Every year, in the last week of January, the Swiss alpine village of Chateau d'Oex (pronounced "day") hosts the world's premier mountain Hot-Air Ballooning event, with over 80 balloons participating from 15 different countries. A veritable spectacle of soaring colours and shapes.

Chateau d'Oex is first and foremost a mecca for hot-air ballooning. Its exceptional microclimate creates such ideal flight conditions that people flock to this part of Switzerland from all over the world.

The next Balloon Week Festival will be from 22nd to the 30th of January 2005

There are many reasons to attend the hot air balloon week. The sight of hot air balloons in such a wonderful setting of the snow covered alps is truly spectacular and he hot air balloon week is a wonderful opportunity for anyone interested in photography.

A visitor to the balloon week can of course also enjoy the excellent downhill and cross country skiing and winter hiking also on offer in Chateau d'Oex. You can also take excursions by train to nearby Gstaad, Montreux and Lake Geneva.

Chateau d'Oex is also famous as the start point for several world circumnavigation attempts by the Breitling Orbiter team and the balloon week is an established event in the international hot air ballooning calendar.

These pages are intended as a guide for more general visitors from the UK who might be interested in visiting the event.

I was fortunate enough to be able to visit The Chateau d'Oex balloon week in January 2001 and 2005 and this web site is a visitor's guide based purely on my own experience.

Use the buttons on the left to find out how to get there, where to stay, and programme highlights for January 2005, and view a gallery of balloon photos from 2001 and 2005.

Explore and enjoy!