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Swiss Cheese, Chocolates and Mountains Small-Group Tour from Zurich

Name: Swiss Cheese, Chocolates and Mountains Small-Group Tour from Zurich
Brand: Best of Switzerland Tours
SKU: 3885SW313BS
Price: 245.80 USD
Rating: 4.5 (136 reviews)

Badge of ExcellenceZurich, Switzerland

Switzerland Mountains Cheese and Chocolates Tour from Zurich

11 hours
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Enhance your experience of Switzerland on a full-day tour of the country’s scenic countryside from Zurich. Delve into rich cultural traditions with an expert guide as you explore picturesque towns and cultural institutions; sample fine Swiss cheese at a traditional cheese factory; ride an aerial cable car over the magnificent Swiss Alps; sample chocolate at a traditional chocolate producer.; and visit a Swiss cow farm. Receive personalized attention from your guide on this small-group tour, limited to only 16 explorers, and take home with you a goodie bag including typical Swiss products.

Full-day roundtrip cheese and chocolate tour to the Switzerland mountains
Small-group tour with a maximum of 16 people ensures personalized attention
Guided coach tour to Appenzell and to the cheese factory in Stein with cheese tasting
Taste fresh milk at a typical Swiss farm
Take the aerial cable car up the mountain Hoher Kasten for views over the Rhine Valley
Visit a boutique chocolate manufacture and enjoy a chocolate tasting
Receive a goodie bag of Swiss delicacies worth at least CHF 40

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

This unique, small-group tour combines Alpine sightseeing with delicious Swiss gastronomy.

What's Included

Visit to Appenzeller diary including museum and cheese tasting
Aerial cable car ride up to Mt. Hoher Kasten with its revolving restaurant and breath-taking views
Visit of a boutique Chocolate Manufacture, chocolate tasting included
Visit of a typical Swiss dairy farm
Guided walk through the charming and traditional village of Appenzell
Goodie bag with typical Swiss products from each visited attraction (worth CHF 40.-)
Transportation in comfortable Mercedes minibus with AC and free WIFI
Full guided tour by professional multilingual guide
Small group of max. 16 guests
Carbon-balanced operations certified by myclimate

Gratuities
Food and drinks
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Personal expenses

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Best of Switzerland Tours AG
Sihlquai Coach Parking, Limmatstrasse 4, 8005 Zürich, Switzerland
The official departure point for all tours departing from Zürich is Sihlquai Coach Terminal, close to Zurich’s main train station (Zürich HB). Please check in at least 15 minutes prior to departure at the white ticket office marked with “Best of Switzerland Tours” or “City Tours & Excursions”.

Start time

08:30 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Depart from central Zurich in an air-conditioned minivan and travel through scenic, green, hilly countryside to a typical Swiss farm where you can taste a glass of fresh milk.

Visit a local cheese factory to uncover the production secrets behind Appenzeller cheese during a cheese tasting, and then continue to Brulisau to experience panoramic vistas of the dramatic Swiss Alps. Ride an aerial cable car to the snow-capped summit of Mt Hoher Kasten and capture breathtaking views from an altitude of 6,000 feet (1,800 meters).

Enjoy a unique dining experience in the mountaintop’s revolving restaurant (own expense) and stroll through the beautiful Alpine Garden before returning to sea level for a short walking tor of Appenzell.

Visit a boutique chocolate manufacture and indulge your sweet tooth with delectable Swiss chocolate during a tasting.

After thoroughly exploring the region, return to your vehicle and return to Zurich with a goodie bag full of Swiss delicacies collected at the visited attractions throughout the day.

