Fraser was an amazing guide! He explain everything really clearly and tried to make the tour interesting and fun.
About Activity
What's Included
Includes
- Professional guide
- Five tastings of a variety of different Belgian Chocolates
- Small-group experience
Excludes
- Hotel pickup and drop off
- Additional food and drinks
- Gratuities
- White chocolate. JK, you can have it if you want. We'll explain why it's not actually chocolate!
Departure & Return
Departure Point
- Your Brussels Chocolate Tasting Tour starts in front of the tower of City Hall on Grand Place/Grote Markt. Look for the SANDEMANs Tours team with a SANDEMANs red umbrella.
Return
- Your Brussels Chocolate Tasting Tour usually finishes at Laurent Gerbaud, roughly a 20 min walk from the starting point of the tour at Grand Place/Grote Markt. Your guide will be happy to share MANY great options for food and drinks in the area after the tour.
Itinerary
Meet your guide in front of the tower of City Hall, on Grand Place/Grote Markt. Your tour begins in the heart of Brussels, standing in one of Europe's most breathtaking squares, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1998. Dating back to the 11th century as a marketplace, the square was rebuilt in stunning Baroque style after a devastating French bombardment in 1695, and today its gilded guildhalls and towering Town Hall spire reflect the wealth and craftsmanship of Brussels' medieval trade guilds. Your guide will unpack how this history set the stage for Belgium's chocolate legacy: as a hub of European trade routes, Brussels had early access to cocoa from the Congo Free State, and by the early 20th century, innovators like Jean Neuhaus were perfecting the praline right here in the city. Learn how royal patronage, master chocolatiers, and centuries of trading tradition combined to transform Brussels into the chocolate capital of the world, a reputation it proudly upholds today.
Step into Europe's oldest covered shopping arcade, an architectural marvel that opened in 1847 and set the standard for elegant glass-roofed galleries across the continent. Commissioned by King Leopold I, this stunning passage was built to give Brussels' elite a refined space to stroll, shop, and socialize, sheltered from the city's unpredictable weather. Wander beneath its soaring arched glass ceiling, flanked by elegant neoclassical facades, and you'll spot why this gallery has long been a favorite address for Belgium's finest chocolatiers, including some of the very shops on your tasting route. Your guide will share how the gallery's grandeur helped cement chocolate as a symbol of luxury and refinement in Belgian culture, a legacy that continues today with shops like Neuhaus, founded here in 1857 and credited with inventing the praline itself. This stop offers a beautiful blend of architecture, history, and indulgence in one of Brussels' most photogenic spots.
Bakers and chocolatiers to the Belgian royal family, Herman Van Dender is one of the most respected names in the city. In 2023 the prestigious Gault&Millau guide named it the best chocolatier in Brussels — a recognition of the precision and artistry behind every piece. Here your guide talks you through what sets truly great chocolate apart, from the quality of the cacao to the balance of a well-made ganache, as you taste for yourself why this house has earned its royal reputation.
For over a hundred years and five generations, the Corné family has been making chocolate in Brussels. Corné Dynastie carries that heritage into every praline, made using recipes and techniques handed down through the family's own workshop. If we're very lucky, we may even meet the chocolatier himself — he works full time in the shop when he isn't crafting pralines in the family atelier. It's a rare chance to speak with someone who has inherited a craft a century in the making, and to taste the results for yourself.
Founded in 1919, Mary holds a special place in the story of Belgian chocolate: its founder was the first female chocolatier in the city, a pioneer in what was very much a man's world. She designed all her own packaging and livery, and Mary became the first house to hold an official royal warrant. Elegant, historic and quietly revolutionary, Mary still makes chocolate in the tradition its founder established. Here you'll taste pralines from a maison that helped shape the very idea of Belgian luxury chocolate.
When it's open and the timing is right, we may step into a genuine working chocolate atelier to see what really goes on behind the finished bar. If we're lucky, you'll watch chocolate being made from the humble cacao bean all the way through to the finished bar — the melting, tempering and moulding that most people never get to see. Because this is a real working space rather than a fixed exhibit, it isn't always open or in production, and your guide will decide on the day whether a visit is right for the tour. When it does happen, it's a wonderful window into the craft behind everything else you'll taste.
Part chocolate shop, part art gallery, Pierre Marcolini is where Belgian chocolate meets high craftsmanship. Named the world's best pastry chef in 2020, Marcolini was a pioneer of the bean-to-bar movement, sourcing his cacao ethically and controlling every step from raw bean to finished creation. The result is chocolate treated as fine art — precise, refined and beautifully presented. Here you'll taste work from one of the most celebrated names in the international chocolate world.
Finish on a sweet note at a final chocolatier chosen by your guide, which may include Laurent Gerbaud, known for his Asian-inflected pralines.
Language Offered
Additional Info
Cancellation Policy
Reviews
Great guide, good chocolates, defenatly worth while, and also learn some facts about Belgian chocolate.
It was an amazing tour. Our guide Fraser was friendly and knowledgeable. We got to taste some chocolates from different stores and learned a lot about their stories. 10/10, highly recommended!
Great experience with our tour guide!! We went to multiple shops on and off the beaten path. Not only did we explore the city and taste great chocolate, but history of the chocolate industry with in Belgium and how that happened
This tour was very rich with history snd flavor! The guide was super informative and very nice. Great experience!
Frasier did a fabulous job. He took us to a number of shops explained the history of each shop. . We enjoyed samples. We particularly enjoyed meeting a. fifth generation Chocolatier. In his shop. It was a lovely experience.
Great chocolate tour with Fraser. Small group of 5- Fraser was a great guide wonderful mix of humour, facts and history. Chocolate stops were all different in their traditions/ style. Reasonably priced - great pace of tour. Would 100% recommend was just over 1.5 hours Also Fraser was happy to share any recommendations and answer any questions not just chocolate related Thank you Fraser
Fraser, our guide, had a wonderful sense of humor and provided a lot of information about the history of chocolate in Belgium.
Friendly, informative, charismatic
We had a great tour guide — she was Scottish and lots of fun, and gave us great explanations of all the chocolates we tried. She also gave us some additional recommendations for our time in Brussels, and even showed us stops that weren't originally on the tour, like the famous 'peeing boy' statue (Manneken Pis). Highly recommend this tour!
Great tour! Our guide was very nice, friendly, and knowledgeable. We really enjoyed the tour and would definitely recommend him!
This is a great tour. Our guide, Fraser, was funny and engaging and knew his chocolate. Well worth it.
Delicious pralines of course. Bruce was an excellent guide, very friendly. Lots of interesting history throughout. It was fascinating to learn, see, taste the bean to bar process. A fun way to see Brussels and taste the best chocolatiers.
More than just a journey through the art of chocolate and its connection to the city, the tour serves as a genuine consultation on the best places - out of thousands - to buy a wide variety of products, tailored to individual tastes. Mario was awesome
Great tour, interesting background information, very well presented by our excellent guide, Mario. Visited a number of chocolate makers, not too much walking.
Amazing tour that combined chocolate tastings and history of chocolate and Belgium. Mario was fantastic! Highly recommend!
Great tour! Very knowledgeable guide, the chocolate selections were great. Conveniently located in the middle of Brussels.
The meeting point was vague and the guide arrived right on start time ….so frustrating The guide ended by saying tips aren’t required but would be appreciate
A really nice way to see the retail district of Brussels. Our guide Fraser was fantastic and had that big Scottish personality that is infectious. He chose a series of boutique chocolate shops to see and taste that all had some really good backstory which was great. 1 hour was just the right amount of time. There was about 18 in the group which is about the limit of what you would want.
Great experience . Must do in Belgium . We went through a series of artisanal chocolate makers, with nuggets of Belgium history and chocolate history in the region . The guide was very knowledgeable, funny and accommodated our allergy needs.
Bruce our tour guide was welcoming, informative and helpful. Would recommend as part of any Brussels experience.
Awesome experience with a very fun and knowledgeable guide. Samples of chocolates were full size and we were very impressed by the choice of the stores we visited. Highly recommended!
90 well spend minutes with a small group and a wonderful guide. You visit some of the best chocolate shops and taste excellent chocolate. Learn about the history of chocolate and the shop owners. A quick visit to the mini factory in the Museum of chokolade. It would have been nice if chocolate was made that day. Our guide, Mario, was incredible. Interesting, easy to hear and understand, funny very well organised.
Excellent tour guide! Forgot his name. We visited many chocolate businesses. I wish we had seen actual chocolate being made not just the machines. Visor could give better, more specific directions for meeting location. It is nerve racking when you have paid spot of money for s as tour and may miss it because you cannot find the location. Once I was able to find the red umbrella person- it made more sense/ he did not have a red shirt as advertised. There are many tours in the same location.
Fraser was an awesome, enthusiastic tour guide! Very personable and well-spoken. He provided us with an interesting history of Belgian chocolates and a variety of samples. Highly recommend!
Guide (Fraser) was fantastic. Kept us engaged and informed throughout the whole tour
The tour guy was helpful, friendly and was funny. I learnt more and has a good understanding of the history
Bruce was an excellent tour guide. He explained the history of chocolate and how it came to Belgium. He took us to multiple chocolate shops where we sampled different chocolates. We even got to meet a real chocolatier! This is a must do tour while in Belgium! Bruce went over and above as a host giving us an amazing dinner recommendation as well. Thanks for a wonderful experience!
