
Temecula Wine Country Hot-Air Balloon Rides
Temecula, CA
Varies (dawn flights; book ahead)
By Simir Shah
★★★★★4.8(453 Google reviews)
What parents say
AI summary of 4 Google reviews — not a first-hand visit. How we write these
Reviewers meet well before dawn and describe long stretches of waiting before and after the flight. The ride itself is smooth, with no shaking, which reassured one nervous flyer. Reports on the ground crew vary from experienced to fumbling. It is expensive, and one questioned the value.
Those colorful balloons drifting over the vineyards at dawn are a Temecula signature, and several operators fly family-friendly rides that lift off just after sunrise. Flights are weather-dependent and book up fast, so reserve ahead. (This note used to point at the Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival; Riverside County terminated the organisers' contract and there is no announced 2026 edition, so it was removed rather than left promising an event that is not happening.)
Good for
- Ages 10+
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33133 Vista Del Monte Rd, Temecula, CA 92591, USA
Hours via Google — confirm before a special trip.
Map
What visitors say
- Kelly R★★★★★
Solid experience for our first time in a hot air balloon. Ground crew seemed somewhat inexperienced and had to be told what to do differently multiple times. Met at 4:15a, signed a waiver and waited. Got in the van, went to a bathroom and waited. Pulled into parking lot and waited. Drove to balloon site and waited. Seems we could have just met at the balloon launch spot and signed the waiver there closer to 6am. Finally got to fly in the balloon in and out of June gloom clouds, which was cool. Didn't travel very far, just spent time circling the same houses and fields. Tried to land but were on top of a vineyard, went back up, landed again safely in an empty field. Waited. Team deflated the balloon while we watched and had a drink. Waited. Then we were driven back to our cars. Also, the van interior and handles on the balloon basket were pretty beaten up for what I expected. As I said initially, solid experience but not sure it's worth the $200+ per person price tag. I would have appreciated the extra sleep if we'd met at 6am instead.
2 months ago
- Maurice Juwono★★★★★
With the longer days and warmer temps, our time was moved up to ensure we caught the sunrise, but David picked us up from our hotel to take us to the meet up, all while giving us some history on hot air balloons. My girlfriend was anxious about motion sickness and the temperature, but he reassured her that it will feel fine. He was absolutely correct, and since you move with the wind, you don't feel any shaking, other than someone moving in the basket. It's the next closest thing to feeling like heaven, I'm sure. The sunrise was AMAZING!
3 months ago
Showing 2 of 5 Google reviews · Read them all on Google Maps
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