Zurich

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Stein

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Appenzeller Schaukaserei

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Hoher Kasten

1 hour 15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Appenzellerland Tourismus AI

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Appenzell

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Appenzell

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Zurich (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 12 hours of travel. In this case confirmation will be received as soon as possible, subject to availability
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Infant seats available

Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Not suitable for infants under 6 years, exceptions only on request.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

martyhall50

Great trip. Guide was very nice and informative.. the coach was very comfortable and the views were breathtaking

Reviews

4.5

136 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 136 reviews

Overall good trip

PrincePrakash_N, Aug 2023

A good trip if you want to escape from Zurich city. Cheese factory and farm visit was nice. However, after that the appenzelle city tour was boring and we literally had nothing to do. The trip to Hohen Kaster mountain was also very boring. Instead of this, they could have taken us to Aescher which was more interesting. Some activities should have been included in the second half part of the trip to avoid boring walks. Our guide Monica was awesome and she did everything in her capacity to keep us engaged

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Dear PrincePrakash, Thank you sincerely for taking the time to provide feedback on our small group tour to Appenzell. We appreciate all your comments as they help us improve our services and provide a better experience for our guests. We deeply regret to learn that the walking tour in the old town and the excursion to Hoher Kasten mountain didn't live up to your expectations. From the peak of Hoher Kasten, one can enjoy an inspiring panorama of the Alpstein massif, the Rhine Valley, Lake Constance, and even Austria and Lichtenstein. Before the descent, our guests enjoy an unparalleled lunch experience at the revolving restaurant. Appenzell is a very traditional Swiss village with its own charm and natural beauty, full of well-preserved half-timbered houses and painted facades. We are very surprised to hear that you found Appenzell not worth visiting. During the walking tour, our guests are introduced to various local specialty shops where they gain insights into regional products and receive Swiss delicacies to fill their goodie bags (included in the tour rate). It’s wonderful to hear that your guide Monica made a positive impact on your experience. Our guides take pride in sharing their insightful knowledge about each destination and the history and culture of our country as a whole. We hope that you take beautiful memories of your stay in Switzerland and hope to welcome you again on tour soon. Kind regards, Ambika from Best of Switzerland Tours

Amazing tour that create wonderful memories!

Todd_G, Aug 2023

The tour was an amazing day of seeing Switzerland in the Appenzell area. Martin our tour guide was informative, thoughtful, and friendly in providing great stories of the Appenzell area. He took us to several more places that we weren't expecting and each spot was remarkable with either the views or the food/shopping of the area with many goodies provided throughout the tour.

Overall experience

maria_w, Aug 2023

Peter was extremely professional, and provided excellent customer service. He made a point of getting to know all the 10 members of his travel group. He provided interesting tidbits of history throughout the day, making the trip, a truly enjoyable learning experience.

Say YES to this tour- lots of activities with lots of freebies!

Lynn_F, Jun 2023

This tour is one of the best ones that we did while on Germany, Austria, Switzerland trip! The company gave us a bag full of goodies- chocolate, cheese, pens, etc. You definitely want to book this tour. The views from the mountain top restaurant were breathtaking!!! The trip to the cheese factory was fascinating!! This trip packed in a lot of activity with freebies along the way!!! Great job to this company!!!

Amazing and diverse experience

Jocelyn_W, Jun 2023

Peter was an amazing tour guide. Very informative and pleasant. The trip to the diary farm was my favorite part. The family was so welcoming and such an inspiration

Amazing Appenzell Tour

Michaela_R, Jun 2023

I loved everything! Konrad, the guide, was knowledgeable and friendly. We stopped at inspiring places that gave the true sense of the Appenzell area.

Wow trip with wow guide

Suresh_K, May 2023

Martin Benz amazing!! A+ An asset I wish to have him on my 2 upcoming tours Worth the money paid thanks to him

Awesome trip

martyhall50, May 2023

Great trip. Guide was very nice and informative.. the coach was very comfortable and the views were breathtaking

Great experience!

Akash_J, Oct 2022

Very well organised and explained by Guide. Must visit place for everyone. Sunny day made this tour wonderful.

Stunning views and plenty of time to visit

Linda_F, Oct 2022

Our guide, Franz, was knowledgeable and patient. The view at the top of the mountain was breathtaking. I appreciated the cheese tasting at the cheese factory. We had plenty of time at each place. When we visited Appenzell, we were given freebies in 4-5 shops. I felt like I was trick or treating at 51 yesrs old… cool! LOL. To me, it did worth the price. I would recommend.

