Hot-air balloons: a symbol of adventure and freedom

Have you ever dreamt of floating above the mountains, carried by a giant multicoloured balloon? Imagine the magic of the shimmering colours of the envelopes, the gentle roar of the burners and the feeling of infinite freedom as you contemplate the landscape spread out beneath your feet. The Espace Ballon in Château-d'Œx, completely renovated and open since January 2024, offers you an unforgettable journey through the history of aeronautics and an extraordinary aerial experience. All with your feet firmly on the ground!

Become a balloonist: flight simulator

When we arrive at the Espace Ballon, located in the heart of Château-d'Œx, we start our visit with an activity that's unique in the world: the flight simulator. The objective? Immerse yourself in the skin of a balloonist thanks to a virtual reality helmet. Three gondolas are available for you to try out this extraordinary experience.

With our helmets on, it's time to fire up the burners and take to the skies! Before our amazed eyes, we slowly float above the faithfully modelled village and valley. The experience is impressively realistic (to the point of feeling a few shivers of vertigo!). 

Then it was time to learn how to dose the heat injected into the burners to attempt a soft landing. Feeling a little buoyant, we reluctantly took off our helmets and continued our tour of this amazing place.

A totally immersive 4-season journey

Next stop: the 4D balloon flight at Espace Ballon. You’ll find the installation just behind the envelope that majestically highlights the center of the exhibition. Behind it, we discover a vast gondola, and in front of it, a screen 6 metres in diameter. The 20 kilos of fabric and air in the envelope, together with 6 spotlights, take us on a journey through the seasons, as they pass before our astonished eyes. Sounds, smells - nothing is left to chance to give visitors a total immersion in the landscapes of the Pays-d'Enhaut, and we even get to go inside a mountain chalet during the preparation of the famous Etivaz PDO cheese!

Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones's round-the-world balloon flight

The next part of our tour is dedicated to the feat achieved by the two balloonists in 1999: a non-stop round-the-world flight in a hot-air balloon. They set off from Château-d'Œx on 1 March 1999 aboard the Breitling Orbiter 3 and landed near Dakka in Egypt after a 20-day flight. A series of short films and archive images take us through the stages of this extraordinary journey.

The pioneers of the sky: history of the first balloon flights

The tour continues, using a variety of multimedia aids to discover the history, technology and scientific advances that made it possible to take to the skies and float gracefully in the air, all in a space designed to combine fun learning with immersive experiences.  

The visit ends with a visit to the museum shop, which offers a wide range of related products (with a special mention for the wooden cutting board in the shape of a hot-air balloon), which will delight all lovers of these elegant and always somewhat mysterious balloons.