The origin of the name comes credibly from "Dour" derived of the Celtic root "Dor" which means "water" or "river", the same origin as for the English city of Dover. The radical "Dan" could have meant "hill". Dourdan developed from the Gallo-Roman period because it was an important center of production of ceramics. Dourdan was the residence of Hugues le Grand (the Great), father of Hugues Capet; he died there there 956. Dourdan became a royal city 987, when Hugues Capet was crowned king. In 1220, Philippe Auguste built a new castle. The most famous owners of the castle were: Blanche de Castile, Louis d'evreux, Jean de Berry, Francois I de Guise (see House of Guise), Sully, Anne of Austria and nth House of Orleans.

Preparation
The day of the flight, you will be taken to the take-off site. You will assist and participate (only if you wish) to the preparation of the balloon: installation, inflation and weighing.

Taking Off
Once the envelope is filled with hot air, the balloon is ready to take off. Passengers can get up on board while the pilot completes his last checklist.. When ready, the pilot frees the rope that maintains the balloon to the ground for a soft climbing.

Flying
Led by this huge bubble of hot air, you will evolve with the wind and discover some of the many architectural treasures and beautiful landscapes of our region 

Landing
After about one hour flight, the pilot looks for an appropriate landing site. The team-members on the ground join us and help with the folding and packing. And finally to celebrate the event, champagne ! (or a soft drink if you prefer)

When can we fly ?
The day before the flight, we will contact you to confirm the time and place of departure. If the weather is not suitable for a safe and pleasant trip (wind higher than 16 km/h), we will arrange a new date. If the flight can't be done at another date or because of continuous poor weather conditions, then you will be fully reimbursed within 2 weeks.

What if the weather prevents flying ?

The day before the flight, we will contact you to confirm the time and place of departure. If the weather is not suitable for a safe and pleasant trip (wind higher than 16 km/h), we will arrange a new date. If the flight can't be done at another date or because of continuous poor weather conditions, then you will be reimbursed the full cost minus 25euro administration fee within 2 weeks.

How long a flight lasts ?
The total duration of the service is about 3 hours and a half:

On-site transfer & installation: 1 hr
Balloon flight : 1 hr
Landing, folding & packing: 1 hr
Toast & champagne: 30 mins

Where is the specific take off flight ?

We will inform you the day before of the choice of site.We own several sites for takeoff. The choice of the site depends mainly on the direction of the wind and the desired course. In addition, we do our best to choose a site that permits to fly over some of the numerous points of interest in the region (click on the map for more information)

Where will we land ?
The exact location of landing is difficult to predict because the balloon is carried by the air mass and flies with the wind. However, the direction and strength of the wind give us valuable information on possible landing areas.

In addition, the direction of the wind may vary with the altitude, which is interesting when you want to go in a specific direction.

The art of piloting lies in using these air masses and also in the choice of a breeding ground, preferably grass and close to a path or a road.

Are there any precautions ?
Fitness: the flight in a balloon is accessible to anyone not suffering from major health problems. If in doubt, we advise you to ask your doctor. Nevertheless, we recommend that children under 7, people in ill health and pregnant women do not fly.

We advise you to wear casual clothing (natural fibre or cotton clothing preferably). Flat shoes and trousers are recommended for the ladies (No high heels please). In addition, it may be a little cool during the flight, and so we recommend you take with you a woolen or fleece type article. And don't forget your camera !.

For safety reasons, flights occur during the two hours following sunrise and the two hours preceding sunset. In order to guarantee the most comfortable trip, we suggest we meet at the following times: