The Chocolate Train in Montreux

Swiss Chocolate

When you think Swiss what is the first thing you think of? Could it be chocolate? Or maybe it’s cheese? Or maybe mountains and railroads? Bring them all together into an excursion on a first class Pullman car and you have the Chocolate Train.

Leaving from the station in Montreux, from June through October, this train will take you on a scenic tour. It travels to both Gruyères, a wonderful castle town famous for its distinctly flavorful cheese, and Broc, the home of the Cailler chocolate factory famous for its delicious Swiss Chocolate. As Lausanne is only a short train ride from Montreux I set aside a day of last summer’s vacation for this Swiss adventure. As recommended, I reserved a seat on the Pullman car in advance. I don’t know what took me so long to write about it. Looking back through photos on this gray summer morning I am still enchanted with the experience.

It was a Wednesday morning when I showed up in Montreux bright and early. The transfer was simple. The GoldenPass Scenic trains leave from platform 6 at the Montreaux station. The Chocolate Train was at the platform and loading when I arrived.

Breakfast Over Lake Geneva

I boarded and settled into my comfortably upholstered seat. A train attendant came by, checked my ticket and asked my first language. Soon we were on our way.  In no time the train began to climb through scenic vineyards above Lake Geneva.

After a relatively steep ascent, offering lovely views of the lake and the mountains beyond, the train began to wind its way toward the town of Gruyères.

On the way we were served a Swiss breakfast of coffee or hot chocolate, a chocolate filled croissant and a sample of Cailler chocolate miniatures. It was a pleasant breakfast and a taste of what was to come.

The Origins of Delicious Gruyère

In Gruyères the Chocolate Train stopped at La Maison du Gruyère.  It was situated beside a field of docile black and white cows gently clanging their Swiss cowbells in a musical way as they grazed.

We made our way past the cows, into the cheese factory and up the stairs. There an exhibition was laid out. It included an audio guide that explained how cheese is made, from the cows peacefully grazing on mountainside meadows to the factory process we were able to view through plexiglass.

I found the tour surprisingly informative. It engaged the senses of sight, smell and hearing in a simple presentation that was interesting and memorable. Along the way there were tubes containing specific aromas from the high pastures where the cows graze. We were encouraged to open the tubes, breathe deeply and experience each scent. These are the distinct organic notes that are transformed by cow, and then factory, into the complex flavor of the finished cheese.

A Picturesque Town

After the factory tour a bus drove us further up the mountain. It dropped us off in the picturesque castle town of Gruyères. As our bus unloaded I was enchanted. While I will admit it seemed a bit touristy the air was fresh, the atmosphere was warm and the scenery was beautiful. The main street within the town walls was lined with restaurants. Each was eager to accommodate those among us who wanted to taste the local products. Tables spilled out of the dining rooms onto the cobbled walkways and the scent of cheese permeated the air.

As I walked by restaurant after restaurant on my way to the castle I did spy the occasional local citizen ignoring the crowd and going about their business in these pleasant surroundings. In the midday light this town was a symphony of sunshine, cobblestones and evocative doors.

I didn’t expect a lot from the castle in Gruyères. It wasn’t all that highly recommended in my guidebooks. Still, I love castles and while I was in such close proximity to one I had no problem choosing to forgo lunch in favor of seeing it for myself. I thought the tour was likely to be short and I would get it out of the way early. Then I would find some time to loiter in the town before the bus came back to collect us.

Ramparts and Gardens

To my surprise the Château de Gruyères turned out to be fabulous! To save time, I skipped the recommended movie portraying the history of the castle and instead set out to wander.

I walked the ramparts that surrounded the gardens offering views of the mountains. From there I followed paths that wandered through the formal gardens. Next a courtyard led to an exhibit of medieval music and instrument making.

From there I followed a self-guided tour of the well-appointed castle structure. This tour included legends and history, deep window seats, a huge banquet table, significant paintings, tales of the life of the privileged and even a severed hand. Interesting and exciting stuff in my book. The windows in each beautiful room offered even more views of the lush countryside in all directions.

My tour of the castle complete, I had just a short time before the bus was due. I hurried down the hill to take a look at the church. Then I retraced my steps through the town. The smell of Swiss cheese again permeated the air as I walked past the tables where the tourists finished their lunches of  Rösti, Fondue and Raclette. I grabbed a quick ice cream bar and a drink to take the edge off my sacrifice of lunch.  Then I found a place in the shade to to enjoy them while waiting for the bus. It soon came to take us back to the Chocolate Train for the next leg of our journey.

The Chocolate Tour

Our next stop was Broc. Broc is the home of the Cailler chocolate factory, the famed destination of the Chocolate Train. Cailler is now owned by Nestlé. Still, it maintains its original brand name to highlight the distinctive quality of its chocolate making process. Cailler, our tour guide informed us, makes milk chocolate in a unique way. It uses condensed milk from local sources rather than using dried milk powder as most other manufacturers do.

During the tour our guide offered lots of interesting information rather quickly but we saw very little of the actual chocolate making process. For our first taste of the tour our guide led us into a dimly lit room housing large quantities of cacao beans. There she challenged us to taste one as she  explained that the raw beans are very bitter.

After our taste test she explained that Cacao is grown in South America and Africa. While South American beans tend to offer more subtlety of flavor, African beans are generally used in making milk chocolate because of the greater consistency in their taste. Since I had recently read about the production of artisanal chocolate in Stef’s fabulous interview with Art Pollard of Amano Chocolate, I had some background information on chocolate production.  Overall, I found this short talk very interesting.

Next we entered an interactive room where videos answered questions about chocolate making. I soon grew tired of the dark room and moved on to the highlight of the tour – the tasting room!

All You Can Eat Chocolate

A wide selection of Cailler’s chocolate products was on display in the tasting room. Row after row of individual chocolates were carefully arranged on mirrored trays and placed on counters.  Displayed beneath the counters were packaged Cailler products. The tour included a promise of unlimited samples. The only rule was that all samples chosen must be consumed in the tasting room. None could be carried out.

I gravitated toward the dark chocolate samples, especially those of Cailler’s Ambassadors Noir. They were delicious but, I must confess, I only managed to eat three or four pieces before I had to move on. The smell of chocolate was intense enough to satisfy the senses with scarcely a bite taken.

Beyond the tasting room displays of old chocolate making equipment caught my eye. Conchers, an antique evaporation tank and other antique pieces hinted at the history of this Swiss industry. Beyond that was a theater showing a movie that featured the factory process.  A shop completed the tour, offering one last chance to indulge in factory fresh Cailler products. I bought my share to bring home as souvenirs. Then I walked back to the station for our scenic ride home aboard the Chocolate Train.