If you do one thing in Vilnius, go on a sunset hot air balloon ride! We met our pilot, Vytautas Samarinas, from Hot Airlines at Barbakanas, a flat grassy area near the bastion. We didn’t learn until the end of the trip that he was actually the owner of the company as well! We were going on his one hour sunset balloon tour over Vilnius and the surrounding areas. Our balloon, the Gariunai, is the biggest balloon in all of the Baltics, holding up to 16 passengers.
The company was quick and efficient with their time though and, before we knew it, we were flying! The view of Vilnius’ Old Town from above was astounding!
Our pilot from Hot Airlines has been flying hot air balloons for sixteen years and maneuvered the balloon with ease.We realized very quickly that everyone loved seeing the balloons above their homes, as we were consistently waved to by the people below — from children to grandparents. By this point, the sun was setting beautifully. We got truly lucky with our weather as it downpour the day before and was predicted to storm the day after. At the peak of color in the sky, we flew above Vilnius’ pine tree area. What a sight!
An hour flew by extraordinarily quickly, and, before we knew it, we were smoothly landing in an open field. Hot Airlines packed up the balloon pretty quickly before breaking out two bottles of bubbly. Supposedly, it is a worldwide hot air ballooning tradition to cheers with champagne and a fire ground. What’s a fire ground one might ask? Oh, you know, just when they casually light your hair on fire and put it our immediately with champagne. Definitely quirky and fun! Message me if you want the whole explanation :)
A flight with Hot Airlines (originally Oro Balionai) is an absolute must!
If you want any further info, feel free to get in touch...
- Sarah
Founder, The Five Foot Traveler
