Top paragliding sites in the world
Paragliding and hang-gliding is possible almost everywhere in the world. If there’s a mountain, you can fly off it; if there’s a coast with some wind you can soar it. Even if it’s flat, you can winch up to altitude and then catch a thermal for an XC flight.
But where are the best paragliding and take-off spots? Here are some very famous sites from all over the world.
Chamonix / Mont Blanc, France
© Hugh Robinson
When it comes to paragliding, or “vol libre” as they like to call it, the French are a dedicated bunch. France has the most flying sites of any country so it’s not surprising that many of the best spots can be found here.
Mont Blanc is Europe's highest mountain peak, located close to the border area of France, Switzerland and Italy. There are breathtaking paragliding spots throughout the region. Pilots taking off from the Mont Blanc peak at an altitude of 15,780 ft (4,810 m) can either glide down into the Chamonix valley or continue flying cross country. For your XC planning you have a lot of choice. Often you will see hard-core acro pilots performing aerobatics here with their paragliders.
Tegelberg, Germany
© Craig Payne
If you've always wanted to fly past a fairytale castle like Peter Pan, you've come to the right place. Walt Disney used the Neuschwanstein castle below the Tegelberg launch as inspiration for his fairytale castle. Here you have the opportunity to fly directly over the real version.
There are several launches in the surrounding area, but the best one is Tegelberg a bit further up the mountain. Watch out for fog and other weather conditions, because the flying weather can change quickly here. The wind map and thermal map in the app can help you.
Annecy, France
Annecy is often used for SIV safety courses, as there are many take-off and landing sites close to the lake. This provides maximum safety for the pilots and protects them from drowning. SIV students usually use the Col de la Forclaz as a launch point directly above the lake. They can practice various techniques such as full collapses, spiral dives, wing-overs and asymmetric collapses.
Annecy is a beautiful place with high mountains and you have a breathtaking view over the lake while flying. Sometimes it’s a bit crowded, but it's worth it.
Treh, France
© Craig Payne
Although Treh is located in France, this place is also very much loved by Germans, as many French can also speak German here. No wonder, because half of the pilots are certainly Germans and there are plenty of cheap places to stay here.
Treh mountain is very thermic in summer, allowing pilots to fly long distances. The landing zone at the bottom of the mountain is in front of a flight school, which also sells equipment and has very helpful staff. Pilots can also wait here for the next shuttle bus to take them back to the top of the mountain.
Babadag (Olüdeniz), Turkey
Pilots taking off from Babadag Mountain in Turkey can fly along the Olüdeniz coast and then land on one of the 5 most beautiful beaches in the world. The temperature is never below 25°C (77°F) and 80% of all days are flyable weather. Of course, this results in a high popularity among pilots.
The Olüdeniz Air Games are held here every year, including paragliding, skydiving, base-jumping, hang gliding, paramotor flights, air shows, microlites, hard core acrobatic competitions and accuracy landing competitions. If you plan to participate as a pilot or spectator, then organise an accommodation well in advance, as it's very popular!
Open Olüdeniz
Dune du Pyla, France
© Craig Payne
Dune du Pyla is the largest sand dune in Europe, at 500m (1,640ft) wide, 3km (1.86mi) long and almost 100m (329 ft) high. The dune is growing steadily and so far has already swallowed a hotel, a major intersection and is steadily encroaching on the local motor-camp by a couple of metres per year. Although this sand-dune is disliked by hoteliers and roading engineers, it is loved by paraglider pilots for relaxing and easy flying.
The people here are friendly, especially the team from the local "Waggas" school. I forgot my helmet when I went, but they lent me one and simply asked me to return it at the end of the day!
There is a short cliff to fly along or you can practice your Wagas flying techniques. This is a must-see location for pilots unfamiliar with beach flying. Just make sure you start at the south end, because 3 km is a long distance to walk along soft sand with a glider!
Open Dune du Pyla