Switzerland Mountains, Cheese and Chocolates Tour from Zurich

Zurich, Switzerland

Venture to the Heidi-like region of eastern Switzerland on this full day guided coach tour from Zurich. Sample local cheese and chocolate, walk the streets of Appenzell and catch an aerial cable car over Swiss Alpine peaks for a comprehensive insight into this region. Even better, you'll travel in a personalized small group with a maximum of 16 people!

Start with a relaxed short city tour of the upcoming, trendy district of Zurich West passing the renowned university and the Museum of Art before heading into the Old Town. See the beautiful Limmatquai and the Fraumunster Church on your way to the Lake of Zurich. Visit the outlet shop of world-famous chocolatier Lindt where you will have opportunity to shop until you drop - a must-do for chocolate fans.

Your next stop will be Rapperswil, well known for its medieval and impressive castle before you reach the picturesque village of Appenzell. In the small town of Appenzell, you're guide will accompany you on a brief walking tour past narrow pedestrian lanes and painted houses before driving to Brulisau. Board the aerial cable car to the panoramic Mt. Hoher Kasten. At 1800 meters, it offers breathtaking views over the Rhine Valley and Austria's Voralberg.

On your way back to Zurich you will stop in Stein. Disembark at the cheese factory, where the famous wheel-shaped Appenzeller cheese is made.

Please note from 01st of May, this tour will operate onwards as an exclusive Small-Group Tour.

USD $132.89

Review by: Kenneth L P	October 2011
Probably the highlight tour of all of our tours with Viator. Absolutely amazing .... it had everything and more that we could have imagined in Switzerland!!!!!!!!

Review by: Dora K	October 2011
Take this tour only if you have a day to spare. You get an excellent view of the countryside. There is a quick stop at the chocolate shop and a tour of the cheese factory. Basically an overview of how cheese is made. Then up the mountain. We asked not to remain up there long as there was not much to do and the food was pricey. The cable car was fun. The town lovely to walk around in. The stores a bit pricey but this is Switzerland. As I said if you are staying for a few days it is worth it but if you had to choose I would go for the Mount Pilatus tour. Beware of the hotel pick up policy. The pick up only applies if you are staying at that hotel. We stayed next door but were refused hotel pick up.

Review by: Hande B.	October 2011
We bought 65 Swiss Franks worth of chocolate at the Lindt factory store! The prices were definitely a bargain compared to Zurich or airport prices; great as gifts too. The scenic route to Appenzel where the cheese factory was located was a plus. We also bought Appenzeller cheeses from the cheese factory in Appenzel, so deliciously good and you get to sample many varieties. We lucked out with the Mountain because the clouds and fog came in but it was still very relaxing. The mountain goats at the top provided great entertainment. I would recommend this tour for those who want to buy chocolate and cheese and see the cheese being made.

Review by: Judy K	July 2011
Almost cancelled because we were the only ones booked for the tour. They let us pay for one extra person and gave us a private tour. The guide was great. Truly enjoyable experience. Thanks Daniel.

Review by: SUSAN W	July 2011
It was a nice drive out to the countryside. Stopped at the Lindt chocolate store but it's nothing exciting. The cheese factory was a short stop to learn about cheese and make any purchases. _br/_ On to the mountain - which is quite a ways out. It did rain and was cloudy so our views at the top were not good. _br/_ It's about an hour and half+ ride back to Zurich._br/_ Overall - it was a pleasant trip but very long day.

Review by: Puay Sim S	June 2011
The mountains, cheese and chocolates tour was good as the guide took good care of us. However, it would be better if more stops could be arranged at scenic places for photo taking. On the whole, we have a good experience.

Review by: Melissa F	June 2011
My husband and I really enjoyed this tour which was led by Emi. He had a wealth of knowledge about the area we traveled to. We drove about 40 minutes to the Lindt Chocolate store. We were given about 25 minutes to shop here. This was a great stop to buy gifts for friends and family at home. Then we drove for about an hour to the town of Appenzell where we went to the cheese factory. This stop wasn't too exciting. You do get to see how the cheese is made and taste some of the cheese which is very delicious, but terribly smelly. After this the tour moved onto the cable car to take us to Mt. Hoher Kasten. Unfortunately the day we took the tour it was extremely overcast so we didn't have a great view. At the top of the mountain there is a great full service revolving restaurant. Also from the top of the mountain you can see 4 countries which is pretty cool. When the weather cleared a little bit, you got an amazing view of the surrounding valleys and mountains and on a clear day this would be a perfect view. After this we drove to the town of Appenzell and were given about 1.5 hours of free time to explore the village. it was a nice little town but there wasn't a ton to do. I highly recommend trying the Appenzeller beer, my husband especially enjoyed it. This tour is a great way to see and explore many of the typical swiss foods and scenery. Overall it was a great tour that I would recommend.

Review by: Bernard W	June 2011
The trip was well planned and our guide was very knowledgeable

Review by: Candice HY C	November 2010
Not bad although slightly slow paced

Review by: leslie d	November 2010
driver very informative trip up the mtn was absolutely beautiful. Too bad chocolate and cheese stops were purely commercial. The cheese place at least had a video but the chocolate place was only a store to buy chocolate

Review by: Lynn D	November 2010
Guide was wonderful. Chocolate shopping was fun, visiting the countryside and mountains were interesting. Would have been helpful if we were told in the descriptiion of tour if the shops would be open, as most were closed on Mondays.

