Hot Air Balloon Ride over Florence at Sunrise

Your hot air balloon ride over Florence begins on the ground, with the burner giving a low, deep sound as the balloon slowly fills and lifts off the ground. Once you are up, the noise drops to an occasional burst of flame and the city spreads out in the first light of dawn.

From above, the places you would normally cross on foot fit in one view:

• the Duomo and its Brunelleschi dome, with Giotto's Campanile beside it
• Ponte Vecchio, running between the rooftops with its workshops
• the Arno, winding below and catching the sun, with its historic bridges
• Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio and its tower
• Palazzo Pitti and its gardens
• the Baptistery, with its octagonal shape next to the white marble of the Cathedral

What you notice most is the quiet. Drifting above the rooftops, you watch the sky change color as the sun climbs. The experience takes about three hours in all, with the flight itself as the centerpiece. Getting to and from your hotel is up to you, and children under 5 cannot take part.