TL;DR: A full-day audio companion for the Swiss Chocolate Train (Train du Chocolat) from Montreux to the medieval cheese town of Gruyeres and the Cailler chocolate factory in Broc. Travel in golden Belle Epoque Pullman coaches, explore Switzerland's most photogenic castle town, watch master chocolatiers at work, and discover why this route through the Pays-d'Enhaut is the sweetest train journey in Switzerland.
Journey Overview
| Route | Montreux -- Montbovon -- Gruyeres (bus) -- Broc (Maison Cailler) -- return |
| Duration | Full day (~10:00-17:30) |
| Operator | MOB (Montreux Oberland Bernois) |
| Coaches | Restored 1915 Belle Epoque Pullman coaches (golden livery) or modern panoramic cars |
| Includes | First-class train, bus transfers, Gruyeres castle and town visit, Maison Cailler chocolate factory visit with tasting |
| Price | Approximately CHF 69 (2026); 50% discount with Swiss Travel Pass |
| Best Time | Runs May to October; book in advance as seats are limited |
Introduction
[Duration: 3 minutes | Boarding at Montreux]
Welcome aboard the Swiss Chocolate Train -- the Train du Chocolat -- and welcome to this ch.tours audio guide for what may be the most delicious railway journey in Switzerland.
Today is not just a train ride. It is a full-day immersion in two of Switzerland's most famous exports: cheese and chocolate. You will travel from the lakeside elegance of Montreux into the rolling green highlands of the Pays-d'Enhaut, visit the medieval hilltop town of Gruyeres -- home of the cheese that bears its name -- and then continue to the Maison Cailler chocolate factory in Broc, where you will see (and taste) how Swiss chocolate is made.
If you are in one of the restored Belle Epoque Pullman coaches, take a moment to appreciate your surroundings. These golden coaches date to 1915 and have been meticulously restored to their original grandeur: polished wood paneling, brass fittings, plush upholstery, and large windows that frame the passing scenery like paintings. They are among the most beautiful railway coaches in Switzerland, and riding in them is a journey through time as well as space.
The modern panoramic coaches are equally rewarding for the views -- floor-to-ceiling windows ensure you miss nothing of the scenery.
Your morning begins with coffee and a croissant served aboard the train, the kind of detail that elevates a journey from transportation to experience. A complimentary breakfast of fresh pastries, butter, jam, and hot chocolate or coffee will be served shortly after departure.
The train is pulling out of Montreux station. Settle in.
Segment 1: Montreux to Montbovon -- The Climb
[Duration: 10 minutes | 0-30 minutes into the journey]
As the train leaves Montreux, it climbs steeply above the eastern shore of Lake Geneva. Look to the right: the lake stretches westward, and on a clear day the Lavaux vineyard terraces are visible along the far shore, their UNESCO-listed terraces descending to the water in neat rows.
Below the train, the rooftops of Montreux recede -- the Montreux Palace hotel, the Casino (site of the Montreux Jazz Festival), and the medieval Chateau de Chillon on its rocky island at the lake's edge.
The MOB railway was built between 1901 and 1905, and from Montreux it climbs through a series of steep gradients and tight curves, gaining altitude rapidly. Within minutes, you have left the Mediterranean microclimate of the Riviera and entered the cooler, greener highlands.
At Les Avants, the hillside village where Noel Coward lived for many years, the views back over the lake are stunning. In spring, the meadows around Les Avants are carpeted with wild narcissus -- one of the most celebrated wildflower displays in Switzerland.
The train enters the Jaman Tunnel, and when it emerges on the other side, the landscape has transformed. You are in the Pays-d'Enhaut -- the highland -- a broad pastoral valley at approximately 1,000 meters altitude. The Lake Geneva basin is behind you; ahead are the rolling meadows, scattered chalets, and forested ridges of the Swiss pre-Alps.
The air is different here -- cooler, cleaner, scented with grass and pine. The cattle grazing in the meadows are the source of the milk that becomes Gruyere cheese, and the connection between this landscape and the products you will encounter today is direct and visible.
Segment 2: The Pays-d'Enhaut and Chateau-d'Oex
[Duration: 8 minutes | 30-50 minutes into the journey]
The train passes through Chateau-d'Oex -- the hot-air ballooning capital of Switzerland, where the annual International Balloon Festival fills the January skies with color. The town's connection to ballooning dates to the 1970s, and in 1999, Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones launched their record-setting non-stop around-the-world balloon flight from a field near here.
