Gruyères Full-Day: Swiss Train, Cheese & Chocolate Escape

Very good day tour from Geneva. Our tour guide/driver Aristotle was excellent. Has good sense of humor and took care of everyone. Included lunch was very good.

My husband and I had a great day from start to finish. Our tour guide was friendly and approachable and gave plenty of useful information to make sure we all had a good time. The chocolate tour was good, especially the unlimited chocolate at the end. The Gruyere factory was interesting and had a lovely restaurant where we got to taste some slices of gruyere and try the fondue with a glass of wine, finished by meringue and cream. We spent some time in the town of Gruyere which was really pretty, then we went to the train where we had reserved seats at the back of the train with panoramic windows and it was such a scenic journey. The overall trip is a little expensive but we felt it was worth it as the coach journey alone is full of beautiful views of the mountains, its air conditioned and comfortable. Also, as its only a small coach the experience feels a lot more personal.

Gave me a real feel for Switzerland’s beauty and goodies. Everything went perfectly. I was so glad I chose this tour. A real value. Our driver and guide was Amad was friendly, knowledgeable and caring.

8/11/25: Gruyère’s chocolate and cheese tour Highly recommend - 5 stars! We boarded a new and comfortable coach, with excellent AC on a 90 F day, with our informative, very organized, and friendly guide/driver David, for this 10 hour tour. Starting with Geneva sights, we headed towards Lausanne, learning about the mountain ranges and various cantons and their special features as we passed by. The Caillier Chocolate factory was fun and interactive, followed by generous chocolate tastings (my family tried at least 7-10 chocolates each). People were buying in the well stocked gift shop at the end. We headed next to the Gruyères cheese factory - audio guides were a little cheesy, but David timed it so we could see the actual cheese making (around 12:15) which added a lot to our experience. The videos along the walls with additional info on cheese making made it more interesting. The exhibit included the smells of various alpine plants - summer milk of cows grazing in the upper alpine meadows taste different for this reason - it seemed we could taste those flavours in the light fondue meal at the end (samples of 9 month aged Gruyère cheese, followed by a delicious cheese fondue with potatoes and bread, and double creame/meringue dessert, accompanied by wine). Be sure to sign up for the “gold” level tour to get this lunch as well as the Golden Pass Train to Montreux and then back to Geneva by bus. We also got to spend an hour among cows and cowbells and the charming Gruyère castle. In all, it was a bit pricey, but with everything included, the family (age 12, 14, 20, and adults) agreed it was a well-done and worthwhile trip!

Babis is very accommodating and easy to follow. Thank you Babis for the smile, kindness and guidance. All the best to you and your family!

Pro’s: 1. Our guide Aristotle and co-captain Chris were wonderful. 2. We got lots of cheese and chocolate! 3. The medieval village was beautiful! 4. The landscape was breathtaking. Cons: 1. It’s a lot of driving. 2. We thought we’d have chocolate and cheese on the train but the train was only an hour and very outdated and worn. 3. The chocolate factory and cheese factory are both audio tours so be prepared, and it’s a lot of people going in with you. 4. Not enough time in the village.

The tour guide was very knowledgeable. It was very interesting to know how actually chocolates are made & get to taste it as well. Also get to see how gruyeres cheese were made with meal & as well as entered the medieval castle. Views of the countryside with train was gorgeous. Great experience all throughout.

This was a great tour! The day was seamless and I enjoyed being able to experience multiple tours and areas to explore. Highly recommend if you want a full day activity. Roger was a great guide!

A wonderful place to go if you have never seen how cheese is made. History of both cheese and chocolate was interesting.

Overall a very good excursion. We loved the chocolate factory tour & sampling and enjoyed the Gruyère cheese making & tasting with the lunch. The palace and surrounding village were worthwhile and the train through the mountains into Montreux was lovely as well. Our only negative was that our guide Normand made a few political references to his liking of Trump in America. For American tourists on holiday in Europe and trying to enjoy their vacation, his comments were very uncomfortable & unnecessary for many people in the group.