Lots of fun and very informative. We enjoyed the different chocolates. Our guide was excellent!!!!!!
Our guide, Fraser, was very knowledgeable and personable. We started in Grand Palace where Fraser discussed history and how the chocolate trade began. We then walked into the surrounding area and stopped and sampled from various chocolatiers. I appreciated that Fraser accommodated my being vegan, when he could. Next we explored Gallerie St. Hubert where many of the world renowned chocolate makers have stores and learning their backstories while enjoying more samples! This tour is a fun and interesting way to spend 2 hours while in Brussels!
Fraser was a fantastic guide! Highly recommend. Great info and experience!! Very personal and genuine guide.
Excellent tour! Mario was an outstanding guide and we were able to learn about chocolate and taste amazing chocolate but because he is a historian learned a lot about Belgium as well!
We LOVED this tour!! We tried so many different chocolates, and our guide, Bruce, was very knowledgeable. The group size was perfect, and we learned a ton. Definitely worth it!
Delicious and informative tour. This was a great way to learn about local chocolate shops and appreciate the history behind Belgium chocolate.
Exceptional tour! This was a great paced tour, I just had surgery on my foot and perfectly managed. Our guide was a fantastic Scottish gentleman who was knowledgeable, humorous, and kind to everyone. We were able to get to know the history of the chocolate, owners of the shops, get generous samples and learn a little about the city and architecture as well. I’ve taken hundreds of tours all over the world and this was top-tier. You will NOT be disappointed.
Mario was an excellent guide . Very informative with lots of enthusiasm and information . We visited some of the lesser known chocolatiers
Best experience ever , best 90 minutes spent ,Fraser was so much fun and very engaging, sampled 6 types of chocolates and learnt about the makers ,would do it all over again
Fraser is an outgoing, cheerful person, with a deep knowledge of chocolate. The tour was a fun way to learn about chocolates and the leading chocolatiers in Brussels
Mario was amazing. Had a beer with him afterwards and further discussed Belgian history and more places to visit. A complete pleasure and would absolutely book other tours with him. His knowledge of chocolate, beer and history in general made it a memorable experience.
The tour was about an hour and a half long. We visited several chocolate shops and learned all about the history of chocolate in Brussels. One of the best parts was that we got to sample free chocolate at every shop, which made the experience even more fun and delicious!
Frazier was fabulous! He was funny and took us to all the best places while entertaining us with all the facts. Highly recommend!
Fraser was exceptional. Great knowledge, entertaining, very aware of food allergies and accommodating. Exceptional history and chocolates. Best tour we have done here!
This was a delightful chocolate tasting tour! The museum was closed, so we visited an extra chocolate shop, which was great! Our tour guide was Fraser, and he was very funny! He clearly knows what he’s talking about, and he was engaging and clever. I highly recommend this tour. Very worth the price!
Fraser was a charismatic, witty and knowledgeable host of our chocolate tasting tour. 1.5 hours was a perfect amount of time to learn some history of Brussels and absorb all the chocolate details he shared. We tasted chocolates from 4 different chocolatiers (2 at each spot and ice cream) and learned so much about the families, businesses and origins of their specific businesses. Highly recommend!
We had Fraser as our guide, on our 1 hr 30 mins chocolate tasting tour in the best city to do so very good chocolate great guide all round a great experience!
Great chocolate! Our guide was Fraser and he was really good! He really knew what he was talking about and gave us a great time.
Great tour Enjoyed the tastings and the history that our guide provided Shop owners were very helpful
Great experience with outstanding hospitality, knowledge, and clear chronological sequence of chocolate makers stores and stories Wouldn’t have all been possible without this gentleman, so big shout out to Fraser!
Rather than spend $35 and an afternoon on this tour, spend 20 minutes viewing YouTube videos about chocolate shops in Brussels and then wander around through the areas of the Grand Place and Saint Hubert Galleries to have a similar experience. Just google chocolate shoppes and they will all come up on the map. The guide was not welcoming, never introduced himself to the group until asked specifically what his name was and only mentioned that he liked to drink beer, positioned the group in the direct sunlight in the middle of the most crowded area of the Grand Place. When asked about this preference of chocolate shops and flavors in Brussels he directly refused to answer the question which seemed very dishonest. Is this information to be hidden or worth being gatekept?? State secret? I don’t know. Save your money. Walk around. It’s chocolate and it’s based on personal preference -milk or dark chocolate, filled (pralines) or just ganache ? You decide. You don’t need an unfriendly tour guide to tell you what you like. Save your money and your time.
Fraser was an awesome tour guide! Super friendly and engaging. The chocolates we tried were fantastic.
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