We've been to both Frey (in Buchs) and Maestrani Chocolarium (in Flawil). Both are easy day trips from Zurich and good places to take visitors who insist on having some sort of chocolate experience. Also both are good for kids.



- Frey: you can sign up to make your own chocolate (recommended to book ahead of time so you get the time you want) and then go on a self-guided tour while your chocolate cools. The tour wasn't that great (you get an audioguide and learn about how chocolate is made), but at the end there is an all-you-can-eat chocolate tasting. Really - a million different kinds of chocolate on a moving conveyor belt. A bit dangerous


- Maestrani: the tour is much more interactive for kids than Frey and we like it better overall. The chocolate tasting near the end is less impressive (just a few kinds to try), but it is on a walkway overlooking the factory floor which is really cool. You can also make your own chocolate at the end of the tour for ~10 CHF/bar (same price as Frey but you don't have to book ahead for this one, and there's a cooling machine that cools the chocolate in ~10 minutes).