Published on Sep, 2024
We chose this trip experience primarily because we wanted to spend only one day venturing outside of Lausanne and because of the authenticity of the cheese and chocolate features. We were impressed with all of the features of the trip, knowing that we were there for the educational experience within the factories, to enjoy the beautiful views, the tastings, and to see the medieval village. The trip was EXACTLY as described and we enjoyed every bit of it. We toured on a Sunday. They arranged for an extremely convenient pickup point right outside of a Metro station in Lausanne (which we were already very familiar with from our weeks' outings). The driver was very kind, informative, and sought to assist us all throughout the day. He was very clear on each place we visited...what to expect, our timeframe, his recommended viewing areas, etc. The Callier chocolate factory has an entertaining and informational audio tour with a smaller replica of the machines and process used in the chocolate making operation. The tasting room was plentiful and you could taste whatever and however much you wished! At the end of the tour, was a giftshop where we purchased chocolates to take home in a cooler bag. We then ventured further into Gruyere to the cheese making facility where we had a tour of the cheese making process, with lunch in the restaurant. Others on our tour bus (a group originating from Geneva) had purchased packages from a different travel vendor, which included a fondue lunch at the cheese factory and Golden train trip back down the mountain to Montreux (this TripAdvisor package DOES NOT include that, which we knew), but our driver was able to upgrade to add our lunch and panoramic train ride....which was excellent because we were then able to eat with the people in our bus group and the meal was already pre-arranged for them and ready to go (i.e. no finding lunch on our own in the village, which we liked due to timeframe). We then ventured into the village and toured the buildings, the church, and walked up to the castle. We were advised that we would not have time to tour the castle, as we had to make our train departure time...which again, was fine, because we knew this already and had not really planned to see the inside of the castle. We were very content with the fabulous views, the idyllic village, and the many opportunities for photos, and strolling. We met back at the bus and the driver put us on the train to head back towards Lausanne. He picked us up from the train station, attended to guests' requests for toileting needs, and we were on our way back to Lausanne/Geneva. In all, our driver was attentive to us, always checking for headcount, making sure we were all accounted for, we followed his instructions precisely and all went well. The factories were very educational, food was delicious, and the views spectacular. If you want a stress-free excursion, where you don't have to plan, arrange, drive, or orchestrate anything, this is your trip. We got on the bus, enjoyed, and were dropped right back where we started, happy as can be! If you like to control your own traveling experience, are picky, grumpy, or are a negative-nelly who doesn't enjoy history and scenery, well, I don't know what to tell you...we absolutely loved it!
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