Winter Gruyères, Chocolate & Cheese Tour from Lausanne

Fondue happens in a typical Swiss chalet on Moléson Mountain, not in a restaurant.

A 5-hour tour from Lausanne that starts with chocolate tasting at a factory, moves through a cheese museum where you taste Gruyère AOP and eat fondue in a mountain chalet, then leaves you free to wander the medieval village of Gruyères. The driver-guide leads the factory stops. The village time is yours to explore. Entrance to the castle and HR Giger Museum in the village is optional.

Step-by-step itinerary

Chocolate, cheese, and Gruyères village

• Visit famous chocolate factory
• Discover Swiss chocolate making
• Taste Swiss chocolate
• Enjoy Swiss countryside en route
• Visit Gruyères cheese factory
• Taste cheese and fondue
• Explore Gruyères village freely
• Admire medieval town architecture
• Breathe mountain air and hear cowbells
• Optional visit to Gruyères Castle
• Optional visit to HR Giger Museum

The experience

The tour leaves Lausanne with a driver-guide and heads straight to a chocolate factory where you taste as much as you like, then moves through the Swiss countryside toward Gruyères. The route climbs to Moléson Mountain, where a cheese factory sits in a typical Swiss chalet. This is where you learn how Gruyère AOP is made across generations of cheesemakers, taste the cheese, and eat fondue as the main meal of the day.

After lunch you have free time in the medieval village of Gruyères itself, elected most beautiful village in Switzerland in 2014. The architecture is medieval, the air carries the sound of cowbells from the pastures below, and the village has stayed largely unchanged. You can walk the streets, take photographs, or choose to pay separate entry to Gruyères Castle or the HR Giger Museum: both sit in the village and are optional. The bus waits to return you to Lausanne when the free time ends.

What’s included

• Driver-guide throughout the day.
• chocolate factory museum and tasting.
• Gruyères cheese museum with fondue lunch in a mountain chalet.
• free time to explore the medieval village of Gruyères.
• bus roundtrip from Lausanne.

Before you book

Days and timesSundayDeparts at 10:15

Book up toStart time

AgesAdult (13 and older) · Child (4 to 12 years) · Infant (under 4)

GroupUp to 48

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 4 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Keytours (Switzerland)

Is this one for you?The tour departs from Lausanne with pickup included, which settles the transport question for anyone staying in the city or arriving by train without a rental car. You board the bus and the driver handles the route to the factories and back.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 12 years); Infant (under 4).

What exactly do I taste at the chocolate factory?

The chocolate factory visit includes tasting as much Swiss chocolate as you like: the operator describes it as the opening stop where you discover the secrets of making Swiss chocolate and enjoy tasting freely.

Is fondue the only food included, or is there more?

Fondue is the main dish served in the mountain chalet after the cheese museum. The chocolate tasting and cheese tasting are included. Other meals and drinks are not covered by the tour price.

Can I visit Gruyères Castle or the HR Giger Museum during the tour?

Both sit in the village and are optional. You can visit them during your free time in Gruyères if you choose, but entrance fees are separate from the tour price.

What language does the guide speak?

The driver-guide leads the tour in English.