The Pays-d'Enhaut is L'Etivaz country. L'Etivaz AOP is a hard alpine cheese made exclusively in mountain chalets during the summer grazing season (alpage), using milk from cows that graze the high pastures between 1,000 and 2,000 meters. The cheese is cooked in copper cauldrons over wood fires, and fewer than 70 families produce it according to strict traditional methods. L'Etivaz is similar to Gruyere but with a more complex, smoky character derived from the wood fire. If you see it offered during your visit, taste it.
The traditional chalets of the Pays-d'Enhaut are architectural masterpieces in their own right -- large, symmetrical wooden buildings with low-pitched roofs, carved balconies, and inscriptions recording the builder's name, the construction date, and often a prayer or proverb. The finest examples date to the 18th and 19th centuries, and their scale and craftsmanship reflect the prosperity that the dairy trade brought to these highland valleys.
After Chateau-d'Oex, the train continues south through the Saanen valley toward Montbovon, where you will transfer to a bus for the short journey to Gruyeres.
Segment 3: Gruyeres -- The Cheese Town
[Duration: 15 minutes | At Gruyeres, approximately 90-180 minutes into the day]
Gruyeres is one of the most beautiful small towns in Switzerland -- a perfectly preserved medieval hilltop settlement with a single main street, cobblestoned and car-free, leading to a castle at the summit. The town sits on a glacial drumlin at 810 meters, with panoramic views over the Gruyere valley and the pre-Alpine peaks beyond.
The castle -- Chateau de Gruyeres -- was the seat of the Counts of Gruyere from the 11th to the 16th century. The current castle dates primarily to the 13th century, with later additions, and is one of the most visited castles in Switzerland. Inside, the rooms are furnished in various period styles, from medieval to 19th-century romantic revival, and the Knight's Hall contains notable 15th-century Burgundian wall paintings. Entry is approximately CHF 13.
The castle also houses an unexpected treasure: three rooms decorated by the Swiss artist Hans Ruedi Giger, the Oscar-winning designer who created the creature for the film "Alien" (1979). Giger lived near Gruyeres, and his darkly biomechanical art contrasts startlingly with the medieval surroundings. A dedicated Giger Museum and bar occupy a building across from the castle, creating one of the more surreal juxtapositions in Swiss tourism.
But the real star of Gruyeres is the cheese. Gruyere AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protegee) is one of the most famous cheeses in the world -- a hard, nutty, slightly sweet cheese with a complex flavor that develops over 5 to 18 months of aging. Gruyere has been made in this region since at least the 12th century, and the production methods are strictly regulated: only raw cow's milk from designated areas can be used, the cheese must be made in copper vats, and aging must occur in natural caves or temperature-controlled cellars.
The La Maison du Gruyere cheese dairy in the valley below the town offers demonstrations of the cheese-making process, from fresh milk to finished wheels. You can watch the cheesemaker at work, learn about the aging process, and taste cheeses at various stages of maturity. Entry is approximately CHF 7.
For lunch in Gruyeres, look for fondue moitie-moitie (half Gruyere, half Vacherin Fribourgeois) -- the classic Swiss cheese fondue at its most authentic, served in a caquelon over a flame with cubes of bread for dipping. A fondue in Gruyeres, using cheese made in the valley below you, is one of the most place-specific dining experiences in Switzerland.
Segment 4: Maison Cailler -- The Chocolate Factory
[Duration: 12 minutes | At Broc, approximately 180-270 minutes into the day]
From Gruyeres, the bus takes you to Broc, a small industrial town in the valley floor, and the Maison Cailler -- the oldest chocolate brand still operating in Switzerland, and one of the most modern chocolate visitor experiences in Europe.
Cailler was founded in 1819 by Francois-Louis Cailler, who had learned the art of chocolate-making in Italy. Cailler established his factory in Corsier-sur-Vevey, near Montreux, and began producing solid chocolate bars -- one of the first in Switzerland. His son-in-law, Daniel Peter, working in collaboration with the Nestle company, developed milk chocolate in 1875 -- one of the most consequential food innovations of the 19th century. The combination of Cailler's chocolate expertise and the abundant fresh milk of the Gruyere region made the pairing natural, and the factory moved to Broc in 1898 to be closer to its milk supply.
The Maison Cailler visitor experience, housed in a modern facility adjacent to the working factory, is a sensory journey through the history and production of Swiss chocolate. The tour begins with the origins of cacao in Central America and traces the story through European colonization, the Industrial Revolution, and the Swiss innovations that made Swiss chocolate the world standard.
