Your guide will greet you inside the main hall underneath the clock tower of the central train station of Zurich HB before starting the tour
We’ll head to "La Maison du Gruyères”, a traditional dairy where master cheesemakers will reveal the process behind authentic Gruyères AOP cheese. Watch as fresh milk is transformed into delicious Gruyères, using huge copper cauldrons and giant curd presses. Learn how the region produces around 48 wheels a day, all of which undergo a rigorous inspection by Gruyères AOP before they are allowed to be sold with the official label. After the demonstration it's time to indulge your taste buds. Learn to recognize and appreciate the full bodied, nutty flavor of authentic Gruyères as you sample the cheese straight from the wheel.
Next, a short scenic hike will bring us to the delightful town of Gruyères, birthplace of the iconic sweet and salty cheese which shares its name. Nestled within the picturesque Fribourg canton, this medieval town is bursting with rustic charm. Explore the maze of cobblestone pathways, glimpsing panoramic views of the surrounding countryside as you make your way to the hilltop Castle of Gruyères. This stunning fortress dates back to the 13th century, and was once home to the notorious Counts of Gruyères. Now visitors can explore the castle's sordid history, and wander through treasure lined museum rooms and ancient ruins. After the tour we will enjoy a quick lunch stop - but don’t fill up too much!
Stomachs full of cheese, we will make our way to our final stop: the Cailler Chocolate Factory. This legendary cocoa wonderland was created by the grandfather of Swiss chocolate, François-Louis Cailler, whose secret ingredients remain in use today. His iconic chocolate is famous for its rich, creamy flavor, achieved by using condensed milk rather than the standard milk powder used in most other brands. On some days see master chocolatiers at work to demonstrate how to craft their delights using different types of foolproof techniques, at the end you will be able to sample those creation and take your chocolates home, or eat them on your journey back!
After a full day of food and adventure, it's time to head back to Zurich. Your guide will ensure you have a comfortable journey back to the Zurich train station.
Carlos was a very knowledgeable, personable and passionate guide. He guided us effortlessly through the castle and factory, pointing out items of interest and made the day fun. We would definitely request him again. We were a group of 3 alone on the tour so it was special getting his full attention.
We had the chocolate and cheese tour! Carlos was a wonderful tour guide! We met him at the train station promptly on time. He knew where we were going, explained every part of the journey, and made the trip effortless! He was very personable. He added interesting facts of the cheese factory, the Gruyere castle & village and the Callier chocolate tour. He was so easy to talk to I felt like we had been friends for a long time! The train ride was fun. It was relaxing and an interesting day! I would definitely want him again as my tour guide!
Lincoln was very polite, informative and knowledgeable. Excellent guide!
Carlos was a great guide and trip was fantastic.
Carlos was fantastic! He expertly shepherded us on and off trains and buses and got us exactly where we needed to be on time. Friendly, courteous, and helpful.
Lincoln was a great guide. You get a mix of cheese 🧀 factory, castle and chocolate all in one tour. Lincoln is on top of it and gets you to the trains and busses on time. If you like variety tour take this one.
This trip was wondelful ! Linken., our guide was super ! Cheese and chocolate are very tasty!
Superb trip and a wonderful guide. Thank you Linken for the professional way you guided us.
Tour was fast paced and very informative. We left Zurich early so we were able to catch the cheese making in Gruyere factory. Lincoln was an amazing tour guide! Very knowledgeable.
Gina was our tour guide and she was amazing!!! She was so informative about the cheese and the chocolate. She went above and beyond for us. She was as taking pictures for us and it was great for us just to be able to enjoy the tour without having to stop and take a photo. I would highly recommend this tour.
Mary was wonderful, knowledgeable and made us feel welcome! She was patient and an excellent guide for the day. Highly recommended for adventurers or those that want to see the best of Switzerland- all tickets were included, which is a plus! Thank you, Mary!
This was an incredible day trip & Jonas was a great guide! He met my Mom and I at our hotel and was very punctual. We traveled by train to Gruyères and went to the cheese museum and got samples to take back to the hotel. Great experience and the cheese tasted amazing (to say the least). We then went to a beautiful castle...breathtaking scenery! We were able to explore the castle at our leisure. Jonas then recommended a restaurant right outside of the castle for lunch. He gave us ideas as to what to order and the food was DELICIOUS. We then made our way to the Callier chocolate factory. The factory had a capturing, interactive museum with an abundance of samples at the end. Finally, we made our train trek back to Zurich. Jonas walked us back to our hotel and gave us his number in case we had questions during the remainder of our stay in Zurich. Jonas was incredibly knowledgeable and professional. He was a pleasure to spend the day with. My mom and I had a blast! We wouldn't have been able to logistically plan this trip on our own, so I would definitely recommend this incredible experience.
Jonas gave us the most incredible and personalized trip one could ask for! He was extremely knowledgeable about Switzerland and the locations we visited! We visited the beautiful city of Gruyere as well as the Cailler chocolate company and had an amazing time at both! Would highly highly recommend it.
Excellent tour. Everything was stunning and perfect. Our guide, Jonas, was unparalleled. Couldn’t have been better. We absolutely loved the day!
Better than expected! I only wish viator had a better detailed description of what this tour offers, because it was so much. Our Guide, Jonas, was one of the best we've had anywhere in the world. He was polite and knowledgeable, and made the whole experience that much better. This tour is long and tiring, yes, but there is so much you get to see and experience. We would have had a very hard time accomplishing this much in one day without Jonas.
Our tour wonderful and insightful tour guide was Jonas. He was really delightful to chat with and knew a lot of about the region and the history behind many important parts of Swiss culture.
Excellent day trip from Zurich. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, friendly and took care to make sure we were having a great time. Was fantastic to see a different part of Switzerland that we would not have felt comfortable exploring on our own with navigating the trains in particular. Chocolate and cheese were absolutely fantastic! Would absolutely do this again and highly recommend!
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