Go to Switzerland and not eat chocolate? No way.
In Zurich, we embarked on a Chocolate Trail. Basically it's a (free) walking trail around the city where you can sample and buy lots of delicious chocolates.
Follow the trail here! https://swissfamilyfun.com/chocolate-tour-zurich/
(Big shout out to Tanya from Swiss Family Fun - we followed so many of her guides, from hiking to fun trails in the city!)
First up, we visited Bachmann x Lindt, which is a short walk from Zurich HB train station.
Welcome to the wonderful land of chocolates and more.
They had flowing chocolate stairs!
I loved these little macaroon stools.
The first floor is where you can pick up chocolates or pastries and go.
The second floor is where you can select your chocolates.
The third is a cafe space where you can eat your chocolates or sandwiches, or have a cup of coffee while overlooking the street.
The fresh chocolates can be bought by boxes or by weight. They have classic chocolate flavours with nuts, hazelnut, and also ruby chocolate. There's also the gimmicky kind where you get one shaped and printed with a cute emoji.
We selected only four (CHF $6.10) because we had many more stops and many more chocolates to eat!
Bachmann is known for their little guardian angel rochers. There's a milk one and a dark chocolate one. Unlike Feroro Rocher where there is a wafer layer, this is just full of chocolates and nuts. It is delicious. Definitely recommend the dark chocolate one. Fun fact: rocher means 'rock'.
Also tried the other two but they were not particularly special so let's skip ahead to the next shop!
We also visited Laderach, which was just across the street.
We love their fruit flavours and their dark chocolate! The tart taste from the fruits really goes so well with their chocolate. Läderach goes by weight and 100g is about 8.86 CHF. You can ask for samples and also combine different flavours into the weight you desire.
I have deeply fallen in love with fresh chocolates (FrischSchoggi).
They also had these interesting Mini Mousses.
We actually bought 8 pralines on our first day in Switzerland (when we were in Zermatt), so we didn't buy these.
Shop number three is called
Honold. They have been around since 1904!
They have a classic display.
We selected 4 chocolates again! (CHF $6.70) We chose one Mandolettes Noir, which turned out to be a rather excellent piece of dark chocolate with a caramel almond.
These brightly coloured fruit truffles also caught our eye, so we got the raspberry (framboise) and the lime (limette)!
I really enjoyed these - they surprised me because there is a coating of sugar, which is immediately followed by a coat of white chocolate and a very refreshing zesty fruit centre! This was really fun to eat.
The staff was young but very enthusiastic and friendly. He was also very patient and recommended chocolates though we were only buying four. He even gave us two complimentary chocolates! :')
We just popped them into our mouths. I think they were some pistachio chocolates. Sorry, my memory fails me. We were loving the trail thus far though!
Next stop, Vanini!
Vanini has been around since 1871.
We're here for the dark chocolate gelato, but they have fruit flavours too!
Look at that perfection. You can choose the kind of cone you want. I chose the one that had finely chopped almonds!
DO NOT MISS THIS STOP!!! Their gelato is smooth and absolutely rich. You might not even want to share.
We stopped by Teuscher and were dazzled by their vibrant display.
Nothing really caught our eye here though. The chocolates are mostly of the classic variety (nothing super creative or special), though their packaging is really lovely.
Next up, Schwarzenbach. This is our sixth stop so far!
Schwarzenbach is a chocolate shop/cafe! There are lots of luxurious chocolate bars to check out here. I was looking out for some unique vegan ones to bring home as gifts!
The staff here was super knowledgable, gentle and kind! She made us feel very welcome while giving us space so that we do not feel obliged to buy anything.
There were no fresh chocolates here, but there was chocolate to drink! We got a chocolate coffee.
It was excellent. Love it.
There's another cafe right across the street called Cafe Schober where the hot chocolate is supposedly good. We popped by to have a look but since we just had a drink, we made our merry way to the next shop.
Next, we went to ORO! This is a fancy little chocolate boutique. Their chocolates are made in Zurich, just 'two minutes' away from the shop, she said.
This shop had the most unique and fun flavours! They also sell bars of chocolate with high percentage (60%) of cocoa butter. We bought some home!
We chose 4. That costs CHF12 and comes in a pretty pink box and a chocolate guide.
We tasted them immediately at one of the tables outside. (They also sell ice cream.)
Lost in Translation: Dark chocolate, hibiscus, sesame. I couldn't really taste the sesame.
I Love London: dark chocolate, blackberry gin. This one had a rather nutty aftertaste.
Blue Comet: white chocolate, blueberry and lemon. This was super pretty!
Hammam: White, dark chocolate, rose tahini. As expected this was a musky floral chocolate but we realised we didn't really like rose/flower types of chocolates. We'll stick to the fruit flavours then!
Well we had a lot of tasting these chocolates! These fancy ones aren't really to my taste (I'm too basic I guess), but they sure are gorgeous to look at!
We headed back to the main street to check out Sprüngli. They have lots of outlets, even at the train stations. Apparently they are the premium, high end brand of Lindt.
They have a restaurant and there was a long queue for that.
Once inside, you experience the wonderful land of chocolates and sweets again.
There are rich chocolate cakes...
...tiny little macarons and many expensive bars of chocolates.
We were tired by then and nothing caught our eye so we went back!
BONUS: Max Chocolatier closed in Zurich, but we somehow chanced upon it in our day trip to Lucerne!
They had a beautiful, classy shop with cosy vibes. They also seem to be offering a chocolate subscription box. Imagine receiving a box of lovely mystery chocolates every month. Fun!
The staff here were also very lovely and recommended more chocolates! We chose 4 again, including one of these limited edition flavours. Yes, we enjoy novelty.
When the staff asked us if we would be interested in a cup of hot chocolate... how could we refuse?
This was so rich and good. It just rained so the streets were a little colder than usual, so a cup of hot chocolate really warmed us up! There's a little bench outside (not pictured) that you can sit on.
And that concludes our wild chocolate trail in Switzerland! I don't think I have ever eaten soooo many special chocolates in one day.
Did we have fun? Yes.
Did we have a bit of a sore throat? Yes.
Was it worth it? 1000% yes.
If you're in Zurich and was planning to walk around and explore the streets anyway, consider trying this chocolate trail! Hope you enjoyed reading this post.
Love,
Skye
P.S. I also visited a chocolate factory. Stay tuned for that post!