Switzerland Mountains, Cheese and Chocolates Tour from Zurich

Sherpa57185, Aug 2019

I have gone on many excursions with Viator but this has been the worst trip ever. Don't get me wrong the driver was nice , he drove the car safely and he spoke a little. The trip was very misleading according to the description. First the chocolate tours was just a store that everyone in the world has so why take us to the store. The prices were not discounted and it was a waste of time. The cheese tour was useless also.. In my group we had four family members. When we got to the cheese factory we had first three pieces in tiny tiny cubs of cheese for us to try on the tray . We had to ask, listen we paid a lot of money for this tour, and we only have three pieces of each product of cheese on the plate please give us an extra piece. It was pathetic. Then we were given a key and an app for our phone to do a tour on our own. well the tour was in another language and not English. We could have done that ourselves. Then the museum was closed so you couldn't visit it next door. The tour was two minutes long . Then we went to sit on a table outside and we were told to leave because it belonged to the restaurant. NO BODY WAS THERE so we could have sat down. Later we did a long drive that you could have rented a car to do, to the cable car. The cable car took us to the top of the mountain and we had a long time to spend there doing nothing. Then we went to Appenzell a small town which was also a waist of time. It was a two minute walking tour and then we had free time to walk by our selves. It was such a disappointing trip I would not recommend it to anyway. We paid $204.00 X 4 people and that's another vacation. If anyone is planning on going on this excursion, rent a car and drive around yourself. DONT WAIST YOUR MONEY.

Swiss mountains and cheese

Linda_L, Jun 2019

We liked being in a small group in a van after touring in a large coach for several days. Our guide was very nice and knowledgable. He stopped the van so we could get pictures of the gorgeous Swiss countryside. Unfortunately Monday was a holiday so we were unable to visit the chocolate store however we did enjoy the cheese tasting. The clouds closed in while we were on the mountain but we still enjoyed the limited views from the top. Appenzel is a very picturesque Swiss village.

A Fantastic Day

Mark_R, May 2019

Could not be more pleased. A wonderful experience of what makes Switzerland special. The countryside was so beautiful. Franz our guide was super kind and a generous host and brought it all to life.

Professional Guide to Switzerland Mountains, Cheese And Chocolate Tour from Zurich

HengYee_W, Dec 2018

The best thing about this tour is the good service and interesting commentaries provided by Karen. However , much improvement needed for the visit to the cheese and chocolate sites. In particular, there was no tour conducted at the Chocolate site. It was a stop over for purchase to be made. Best to include a detailed guided visit of these two sites and information about the making of Chocolate and cheese.

Learn bout Swiss cheese, but not so much the chocolate

Eugene_A, Sep 2018

This was a nice little tour with an expert guide that took us first to a Lindt outlet store. I laughed because it was almost exactly like the one I visit on Long Island. Maybe the chocolate tastes different? We were told that the real chocolate factories in Switzerland are not equipped to handle guided visits in a hygenic manner, so this was the next best thing. I wonder how the prices compared to the airport duty free stores. Anyway, it was fun to visit Apenzell and see cheese being made as well as sample the various Appenzell cheese. I now know the differences and will look for them in the U.S. The ride up to the mountain would have been nice but unfortunately there were clouds that day. Overall, it was nice to get out of the city, walk around Appenzell, which was actually kind of quiet (best to avoid Mondays for this tour since some family-owned stores close on Monday and stay open on Saturday instead). Overall, it was nice to get out of the city and up into the mountains and see a bit of rural Swiss life where the only sound sometimes are the cowbells.

The tour of the cheese factory is...

Janine K, Jul 2018

The tour of the cheese factory is not worth it. It is all in German, with really no English translations. The Maison de Gruyeres in Gryueres is a million times better. The Lindt outlet is a convenience store-sized location. It is nice to be able to get things made in Switzerland, as it does taste better. I especially like the wafer thins!! Yes, you can get Lindt all over the world, but check where it is manufactured - not usually Switzerland. Really, this 'outlet' stop is a time to buy Lindt at prices you can get in the supermarkets. Seeing the city of Appenzell was nice - very cute, quaint town. The guide gave a great walking tour however, there wasn't much time at all to shop and wander on your own.

