All activities / Paragliding / Sopot
Paragliding in Sopot
The Stara Planina launch widely rated the best free-flight site in Eastern Europe: chairlift to 1,400 meters, thermals off the Thracian plain, 100km cross-country lines.
Why here
Sopot is widely rated the best free-flight site in Eastern Europe: a chairlift carries pilots to the 1,400-meter launch on the Stara Planina wall, thermals boil up off the Thracian plain below, and the ridge runs cross-country lines of a hundred kilometers and more along the Balkan chain, which is why international competitions keep coming back. The schools fly it year-round when weather allows, tandems need nothing but the weight range, and full courses from zero to license cost what a weekend course does in the Alps. The town below is workmanlike; the air above is the point.
Best months
April to October is the season with June to August the cross-country peak; spring and autumn serve smoother tandem air. Courses run beginner through XC coaching. The chairlift removes the hike that guards most big launches.
Getting there & around
Two hours from Sofia or one from Plovdiv along the sub-Balkan road. The chairlift runs daily in season; schools arrange everything from the landing field.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (2)
Sky Camp Sopot
SchoolCourses, tandem flights, and equipment at the Sopot launch; organizer of the Vazduharia free-flight festival.
SkyNomad
SchoolSopot school running courses, tandems, and cross-country guiding on the Stara Planina ridge.