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Visit to Chocolate Factory
Will be in Lausanne a couple of days early before our Crown Jewel tour. Looking for info on visiting the Maison Cailler Chocolate Factory located in Broc, in particular the available transportation from Lausanne. Thank you.
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Look up Tours by Locals or Viator or any of the tour companies for their excursions.
There is a chocolate train that includes a visit there or you can do it on your own. Here's a link to some info on it. It leaves from Montreux train station and includes a visit to Gruyere (which the Tauck tour also goes to on day 2).
https://www.myswissalps.com/chocolatetrain
One of our fellow travelers last year arranged her own as well as taking one of their classes at Cailler. She wanted to take the chocolate train but couldn't get tickets. She'll probably chime in here and explain how she did it.
Yes, take the train and it doesn't have to be the chocolate train. The train will stop in Broc anyway; that is what we did. The train stop is steps away from the Callier Chocolate Factory. The train is public transportation so you wouldn't need to have a reservation. The tour is wonderful. You would just have to know which train, and the concierge of your hotel should be able to assist with that and I would recommend e-mailing the concierge in advance to ask questions and to advise you which train and where to get it. A tiny bit of advise, you don't need to purchase any chocolate because your tour will be starting and the same chocolate is in all the gift shops as well as the airport when you leave for home. I did that mistake and because of the warm weather, some of the chocolate turned into fondue. In other words, melted! Have a lovely trip - i t was one of my favorite trips.
Just putting in a vote for Läderach's fanciful seasonal specialties, such as fall chocolate hazelnut & marzipan piece in shape of a hazelnut. They have shops in US now, though of course the fresher the better.
Yum! I love marzipan.
In Luzern, in addition to the Laderach store there is a small candy shop called Confiserie Kurmann that has really creative candies. It's facing the river about where the covered bridge ends.
This photo is from several years ago at the end of our Rhine/Moselle cruise.
This is from last year at the end of the Switzerland tour. I loved the little chocolate cows.
Claudia, I can understand why I can get flags, but now I see you got one for showing photos of chocolates!
I think the flagger is an an anti-photoite
Thank you everyone for your insights. The train sounds like a great idea. We are on the 19 August small group tour.
The chocolate cows are adorable! Too cute to eat.
Off topic from this thread (sorry) but the cows remind me of a beauty contest in Bern, Switzerland. We arrived early for a Tauck cruise and watched the beauty contest. The contestants were cows brought down from the Alps all decked out in their finery. They were beautiful! Really. So much fun right there in the square surrounding the parliament/government buildings!
Hi santoliston! I was on the same Switzerland tour w/Claudia and went to Maison Callier before our tour began. Like Claudia said, the chocolate train was full so I had to go on my own. I have some word documents and will send you a separate message w/that info. I cannot remember the price for the train ride there, but have to say it was beautiful scenery to get there.
One thing that we had an issue w/at the end was the bus from the factory to the train. We were waiting in the area where we were dropped off, but the bus picked us up around the corner. Thankfully, 2 other people were also looking for it and they let us know when they found it so definitely ask where the bus picks you up so you know.
We went when things were slightly opening after all of the Covid closures so some things may have changed from when we went, so definitely double check on the info that I have.
The site for the chocolate train: https://mob.ch/activity/the-chocolate-train/?lang=en
Also, I emailed Maison Callier w/specific questions on getting there and have to say they were super helpful! Their email is: maisoncailler@nestle.com
We also did a chocolate workshop which was super fun to do and I am not 100% sure we could have done that if we took the chocolate train.
Be on top of the times as they always say Swiss are on time!!
Enjoy your trip! It is such a beautiful country! :-)
Hello Kathy0529, Thank you for the site info, very helpful.
kfnknfzk, what time of year did you see the cows?
santoliston,
It was Sep/Oct 2017 on a Sunday. We were told the cows are brought down to lower levels in the fall to protect them from the harsh elements up on the mountains. The cow who won the contest seemed so very proud! It was a fun day before our tour started...The Rhine, Swiss Alps and Amsterdam.
Our TD in Switzerland had a whole spiel about cows, the contest, the different breeds and which were most aggressive. Also how many humans were hurt by does there every year. The phrase " criminal cows" kind of became a joke for us. Then we joined the Brittany/Normandy tour and that TD just adored the cute Norman cows there. Two very bovine centered tours.
The Callier factory is a fun stop and easy drive from Lausanne. You could easily add a wine tasting stop and/or visit to a cheese factory. Driving in Switzerland is so easy and the roads are wonderful.