“The guides were great. I liked that they tweaked the itinerary for the group abilities and desires as the tour progressed.” - Cheese, Chocolate & the Alps guest
The Cheese, Chocolate, and Alps tour is an active tour featuring some easy to slightly moderate walks, interactive food workshops, and, naturally, spectacular Alpine scenery. Guests should be in good physical condition and able to walk 2–4 miles per day. Participants should have a reasonable level of stamina to fully enjoy all aspects of the tour, including daily walks, standing during workshops, and navigating stairs or uneven terrain. Throughout the journey, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to taste and savor authentic and local Swiss cheeses and chocolates.
The Cheese and Chocolate tour starts in Montreux and ends in Zurich. We recommend flying into Geneva or Zurich and departing from Zurich. Arrival instructions and a rail pass to reach Montreux will be provided. Montreux is almost 3 hours by train from Zurich and just over 1 hour from Geneva. Along the way, you’ll experience the best of Switzerland, traveling through three language regions—French, German, and Italian—while taking in magnificent Alpine vistas.
Our group sizes are intentionally small—usually 12–13 guests—to ensure an intimate and immersive experience. Please note that a minimum of 8 guests is required for the tour to be guaranteed to run.
You will need to bring your luggage with you on the train to Montreux, where the tour begins. After that, a luggage transfer service will transport your bags to each hotel along the route, all the way to Zurich. On the final morning in Zurich, you will depart with your own luggage. Since your suitcases are being transferred, you’ll only need to carry a daypack with essentials for the day. We recommend bringing one rolling suitcase (maximum 20 kg / 44 lbs, ideally 25–26 inches) along with your daypack.
We stay in 3- and 4-star, independently owned Swiss hotels renowned for their charm, comfort, and prime locations. Guests can expect warm hospitality, alpine character, and authentic local cuisine.
Please note:
Many hotels have no air conditioning, though you should be able to open the windows for ventilation.
Most bathrooms have deep tubs with a hand-held shower rather than walk-in showers.
The final night is at a hotel conveniently located in downtown Zurich, and is a 10-minute train ride from Zurich Airport. NOTE: The Zurich hotel offers only rooms with one large bed. If you require two separate beds, you may wish to consider upgrading to a single-occupancy room at this property.
You can expect a fair amount of dairy on this tour, but we can usually support guests with allergies and special diets, including vegetarian, gluten-free, and some lactose-free options. Vegan choices are limited, but we will do our best to accommodate them.
Many guests choose to arrive before the tour or extend their stay afterward, and our office is happy to assist with hotel recommendations, itinerary ideas, and travel logistics. Please note that this tour includes a 1st-class, 15-day Swiss Travel Rail Pass. Nine days are used during the tour, leaving you up to six additional days to use the rail pass within Switzerland.
About 30 days before your tour, you’ll receive your digital tour materials via the Vamoos app. These will include arrival instructions, a hotel contact list, a packing list, your 15-day 1st-class Swiss Travel Rail Pass, and other important details.
We rate this trip as easy to moderate since there are some easier hikes on this tour and a fair amount of walking. You should be in good physical condition and capable of walking 2-4 miles per day, either on well-maintained and graded walking paths or cobblestone streets, with a vertical elevation gain of up to 500 feet per day, at an elevation up to 10,000 feet above sea level. There will be times when stairs can not be avoided, so guests will need the ability to go up and down stairs. During some workshops, you should also be able to stand for up to one hour at a time, without assistance.
