What to know about the Swiss Chocolate Adventure experience? Then you’re definitely in the right place because this detailed guide will tell you all you need to know to start planning your visit!
Swiss Chocolate Adventure is a unique visitor experience in Lucerne, but in this post, I want to clarify what is involved and what you get.
The reason I say this is based on the number of people who were not satisfied with the experience. No, not because it was horrible, but because they expected something entirely different from what they found.
So, keep reading if you want to know exactly what you’re getting when you go on the Swiss Chocolate Adventure..
Table of Contents
How to Get There
The Swiss Chocolate Adventure Museum is next to the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne, so the first thing you need to do is make your way to this fantastic Swiss city.
If you’re already in Lucerne, you can skip the next paragraph which covers the most convenient ways of traveling to Lucerne from other Swiss cities.
By Train
As you might have guessed, it’s best to travel by train almost everywhere in Switzerland, and this includes Lucerne. It’s only about
- 40 minutes by train from Zurich
- an hour from Bern
- an hour from Basel
- two hours from Interlaken
- three hours from Geneva.
The airport in Zurich is the closest one to Lucerne, so if that’s one of the main places you want to visit, aim to land at Switzerland’s busiest airport. If you get the Switzerland Tell Pass, you can travel on all these trains for free.
Getting There From Lucerne Train Station
Once you’re in Lucerne, getting to the Swiss Chocolate Adventure and Swiss Transport Museum is fairly easy.
By Bus
Take the bus from Schwanenplatz (near Chapel Bridge) and you’ll be at the Swiss Transport Museum in 10 minutes. Get out at the Verkehrshaus/Lido bus stop, which is just across the street from this popular museum.
On Foot
The Swiss Transport Museum is actually a 30-minute walk from the train station, however, I find it neither a fun or scenic walk for the most part (the small promenade on the lake is nice). So, I suggest you use public transport instead. Save your energy for walking around the Lucerne Old Town instead :>
Opening Hours
There’s no exact time when the first ride in the museum happens. It’s supposed to start sometime between 10:20 AM and 1 PM, and this most likely depends on the number of tickets sold – in other words, the ride won’t start until they’ve sold enough tickets to justify running it.
The museum’s website states that it’s best to call them a day ahead and inquire when to arrive. The good news is that this museum is situated at Verkehrshaus, a vast complex with multiple museums and many other things to do. So, if you arrive early and have to kill an hour or two before you can attend the Swiss Chocolate Adventure experience, at least you’ll have plenty of things to do while you wait.
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Ticket Prices
Tickets for the Swiss Chocolate Adventure multimedia journey are
| Prices (CHF) | |
| Adults | 18 |
| Students | 14 |
| Children | 10 |
At 18 CHF for a 20-minute ride, you’re paying nearly 1 CHF a minute, which is pretty expensive. But, I am sure te kids will love it!
In any case, it is definitely worth buying your Swiss Transport Museum tickets ahead as the lines can get insanely long on weekends, holidays and during summer!
Discounts
Also, you can’t get a discount with the Swiss Travel Pass for this attraction, plus I find it ridiculous that they’re charging the same fee for infants as they are for 15-year-olds.
The only good thing about this is that you can eat some of that chocolate for free at the museum shop, so be sure to take advantage of that!
What to Expect When Visiting
The Swiss Chocolate Adventure is a 20-minute multimedia experience. Visitors are seated in a chocolate cube car and then shown films that explain where precious cocoa beans come from, how it is processed, and ultimately turned into chocolate. The multimedia exhibit also offers details on the logistics, or what it takes for the chocolate bars to make it to various shops throughout Switzerland.
It’s definitely an informative experience, and if you are genuinely interested in the process of making delicious Swiss chocolate from scratch, you will most likely enjoy the exhibit. But if you’re expecting something else, or you’re not that interested in watching movies about the processing of cacao beans, just save your money because you will be disappointed with the exhibit.
The entire time you’re watching the videos during the adventure ride, the smell of chocolate fills the room you are in. But that’s it – there’s no live demonstration of how chocolate is made or an actual chocolatier who will share tips and secrets about the process with you.
But if you go to the Lindt Chocolate Boutique, which is also in the Swiss Museum of Transport, you can observe a real-life chocolatier making chocolates. And you get your own free sample since the tickets for the museum include a chocolate tasting at the shop. I’m pretty sure there’s a limit on how many chocolates you’re allowed to eat for free, and possibly on the types of chocolates they’ll let you try during the tasting.
Swiss Chocolate Adventure: Is It Worth Visiting?
If you know exactly what you’re getting out of the experience and you’re still interested, then it’s worth it. I’ve seen numerous complaints from people who were disappointed that they didn’t get to see the process of making chocolate live or taste anything – the thing is, the Swiss Transport Museum doesn’t advertise that at all. I’ve seen people complain that the tour is only 20 minutes long, and at the same time, this is stated on the museum’s home page.
So, if you are expecting to be amazed or to spend hours learning about different chocolates, you will end up disappointed. But if you’re fine going on a quick tour that will teach you about the history and production of chocolate over the ages, you will probably have a good time at this museum.
Just keep your expectations low, and if you doubt you’ll enjoy the place, then it’s probably not worth it. You’re better off using the money you’d spend on tickets for something else, preferably some ultra-delicious Swiss-made chocolate!
Personally, I would go to the Lindt Home of Chocolate in Zurich instead (I was just there in October 2022). For 15 CHF for adults, you get access to a huge, informative museum with lots of free chocolate included (chocolate fountain, chocolate pieces and Lindt balls). As many as you can eat! And at the end, you get a free chocolate gift from Lindt. And the biggest Lindt chocolate shop in the world is there.
Also, if you’re just looking for fun things to do in Lucerne, know that this is one of the things that would barely make it on my list of the city’s top attractions. It’s great for people who are really into chocolate, but others not so much.
If you have been to this attraction in Lucerne and I have missed something, be sure to let me know in the comments below.
Images were taken from Verkehrshaus.