Interactive exhibits allow you to smell, touch, and observe each stage of production: the roasting of cacao beans, the grinding into cocoa mass, the conching process (invented by Rodolphe Lindt in 1879, which gives Swiss chocolate its distinctive smoothness), the tempering, molding, and wrapping. The tour culminates in a tasting room where you can sample as many varieties of Cailler chocolate as you wish -- a moment of pure, unrestrained indulgence.
The connection between the cheese you saw in Gruyeres and the chocolate you taste in Broc is not accidental. Swiss milk chocolate exists because Switzerland had two things: chocolate-making expertise (imported from Italy and developed by Swiss innovators) and an abundance of high-quality fresh milk from its dairy tradition. Daniel Peter's breakthrough in 1875 was to combine them, and the result changed the global confectionery industry. Today, Switzerland consumes more chocolate per capita than any other country in the world -- approximately 10 kilograms per person per year.
The factory shop at Maison Cailler offers the full range of Cailler products, including limited-edition bars, seasonal specialties, and gift boxes that make excellent souvenirs. Prices are comparable to retail, but the selection is wider than in most stores, and certain products are available only at the factory. If you are looking for a distinctive Swiss gift, chocolate from the oldest brand in the country, purchased at the original factory, is hard to beat.
The location of the factory in Broc is itself significant. Broc sits at the confluence of the Jogne and the Sarine rivers, surrounded by the pastures that provide the milk. The factory draws its water from local springs, and the altitude and climate of the Gruyere valley contribute to the quality of the dairy ingredients. Swiss chocolate is not just a recipe -- it is a terroir product, as specific to its landscape as Champagne is to its region.
Segment 5: The Return Journey
[Duration: 6 minutes | Afternoon return to Montreux]
The return journey follows the same route in reverse, and the afternoon light transforms the scenery. The western-facing slopes of the Pays-d'Enhaut glow in warm tones, and the shadows deepen in the valleys. If you were not in the Belle Epoque coach on the outward journey, you may be on the return -- the assignment varies.
As the train descends from the Jaman Tunnel toward Montreux, the views over Lake Geneva open up dramatically. The late-afternoon light on the lake surface is golden, and the vineyards of the Lavaux catch the last warmth of the day. The French Alps across the lake are often silhouetted against the western sky.
The descent into Montreux is steep and winding, with the train navigating tight curves through the hillside above the town. The Mediterranean vegetation reappears -- palms, oleanders, magnolias -- and the lake expands to fill your window.
The return journey also offers time to reflect on what you have experienced. The Pays-d'Enhaut is one of those Swiss regions that tourists often pass through on the way to somewhere else -- Interlaken, Gstaad, Montreux -- without stopping. But the valley deserves attention in its own right. Its traditions of alpine cheesemaking, its balloon festivals, its carved chalets, and its quiet, unhurried beauty represent a side of Switzerland that the famous destinations do not always reveal. The Chocolate Train gives you a reason to linger, and the valley rewards you for doing so.
At Chamby, if you look to the right, you may catch a glimpse of the Blonay-Chamby heritage railway depot, where vintage electric and steam locomotives from the early 20th century are preserved and operated. The heritage railway runs weekend excursions from May to October, and the collection includes some of the oldest operational electric locomotives in Switzerland.
You arrive back at Montreux station in the late afternoon, having traveled through three of Switzerland's most cherished products -- wine, cheese, and chocolate -- in a single golden day.
Closing
[Duration: 2 minutes]
The Swiss Chocolate Train is more than a gourmet excursion. It is a journey through the cultural economy of French-speaking Switzerland -- the vineyards of the Riviera, the dairy pastures of the Pays-d'Enhaut, the medieval cheese town of Gruyeres, and the chocolate factory at Broc. Each stop is connected to the next by the same thread: a tradition of craftsmanship, quality, and deep connection to the land.
Switzerland's food products are not industrial commodities. They are expressions of place -- the specific altitude of the pasture, the specific breed of cow, the specific temperature of the cave, the specific technique of the maker. The Chocolate Train reveals this connection in the most delicious way possible.
If you are exploring more of the Montreux region, ch.tours offers audio guides for the Lake Geneva cruise, the GoldenPass Express, and the Chateau de Chillon. And if your sweet tooth is not yet satisfied, the Lindt Home of Chocolate in Kilchberg, near Zurich, offers another world-class chocolate experience.
Thank you for riding the Chocolate Train with us. May your memories be as rich as the chocolate.
Source: ch.tours | Audio Guide Script | Last updated: March 2026 | Data from MOB (goldenpass.ch), Maison Cailler (cailler.ch), La Maison du Gruyere (lamaisondugruyere.ch), Chateau de Gruyeres (chateau-gruyeres.ch), MySwitzerland.com