Review by: David P	October 2010
Cut out the uninteresting Zurich City part and make the trip shorter. Also adjust the trip according to the weather, less time up the mountain when you can't see anything and more time in Appenzeller. A good way to spend a day in Switzerland.

Review by: Barbara B	September 2010
The trip to Appenzelle was wonderful-beautiful views and a perfect day- didnt enjoy the chocolate factory or cheese factory so much -it was very rushed and not much to see

Review by: VYDIANATHAN R	September 2010
Another very good tour we had. Wish we had more time at Cheese and Cholocate factory Our guide was very very goof

Review by: JERALD K	July 2010
We only had two days in Switzerland and wanted to see some of the countryside. The bus allowed us all to relax and take it all in. Our guide shared alot of information. Appenzell was perfect and our two teenage granddaughters and grandpa loved the toboggan ride down the hillside!

Review by: Carolyn C, United States of America	November 2009
This tour was very well done the guide was wonderful. The town of Appenzell is very cute,the cheese factory was nice and the chocolate factory is last on the tour, they save the best for last.

Review by: Caolyn C	November 2009
This tour was very well done the guide was wonderful. The town of Appenzell is very cute,the cheese factory was nice and the chocolate factory is last on the tour, they save the best for last.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	October 2009
Our tour guide was great and gave an energetic, local take on the tour. Going up to the top of a snow covered Alpine mountain was truly a highlight, and hot chocolate in the restaurant for those who weren't interested in freezing!

Review by: Anonymous, Australia	August 2009
Revolving restaurant at Mt. Hoher Kasten was excellent and the views were fantastic! The highlight of the trip!

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	August 2009
The tour overall was okay. The good The cable car ride up to the mountain and the view from the top was spectacular! The bad The cheese and chocolate stops were totally not worth it. They could have been eliminated so that the rest of the tour was not so rushed. It felt like we were 'speed touring' the whole time, and we couldn't enjoy the parts we wanted to see most. The lunch stop for those going to the mountain was very expensive.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	July 2009
The cheese and chocolate tour wasn't worth my time. The tour guide basically forced us to eat at the expensive little restaurant in the cheese factory. It was small portions for a large price. The tour was basically a marketing video on how the company's cheese was made and how you should buy it because they said so. Then we were given a few seconds to look through a glass at a machine mixing milk. Oh joy! The same was true with the chocolate tour. We looked through a window at chocolate being made by a machine and about 5 workers on duty boxing chocolate. Yet another boring tour. Then conveniently the chocolate store was open so that you can purchase your heart out before you leave the factory. The only good thing about this entire tour was the cable car ride to the top of the mountain. We were not allowed to stay very long. The entire tour felt rushed. Honestly, there is a chocolate factory in Zurich that might allow tours if you want to just see chocolate. A train could possibly go to the mountains, and for the sample size amount of the two types of cheese, you can save time and money by going to your local grocery store. This was a very pricey trip that provided limited thrills.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	November 2008
Going outside of the city was important to us and this one was perfect.

Review by: Robert M	October 2008
The scenery was breath taking but the cheese and chocolate factory were not worth the stop.

Review by: Fraser B, Australia	September 2008
A very enjoyable experience. The tour guide was great the driver needs to spend less time on his mobiles when driving, except when they are hands free.

Review by: Anonymous, Canada	August 2008
Very enjoyable and relaxing trip.

Review by: Laura W, United Kingdom	August 2008
A fantastic trip, worth every penny! Our guide was extremely friendly and informative. If you are looking to see the breathtaking scenery of Switzerland and it's traditional areas then this trip is certainly a must do!

Review by: Veronica P, United States of America	July 2008
The time allowed in Appenzell is too short if you take the cable car ride. The views from the mountain top are spectacular and the drive to that point is beautiful. The cheese factory was very disappointing. It should be deleted from the tour.

Review by: VERONICA P	July 2008
The time allowed in Appenzell is too short if you take the cable car ride. The views from the mountain top are spectacular and the drive to that point is beautiful. The cheese factory was very disappointing. It should be deleted from the tour.

Review by: Fleur W, Australia	November 2007
An unbelievable and unforgettable experience for the whole family. Beautiful scenery, local history and yummy chocolate!

Review by: Paul W, United States of America	November 2007
Our trip was very nice. Our guide was very knowledgeable. The weather was foggy and rainy so we were unable to see anything from the top of Mt. Santis except the snow falling all around us. Still pretty cool but because we did not spend as much time there as normal they improvised and took us to a cheese factory in Appenzell in addition to the rest of the normal tour. I definitely recommend this company and this tour.

Review by: Krishnan V, Australia	October 2007
Perfect way to see the picturesque Swiss countryside. Wonderful driver guide with a personal touch as it was on a mini bus. The chocolate factory and cheese factory stops were quite well planned.

Review by: Krishnan Vaitheeswaran	October 2007
Perfect way to see the picturesque Swiss countryside. Wonderful driver guide with a personal touch as it was on a mini bus. The chocolate factory and cheese factory stops were quite well planned.

Review by: Lee M, Australia	September 2007
We had a great guide and saw great scenery! What more can I say? Just do it!

Review by: Matthew B, Australia	September 2006
We only had a 1 day stopover in Zurich, and I am so glad we booked this tour. It was absolutely amazing. The top of Mt. Santis feels like you're standing at the gates of heaven. It was one of the best experiences I've ever had. Our tour guide was so passionate about teaching us about Switzerland, and we enjoyed the entire tour. I would recommend this tour to anyone visiting Zurich. I only wish we had more time to spend there.