Fly with Behrooz Sesimbra · Portugal
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Planning Guide

How Much Does a Paragliding Holiday Cost?

Behrooz Jafarzadeh June 2026 6 min read

The question pilots ask me most often before booking isn't about flying conditions or what glider to bring. It's: what's this actually going to cost me? I'm going to answer that directly, with real numbers, rather than vague "it depends" ranges. A paragliding holiday in Portugal has five cost components. Once you know each one, the total becomes predictable — and significantly cheaper than most pilots expect compared to the popular Alpine or Turkish alternatives.

The Five Cost Components

Every paragliding holiday budget breaks down the same way:

  1. Guiding fee — the coaching, site transfers, and flying support
  2. Flights to Lisbon — your international travel
  3. Accommodation — 7 nights in or near Sesimbra
  4. Food and drink — meals, coffee, evening restaurant
  5. Extras — travel insurance, airport transfer, incidentals

I'll give you specific numbers for each. All figures are in Euros, current as of 2026.

1. Guiding Fee — What Fly with Behrooz Costs

My rate is €80 per flying day, €560 for a full 7-day week. This is all-inclusive for everything on the flying side:

What is not included in the guiding fee: your flights to Portugal, accommodation, food, and personal flying gear. Those are your costs, booked directly and kept under your control.

No deposit required

Fly with Behrooz works without deposits, booking systems, or payment in advance. You pay at the end of your week in cash or bank transfer. This means zero financial commitment until you're here and flying. If something prevents you from coming, you owe nothing.

You can see the full programme details and confirm pricing on the Pricing section of the homepage, which lists rates for each programme type.

2. Flights to Lisbon

Lisbon airport (LIS) is one of Europe's best-connected hubs, with direct flights from most major European cities and a growing number of transatlantic routes.

Origin Typical return fare Airlines Flight time
London (LHR/LGW/STN) €60–140 Ryanair, EasyJet, TAP, BA 2h 30m
Amsterdam €80–160 TAP, KLM, Ryanair 2h 45m
Frankfurt / Munich €90–180 Lufthansa, TAP, Ryanair 3h
Paris CDG €70–150 TAP, Air France, Transavia 2h 20m
Stockholm / Copenhagen €100–200 TAP, SAS, Norwegian 3h 30m
New York / Boston €380–620 TAP, Delta, United 7–8h

Best booking strategy: for European flights, 5–8 weeks ahead on a budget carrier gives the best price-to-flexibility ratio. Booking further ahead locks you into dates before you've aligned with my forecast. Booking less than 2 weeks ahead risks paying premium prices. For transatlantic flights, 8–12 weeks is the sweet spot.

3. Accommodation in Sesimbra

Sesimbra is a small town — most accommodation options are within 10 minutes' walk of the town centre, the beach, and the harbour. You do not need a car for the week; I handle all transfers to flying sites from your accommodation.

Category Cost per night What you get
Budget guesthouse / pensão €40–55 Clean private room, en-suite, central location
Mid-range hotel €65–90 Comfortable hotel, sometimes sea view, breakfast option
Boutique / superior €95–140 Design hotel, terrace, premium location near the bay
Self-catering apartment €55–85 (whole flat) Kitchen, living room — shared between 2 pilots halves cost

I don't recommend any single property above others — the town is small and I can give you a shortlist for your budget when you book. My advice: don't commit to accommodation more than 4–5 weeks ahead of your arrival date. Sesimbra has good availability most of the year, and waiting slightly gives you flexibility if the flying dates shift by a day or two.

4. Food and Drink

Sesimbra is a fishing town. The seafood is fresh, local, abundant, and cheap by Western European standards — significantly cheaper than France, Switzerland, or Turkey at comparable quality. Realistic daily food budget:

For reference: a plate of grilled sea bass at a Sesimbra harbour restaurant costs what a mediocre sandwich costs at an Annecy lakeside café. This is genuinely one of the best-value food destinations in Western Europe.

5. Extras

Total Realistic Budget — Three Scenarios

Scenario Guiding Flights Accommodation (7 nights) Food (7 days) Extras Total
Budget €560 €80 €315 (€45/n) €245 (€35/d) €100 ~€1,300
Mid-range €560 €130 €525 (€75/n) €315 (€45/d) €150 ~€1,680
Comfortable €560 €180 €840 (€120/n) €385 (€55/d) €200 ~€2,165

Portugal vs the Alternatives — A Cost Comparison

To put these numbers in context:

Portugal's combination of competitive guiding rates, low accommodation and food costs, and cheap Lisbon flights makes a coached week here genuinely affordable even compared to self-guided holidays at more expensive European destinations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need travel insurance that specifically covers paragliding?+

Yes — this is important. Standard travel insurance policies typically exclude aerial activities including paragliding. You need a policy that explicitly covers paragliding (or "air sports") for both personal accident and medical repatriation. Several specialist providers offer this, including specialist adventure sports insurers. Check your policy wording carefully. Your national federation membership likely covers third-party liability; travel insurance covers rescue costs and repatriation, which is the gap to fill.

Is there a deposit or cancellation fee?+

No deposit, no booking fee. You commit nothing financially until you're here. If your plans change and you can't come, you owe nothing. If you arrive and conditions prevent flying for a day or two, I don't charge for non-flying days. Payment is made at the end of the week for the flying days completed.

Can I share the guiding fee with other pilots?+

The €80/day rate is per pilot — each pilot in the group pays it individually. I keep groups to a maximum of 5 pilots. Coming with 2–4 others means you benefit from the group dynamic (shared track-log analysis, seeing how others handle different conditions) while each paying the same per-person rate. Solo pilots are also welcome and are often joined with other solo travellers to form a shared group.

What if I want to join for fewer than 7 days?+

You're welcome to join for fewer days at the same daily rate of €80/day. Some pilots come for 4 or 5 days. The weekly rate of €560 is simply the daily rate × 7 — there's no discount for a full week, but there's no minimum either. Just let me know your dates when you get in touch.

Ready to see the full programme?

Browse all five programmes with detailed inclusions — or message me directly and I'll recommend the right option for your level and goals.

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