The Lindt Home of Chocolate on the outskirts of Zurich is a destination that delights visitors of all ages.
What better way to start a visit to Switzerland than to pay obeisance at the altar of chocolate? A half-hour’s journey out of Zurich brings us to Kilchberg, where, at Schokoladenplatz (literally, ‘chocolate place’), there’s a bus stop named Lindt & Sprüngli! Just across the road is a huge complex that houses the world-famous brand’s chocolate factory, offices, as well as where we are headed… a chocolate museum called the Lindt Home of Chocolate.
This chocolate museum, which opened in 2020, was inaugurated by Tennis legend Roger Federer, the Swiss 20-time Grand Slam champion, who is now a brand ambassador for Switzerland Tourism. It’s become extremely popular in just two years, and not just because of the endorsement by chocolate-faced Federer!
A chocolate lover’s dream come true!
There are chocolate fountains and there are chocolate fountains. The one that dominates the central space as soon as you enter the high-ceilinged hall is over 30 feet tall! The sight of 1,500 litres of molten chocolate pouring down from that great height into a Lindt Lindor truffle is sure to make you want to reach out for a giant marshmallow on a stick. You can’t dig into this deluge of sweetened cocoa, but as you make your way through this 65,000 square feet chocolate museum, there will be several opportunities to indulge your chocolate craving.
At the Chocolateria on the first floor, you can create your very own masterpieces under the expert guidance of the Lindt Master Chocolatiers, while learning many interesting things about the origin, history, and manufacture of Lindt chocolate. You can view the production line as well as take a peek at their research facility for chocolate innovation.
Inside the world of chocolate
But it’s the Chocolate Tour that’s truly memorable, with an expertly done audio guide that’s offered in many different languages taking you around the exhibits of the chocolate museum that introduce you to the world of chocolate in novel ways, literally taking you through the entire bean-to-bar process without boring you! In fact, at most times, you’re held spellbound by its beauty or interactivity.
A colourful room with life-like cocoa plants gives you glimpses of the growing of the cocoa bean, choosing the perfect ones, and the people behind this. Chocolate, which is considered a ‘Swiss cultural asset’ has a long history behind it. And our favourite part of this chocolate museum is the 16,000-square-foot exhibition with a beautifully sketched animated panorama that brings the history of the ‘food of the Gods’ to life.
From its roots in the ancient Mayan civilisation, discovery by the Spanish conquistadors, the addition of sugar to make it palatable to European tastebuds, and its popularity spread across the world. For the young and young at heart, there are a number of things to ‘do’ around this exhibit, so you don’t feel drowned in historic facts.
Another huge hall has the cutest murals to portray the history of chocolate in Switzerland, with things to discover if you peek into the windows of the miniature homes, and more. Cows moo, trains chug, and you feel that you’re right there at the birth of fine Swiss chocolate!
Go cocoa loco
The most popular sections at the chocolate museum though would have to be the ones where you can pick up a spoon and push a lever to have your heart’s content of thick, freshly made chocolate pouring down from a fountain!
At the end of the same hall, Lindt cleverly melds the human fascination with machinery and chocolate, with a circle of tall cylinders constantly dropping pieces of freshly crafted Lindt chocolate into the outstretched palms of enthusiasts visiting the chocolate museum from across the world.
You’d think that this would be enough of the sweet treat for anyone, but after gazing at a few more deliciously designed galleries, when you reach the end of the Chocolate Tour, there’s a counter filled with giant baskets of Lindor truffles in every flavour, which you can pick and savour. We asked the lady who manages this bit how many truffles are taken in a day, and she said 30 kilos of each of the eight varieties on an average, which comes to about 240 kgs of chocolate a day!
And that’s even before the visitors head to the largest Lindt chocolate shop in the world, which boasts over 5,300 sq ft of everything from truffles to bars to barks, and more, and then on to Switzerland’s first Lindt café, where you can enjoy coffee and savouries or binge on — what else? — hot chocolate.
Good to know
Address: Schokoladenplatz 1, Seestrasse 204 · 8802 Kilchberg, Zürich | Timings: On all days between 10 am and six pm. Last entry is at five pm. Price: The Chocolate Tour starts at CHF 10 for individual tickets, children under seven years enter free | Audio guides: They are available in German, English, French, Italian, Spanish and Mandarin, with a special one for kids in German | Website: The Lindt Home of Chocolate.
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