Chocolate Train

• Attraction type: Culinary tour, Cheese;
  Culture;
  Culinary tour, Chocolate;
  Scenic trip, By train;
  Scenic trip, By bus
• Escort: independent (no guide)
• Region: Montreux (South-West Switzerland)
• Duration: 1 day or less

The Chocolate Train in short

The Chocolate Train is operated by the regional railway company MOB (Montreux-Oberland-Bernois) and is available in summer. It's a fully arranged day trip by train and bus from Montreux.

You'll visit some of Switzerland’s most popular culinary and cultural destinations: the cheese factory La Maison du Gruyère, the town of Gruyères and the chocolate factory Maison Cailler.

What to expect from the Chocolate Train day trip

The Chocolate Train leaves from the rail station of Montreux in the morning. After a beautiful 45-minute train ride along the GoldenPass route you’ll reach the town of Montbovon, where you’ll transfer to a bus.

The bus takes you to your first culinary destination: the cheese factory La Maison du Gruyère. After an hour there you’ll have a short bus ride to the beautiful small town of Gruyères. During your free time there you can have lunch, shop for cheese and chocolates or visit the medieval castle.

In the afternoon, the bus continues to nearby Broc for a visit to the chocolate factory Maison Cailler. The bus will bring you back to Montreux, where you’ll arrive in the late afternoon.

Reasons to take the Chocolate Train

Gruyères and the cheese and chocolate factories can well be visited on your own, from Montreux or other base towns. Still, the Chocolate Train offers some advantages:

• It’s a fun trip for kids and families.
• It’s a fully arranged tour, so you don’t have to worry about planning, transportation, waiting lines at the museums and opening hours.
• You’ll be served chocolate bread and coffee during the morning train trip to Montbovon.
• It’s an efficient way to visit some Swiss culinary and cultural highlights in one day.
• There are passes that get you a discount on the normal fare.

Reasons to visit Gruyères and the factories on your own

• The Chocolate Train trip has a fixed schedule, meaning you can’t travel at your own pace.
• You may want to visit only one or two of the Chocolate Train destinations, or combine one of them with other activities.
• It can be cheaper to plan your own trip. The Chocolate Train trip is more expensive than regular costs of return train tickets from Montreux and the entrance tickets of both museums.
• Holders of a Swiss Travel Pass or Swiss Travel Pass Flex can make a similar trip entirely for free: the train rides to Gruyères and Broc-Fabrique, and the entrance to the cheese and chocolate factories, are all included.
• If you’re not staying close to Montreux, alternative culinary tours closer to your base town can be more convenient.