An hour inland from Barcelona there’s a small aerodrome at Igualada-Òdena where you can go up in a glider for €150, be towed to 800 metres by a light aircraft, and then have the rope let go.
What happens next is the point. The engine noise stops because there isn’t one. You get twenty to thirty minutes of something closer to floating than flying, over the Anoia countryside, with an instructor beside you.
And the club’s own rule on who can do it is this: “No hay límites de edad ni de sexo” — there is no age limit. Not a minimum, not a maximum.
Where to stay in Barcelona — our three picks
Generator Barcelona – private family rooms at hostel prices, five minutes from Passeig de Gràcia and metro Diagonal (L3/L5). Rooms are small and the bar downstairs is lively, so ask for a higher floor.
H10 Cubik – on the edge of the Gothic Quarter, with the Atic rooftop terrace and pool. You can walk to the cathedral, the beach and the Born from the door, which saves you metro tickets all week.
The Cotton House Hotel, Autograph Collection – the old cotton guild building on Gran Via, a ten-minute walk from Casa Batlló and the Sagrada Família side of Eixample. Quiet, grown-up, and the rooftop is the reason to book it.
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Who actually runs it
The operator is the Club de Vol a Vela d’Igualada-Òdena, the gliding club based at the Aeròdrom d’Igualada-Òdena. Its website is volavela.com, and that is where you book.
Worth saying clearly, because it confuses people: vol a vela is Catalan for gliding, and it is also this club’s actual name. So if you search the phrase you’ll find both the sport and the people who fly it here.
The aerodrome is roughly an hour west of Barcelona, near Igualada.
What it costs
| What | Price |
|---|---|
| One initiation flight (vuelo de divulgación, standard baptism) | €150 |
| Pack of 10 initiation flights, valid 3 months | €1,000 |
The pack works out at €100 a flight, and if you complete the course it comes with 50% off club membership. So it isn’t really a family bundle — it’s the club’s route into the sport for someone who thinks they might take it up. Worth knowing it exists, because if one flight turns into an obsession, that’s the next step rather than ten more single tickets.
For context on where that leads: joining the club is €480 for a senior membership, €240 for ages 15 to 25, or €70 for a twelve-month transeünt. Monthly dues are €50 senior, €25 junior. After that you pay for the aircraft by the minute — €0.40 to €0.70 a minute for the glider and €5.95 a minute for the tow.
We paid €80 in 2023, and now it is €150.
What’s included
- A full safety briefing before you get in
- The tow up to 800 metres behind a light aircraft
- 20 to 30 minutes of free flight
- An experienced instructor flying with you
- Safety equipment — and the club specifies “incluyendo paracaídas”, including a parachute
What you need to bring is almost nothing: comfortable closed clothing, long trousers, closed shoes. No physical prerequisites and no aeronautical knowledge required.
The parachute detail is the one that tends to land with people. It’s standard in gliding and it is not a sign that anything is likely to go wrong — but nobody expects to be handed one, and it’s better to read that here than to be surprised at the airfield.
How the flight actually works
A glider has no engine, so it has to be got into the air by something that does.
A light aircraft tows you up on a rope to 800 metres. That part is loud and busy and feels like an ordinary small-plane take-off. Then the rope is released.
And then it goes quiet. The glider stays up by finding rising air — thermals off warm ground, or lift along a ridge — which is why the flight length is given as a range rather than a fixed number. Twenty to thirty minutes is what the club publishes, and how long you actually get depends on what the air is doing.
When you can go
Every weekend of the year, and weekdays are possible too.
The weather clause matters. Gliding depends on the air, so flights get moved. Build a flexible day around it rather than slotting it between two fixed appointments, and don’t book the only free afternoon of a short trip.
How to book
You buy a voucher online at volavela.com — the “Comprar Vuelos de Divulgación” flow — and then arrange the date. So it’s a two-step process: buy, then reserve.
Is it worth €150?
It’s a lot of money for half an hour, and it isn’t really competing with half an hour of anything else.
What you’re buying is a thing most people never do — engineless flight, at 800 metres, in silence — for less than a short-haul flight costs. Set against a theme park day for a family of four it’s in the same territory, and it lasts a fraction of the time and stays with you a great deal longer.
Go if you or a teenager in your family is interested in flying, or you want one memorable thing from a Catalonia trip rather than three ordinary ones.
Don’t go if your only free day is fixed and can’t move — the weather decides, not you.
Other things to do in the air near Barcelona
Igualada has become the centre of gravity for this in Catalonia, and there’s more than gliding going on there.
The European Balloon Festival is at the same aerodrome every July — the biggest hot-air balloon meet in Spain, and the evening night glow is the part to bring children to. Tandem paragliding also flies out of the Igualada area, and it’s the cheaper way to get airborne if €150 is beyond the budget.
All the adventure activities we’ve done near Barcelona · Day trips from Barcelona
Prices and flight details verified at volavela.com, September 2026. Gliding is weather-dependent — confirm before travelling.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a glider flight at Igualada cost?
€150 for a single initiation flight, which the club calls a vuelo de divulgación. There is also a pack of ten initiation flights for €1,000, valid for three months, which works out at €100 a flight and comes with 50% off club membership if you complete the course. Those are the only two options the club sells.
Who runs the glider flights at Igualada?
The Club de Vol a Vela d’Igualada-Òdena, the gliding club based at the Aeròdrom d’Igualada-Òdena, about an hour inland from Barcelona. You book through its website, volavela.com, by buying a voucher online and then arranging a date. Vol a vela is Catalan for gliding and is also the club’s own name, which is why searching the phrase brings up both.
How high does the glider go, and how long is the flight?
A light aircraft tows the glider to 800 metres and then releases the rope. After that you get 20 to 30 minutes of free flight. The range rather than a fixed figure is because a glider stays up by finding rising air, so how long you get depends on the conditions on the day.
Is there a minimum age for a glider flight?
The club states there is no age limit at all — “no hay límites de edad ni de sexo”. What it does not publish is a weight or height limit, and in gliding those can matter more than age, because the aircraft has a loaded weight range and the parachute has to fit. Call and ask before booking for a child rather than assuming.
What is included in an initiation glider flight?
A full safety briefing, the tow up to 800 metres, 20 to 30 minutes of free flight, an experienced instructor flying with you, and safety equipment which the club specifies as including a parachute. You need no physical preparation and no aeronautical knowledge — just comfortable closed clothing, long trousers and closed shoes.
Do you get to fly the glider yourself?
The club does not advertise passengers taking the controls, so treat it as something an instructor may or may not offer on the day rather than as part of what you are paying for. The flight is flown by an experienced instructor sitting with you.
When can you fly, and what happens if the weather is bad?
The club flies every weekend of the year, with weekdays possible, always subject to favourable weather. Because gliding depends entirely on the air, flights do get moved — so build a flexible day around it rather than booking it into the only free afternoon of a short trip.
Is a glider flight worth it with kids?
For a teenager interested in flying, it is one of the most memorable things you can do near Barcelona, and the club sets no age limit. For a younger child, check the weight limit with the club first, and bear in mind it is €150 for twenty to thirty minutes. If the budget is the constraint, tandem paragliding in the same area is the cheaper way to get airborne.
An unforgettable experience!
Author
Indeed, a great experience!