Both Chocolate & Cheese In One Day

Since Switzerland is so famous for both chocolate and cheese, I knew that I would want to visit a factory or a specialty shop to get a better understanding of why these two thing are so popular.  I came across a recommendation on Tripadvisor and saw that it would likely be possible to visit a chocolate factory and a cheese factory on the same day and jumped at the opportunity. 

Both are located in central Switzerland and are about a 2 hour train ride from either Bern or Lausanne.  My day trip didn’t quite start off in the best way, as I found out one of my trains had been cancelled and I’d have to wait an hour for the next one.  Thank goodness I had gotten to the Bern Train Station early enough to take the very first train out, and even with the cancelled train, I would still reach Maison Callier at a reasonable time.

As the oldest existing brand of chocolate in Switzerland and the first to produce milk chocolate, the factory is steeped in history.  As soon as you step off of the train at Broc-Fabrique station, you will notice that Maison Callier is only about a minute’s walk away.  Long before reaching the factory, you should already be able to smell the sweet fragrance of milk chocolate. 

With my Swiss Travel card, entrance is free and based on the language that you choose, you will be given a number.  The number indicates the tour group that you will be a part of and there are TV screens all over the souvenir shop and waiting areas to indicate when it is your turn to take the tour.  You are also provided with a neat little electronic audio device in the shape of a chocolate bar.

 

I only had to wait about 15 minutes before my number showed up on the TV screen.  My group had about 20 people and after a brief audio clip was played for us, we were ushered into a dark room, which made it feel like we were getting ready to go onto an amusement park ride.  We were led through several dark rooms as the story of chocolate unfolded for us.  After the last room, we were led to a room where we could use our audio devices to learn more about chocolate.

At the very end of the room, a few pieces of chocolate were available for tasting but it wasn’t until we went through a long corridor towards the exit that the real chocolate tasting began.  There were about 10 different types of chocolates set up for us to taste.

The whole tour takes roughly an hour, but since the last portion is for you to explore on your own, you can set your own pace. T

From Broc-Fabrique, it is about a 30 minute train ride to Gruyères, with a change in Bulle.  As soon as you step out of the Gruyères train station, you will notice La Maison du Gruyère on your left. Again, with my Swiss travel pass, I was able to enter the Cheese Factory for free, and they even provided everyone with a sample of cheese immediately.

Just like at Callier, there are lockers for you to store anything you don’t want to carry around.  You do need to ask the staff for a key though as they only have about 8 lockers there. 

You are provided with an audio device and expected to explore on your own.  The Cheese Factory was much smaller than the Chocolate Factory and I really didn’t spend very much time touring.  Instead, I visited the gift shop and also the restaurant, as I had heard that it is one of the best places to try fondue.

After enjoying the fondue, I had wanted to go into town to see the Gruyères Castle.  However, it was a very overcast day and it looked like it could rain at any minute, so I decided that it wouldn’t be the best idea.  On my train ride back to Bern, I met a girl who told me that she had been up at the castle and the overcast skies meant she didn’t really have a view of the town at all, so it turned out to be a good decision for me to skip visiting the castle.