just above the treetops, a grand rooftop started to come into view, and within minutes we were clearing the trees and looking straight down over Château de Chenonceau.

The river was completely still in the early morning calm, with the castle’s arches reflected perfectly in the water beneath it. It was an absolute pinch-me moment. We floated directly over the castle, then drifted past the gardens.

I loved this spot, with the gardens just beneath us in the immediate foreground, and the château and the river just behind them – everything clearly visible.

It’s a perspective that’s very different from the ground. From the edge of the gardens, you can see the river and castle arches, but not the gardens themselves in the same view. And when you’re in the middle of the gardens, you can see the flowers and the top of the castle, but not much of the arches, and none of the river.

So seeing the grounds and castle from the air is really a treat, in more ways than one.

I particularly enjoyed floating over the forests. Watching the tops of the trees pass beneath us was mesmerizing, with branches and leaves giving way to a dense forest floor below, covered in brush and moss.

Throughout the ride, the pilot shared anecdotes and fun facts, answered questions, and cracked jokes. The flight itself was incredibly calm and gentle – no swaying, no turbulence. And if there were enough wind for turbulence, the balloons wouldn’t be flying in the first place.

A Note About the Basket

I’ll also note here that the basket was divided into five sections: a middle section for the pilot and equipment, and four outer sections that each held three to four passengers.

We never felt packed in, and there was plenty of room to be comfortable, though you stayed in your own spot throughout the flight. The balloon occasionally slowly rotated as we went, so sometimes we were facing forward, other times backward, which made the views feel constantly changing.

If you want a more intimate experience, you can also book a private hot air balloon experience.

A Second Castle: Chaumont-sur-Loire

I really was SO impressed with our pilot. While many of the other balloons from different companies drifted farther north, he was able to subtly raise and lower the balloon strategically to catch different wind streams and guide us in a slightly different direction – right over a second castle near the end of the ride.

Like Chenonceau, the approach to Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire felt surreal. At first, all you could see were trees. Then the tip of a tower appeared above the treetops. Slowly, more of the castle came into view until the full structure revealed itself beneath us.

Chaumont-sur-Loire has expansive grounds and multiple gardens. Each year, the gardens are reimagined with a new theme, featuring small, whimsical installations and scenes tucked into alcoves that you wander through on foot. From the balloon, we flew directly over those garden alcoves, seeing the design from a completely different perspective.

The castle itself is shaped like a U, with an open courtyard overlooking the river. We approached from behind the structure, floated over the top, and then had an incredible view looking back at it perched above the river and the houses below, looking straight into the courtyard. It was the most beautiful way to end the ride.

From there, we drifted over a few nearby neighborhoods and landed in a field not far away.

Landing the Balloon & Post-Flight Rituals

Landing was exciting. We all crouched down in the basket, facing backward, and held onto the handles. The basket touched the ground, popped back up, skidded a few times, and then finally came to a stop, tipping onto its side. This is all completely normal and perfectly safe, but it was a bit of a bumpy ride! We climbed out, and just like that, the flight was over.

But the experience wasn’t quite finished yet. Once the heat was turned off, the balloon quickly began to deflate, and the passengers were invited to help pack it up. We folded the fabric into a long “string,” then worked together to gather it, roll it up, and carry it over to the truck.

Obviously, if you didn’t want to or couldn’t help, that was totally fine, but most of us were eager to join in on the novelty. Throughout all of this, the pilot and crew were cracking jokes and keeping things light. It almost felt like part of the show, rather than just cleanup.

We ended with a small breakfast together right there in the field. As I mentioned earlier, the crew are all friends from Lithuania, and they brought out a spread of Lithuanian foods, either made by them or brought from home.

There was delicious cheese, brown bread with butter, cake, chocolates, and wine. The mood was relaxed and convivial, and by this point, it really felt like we were all just a group of friends hanging out.