Zurich open-top bus tour with chocolate and cheese tasting

One day, three Swiss tastes: city views, chocolate factory, working cheese dairy

A full-day tour of Zurich combines a one-hour open-top bus ride through the city with visits to two working food factories in the countryside — the Chocolarium chocolate maker in Flawil and the Appenzeller Schaukäserei cheese dairy — plus a 30- to 45-minute stop in St. Gallen to see the cathedral and walk the old town. A live English-speaking driver-guide leads the whole day; you arrange your own lunch in Zurich before the afternoon departs.

Step-by-step itinerary

Zurich city tour and Swiss countryside

• 1-hour open-top bus city tour
• Pass Zurich station and ShopVille
• Pass Urania Observatory
• Pass former Schweizerische Kreditanstalt bank
• Pass FIFA headquarters
• Pass Rietberg Museum
• Pass neoclassical mansion and park
• Pass Lake Zurich lakeside
• Free time for lunch in Zurich
• Travel 1h20 to Swiss countryside
• Visit Chocolarium chocolate factory
• Drive 30 minutes to Appenzeller Schaukäserei
• Visit Appenzeller cheese dairy
• Explore typical Swiss village
• Relaxing 1h30 bus ride back to Zurich

The Experience

How do you see a city and taste what it makes, all without renting a car? Start with the red open-top bus rolling through Zurich for an hour, passing the Rietberg Museum, Lake Zurich, the Urania Observatory, and Zurich's main railway station — the largest in Switzerland and a hub for trains across Europe. The audio guide narrates as you ride; the open air and the vantage point are the point. After the bus loop, you have free time to eat lunch anywhere in the city before meeting your driver-guide at 12:20 for the drive into the countryside.

The afternoon is built around two factories where you watch the work happen. At the Chocolarium in Flawil, you move through interactive exhibits on how Swiss chocolate gets made — from bean selection to the finished bar — and taste samples at different stages. It's not a museum; it's a working chocolate maker's space, and the tasting is the core of it. Then a 30-minute drive takes you to the Appenzeller Schaukäserei in Appenzell, where you see the cheese vats, the aging cellars, and the techniques that go into Appenzeller cheese. You taste the cheese at different ages so you can feel how the flavor changes as it matures. The setting is the Swiss countryside itself — the views are part of the experience.

Before heading back to Zurich, the tour stops in St. Gallen, a UNESCO-listed city with a cathedral and narrow old streets, for 30 to 45 minutes to walk and photograph. The return to Zurich takes about an hour and a half. The whole day is nine hours from start to finish, and the driver-guide speaks English throughout.

What’s included

• One-hour open-top bus tour of Zurich with audio guide.
• entrance and tasting at the Chocolarium chocolate factory.
• entrance and cheese tasting at the Appenzeller Schaukäserei.
• 30- to 45-minute stop in St. Gallen.
• free time in a Swiss village.
• driver-guide who speaks English throughout the day.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Keytours (Switzerland)

Is this one for you?Pick this if you're based in Zurich without a car—the afternoon itinerary starts with a guided bus tour of the city, then continues to the chocolate factory and cheese dairy, so you experience both attractions in one outing rather than planning separate trips.

Top questions

What exactly do you do at the Chocolarium and the cheese factory?

At the Chocolarium in Flawil, you walk through exhibits on chocolate-making history and technique, then taste Swiss chocolate samples. At the Appenzeller Schaukäserei in Appenzell, you watch the cheese-making process in the dairy — the vats, the aging rooms — and taste Appenzeller cheese at different stages of maturity to understand how the flavor develops.

Do I have to arrange my own lunch, or is it included?

Lunch is not included in the tour. You have free time in Zurich after the open-top bus ride and before the 12:20 departure for the countryside, so you can eat at any restaurant or café in the city.

Is St. Gallen worth the stop, or is it just a break on the way back?

St. Gallen is a UNESCO World Heritage city with a cathedral and historic old town. The 30- to 45-minute stop gives you time to walk the streets and take photos, so it's a real destination, not just a pause.

What is the Rietberg Museum, and do you go inside?

The Rietberg Museum is a 19th-century estate with three historic villas and a modern building, housing art from China, Japan, Africa, and the Near East. You pass it on the open-top bus tour but do not enter; it is one of the landmarks you see from the bus.

Can I bring a child or a baby on this tour?

Yes. Infants can sit on an adult's lap, and children can ride in a pram or stroller. The tour is suitable for all fitness levels. Car seats are not provided, but you can bring your own if you need one.