AMAZING! I highly recommend this...

Russell D, Jul 2018

AMAZING! I highly recommend this tour. By far, one of the coolest tours that we have done. Our group for the day consisted of 12 people including us. We started off our day with our tour guide Thomas and the Lindt chocolate store. You do not get to tour the factory. However, if you do some research chocolate shops normally don't let people in on tour to protect their recipes and ways. Still, the chocolate shop was pretty cool. There many different types of chocolate that I've never seen in the US before. And of course you do get two free pieces of candy, one on the way in and one on the way out. Thomas even brought a cooler with to keep our chocolates from melting. After that we enjoyed about an hour long scenic ride through the countryside to get to the cheese factory. We enjoyed our cheese tasting first. I know other comments complained about being given a repackaged box of cheese but we had a plate with some strawberries and walnuts and 5 kinds of Appenzeller cheese to try with bread there was more than enough for everyone. We all purchased drinks and sat down to enjoy the tasting. Then there was a small self-guided tour of parts of the factory. From there we were off to Mt. Hoher Kasten. We took the cable car to the top. At the top we enjoyed walking around and seeing some AMAZING views the weather was perfect. We also chose to eat at the revolving restaurant. I know other people said that it was over priced, I feel that it was the same price for other meals that we had in Zurich. Many of the items on the menu were all products from the town of Appenzel, just at the base of the mountain. There was enough time to enjoy the views outside and eat. Finally, we finished the day in the town of Appenzel. Thomas let us change the schedule a little. We went to the brewery together first. Then we went to the bakery and got to sample a local treat. Thomas took us on a small walking tour of the town and talked about the history and their voting system. Then we had about half an hour to ourselves to explore. I wish there would have been a little more time in the town but that is my only complaint. Overall, great day, small group, and truly a great taste of everything that Switzerland is known for.

The van is a comfortable Mercedes...

george_h, Jun 2018

The van is a comfortable Mercedes with room for 8. Our driver spoke good English and was very knowledgeable about Switzerland. I believe his name was Franz. The first stop was the Lindt chocolates outlet store with enough variety to sate any chocoholic. Then it was off to the foothills of the Alps for a stop at the Appenzeller cheese factory where you could taste different cheese selections included, and enjoy a local beer. Then to the factory to watch the cheese production. Now off to the mountains to enjoy a cable car ride to a mountain top restaurant that revolves and viewing platforms for fantastic views of peaks and valleys of the Rhine river area.

Our tour guide Martin was wonderful...

Stephen_L, May 2018

Our tour guide Martin was wonderful. Started with Lindt chocolate tour which was really not a factory tour, but rather a chocolate store tour that was connected to the factory. Health regulations prohibit factory tours. But it was a beautiful store with wide selection of chocolates which we all bought and enjoyed the free samples on entering. Next came the cheese factory tour which had a glass partition allowing a direct view of the production floor and cheese storage area. We had a marvellous cheese tasting experience with lovely cheeses, fruit, nuts, and bread. Drinks whether alcoholic or non alcoholic had to be purchased with the tasting - not a deal breaker. Then we went to a town and took an enclosed lift up an alp. Unfortunately it was foggy so no view, but I was assured it would have been a spectacular view but for the weather. So we ate at our expense at the revolving restaurant - it was OK but not special but with nothing else to do we connected with our fellow travelers. Had the weather been more cooperative we might have skipped the meal to take in the view. Lastly we went to a lovely small town for a descriptive walk about and grabbed a coffee. A return to Zurich ended a lovely if at times weather frustrating day. I should mention that Martin pointed out the farms, rolling hills, architectural elements and historical landmarks throughout the drive. Very informative. There were restrooms at every stop. Overall quite enjoyable and recommended.

The mountain is really cold. so keep...

LesterLim_C, Feb 2018

The mountain is really cold. so keep yourself warm. Chocolate and Cheese tour can be disappointed

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