Beyond Food Tours: The Best in Chocolate Excursions Around the World

Culinary tourism isn’t new, but the way the experiences evolve and connect travelers to a time and place has. Whereas travelers once visited kitchens of restaurants to learn about its history before sampling the meal, today’s travelers are shopping local stalls for the freshest ingredients and creating the meals themselves.

The trend continues to evolve with specialty chocolate tours that do everything from introduce you to the history to watch it being made, and some even let you make it yourself. Here’s where to find the sweet smell of culinary tourism.

Maison Callier

Embark on a sweet adventure in Switzerland’s Maison Callier chocolate attraction in Broc. The tour takes visitors on a multisensory experience through the history of chocolate from Aztec ceremonies to today. You can also take chocolate workshops introducing guests to ganache-making and transforming treats into works of art.

Haigh’s Chocolate, Adelaide

The Australian-made Haigh’s Chocolates features a guided tour of how the team creates premium quality chocolate from cocoa beans found around the world. From roasting and winnowing to conching, guests learn how the cocoa bean turns into smooth, liquid chocolate to create Haigh’s masterpieces.

Perugina Tour and Chocolate School

Learn about the art of Italian chocolate at The Perugina School of Chocolate in Perugia. Take a guided tour and tasting to get a glimpse of the chocolate factory or take a four-hour course to learn how to create and craft incredible treats that you can even practice at home.

Mast Brothers Chocolate Tour

Mast Brothers Chocolate wants to be the reason you put your phone down, slow down and savor the indulgence of the specialty items. Learn about how chocolate is made from the Mount Kisco factory in upstate New York. The best part is savoring the samples to try their selection for yourself.

Remember to call in advance before showing up for any tour. Times and availability can change, as well as a sell-out. Chocolate factories are usually small, intimate and sometimes cancel tours when chocolate needs creating to help sweeten up the world.