10 Best Swiss chocolate gifts

If you are looking to send a classic Swiss gift to friends and family in Switzerland, you can’t go wrong with chocolate. Here are ten of the best chocolate shops, workshops and experiences in Switzerland that we recommend for gifting.

I chose ones with an online shop in English and accept credit cards with non-Swiss addresses (at least the last time I checked!). Happy gifting!

Why send chocolate to friends living in Switzerland?

Even for those living in Switzerland, getting chocolate as a gift is still special, especially from an artisan producer. Plus since it can be expensive and time-consuming to ship things from overseas to Switzerland, gifting local chocolate is a great option, especially for a last-minute gift. During the holidays, many Swiss chocolatiers offer festive gift boxes, chocolate advent calendars and other seasonal treats that make the gift extra sweet.

See also: How to send gifts to family and friends in Switzerland

1. Sprüngli

Sprüngli is a high-end chocolatier but also a household name in Switzerland, famous for their truffles and colorful Luxembourglis. Their online shop has a wide selection of treats and they also sell gift cards online if you can’t decide. I would be over the moon to receive any of the following as a gift:

• Chocolate Truffles – although a mixed praline box is very nice, I prefer the pure chocolate of truffles. And enjoying a whole box would be heaven!
• Truffle cake – This cake has a triangle of pure chocolate truffle on top of the delicious cake. I’ve had this as my birthday cake for several years.
• Luxemburgerlis – These fancy “cookies” are a special gift that many people in Switzerland bring to a party. So many great flavors to choose from. You might choose the box without alcohol if you are gifting to children.

2. Maison Cailler

Many know Cailler chocolate from their excellent visitor center, Maison Cailler in western Switzerland. It offers a chocolate museum tour, chocolate making workshop, a chocolate themed Escape Game. See our post for more details. On their website, you can buy a gift voucher to be used for any of these experiences. Buy gift voucher here.

You can also purchase Cailler gift boxes in their online shop. We particularly like the metal tin boxes with vintage designs.

3. Max Chocolatier

This relatively new chocolatier in Luzern has been making excellent chocolate since 2009. We love their chocolate Advent calendar, but best to pre-order in October in case they sell out. We also appreciate their Vegan pralines since that is a little rare in Switzerland.

Although they don’t have a chocolate factory to visit, they do offer tastings & workshops, also for families.

4. Teuscher

This Zürich chocolatier is best known for their Champagne truffles. But they sell many other festive treats, particularly for Christmas including traditional Samichlaus bags filled with all the normal treats, festively decorated Christmas boxes and chocolate advent calendar. Website: teuscher-zurich.ch

5. Maestrani

Instead of chocolate, you could give a voucher for a chocolate tour. We love Maestrani’s Chocolarium visitor center in eastern Switzerland, with fun interactive exhibits teaching you everything you want to know about chocolate. The tour also includes lots of chocolate tasting and a view to the factory floor. See my Chocolarium post for more details. 

You can purchase a gift voucher for this chocolate tour and chocolate workshops. Buy Chocolarium vouchers here.

6. Vollenwieder

Vollenwieder is a traditional chocolate-maker in Zürich, which prides itself in its hand-made chocolates. In addition to many stylish gift boxes, they have a lovely chocolate advent calendar and other Christmas treats. See their online shop.

pic from Vollenwieder website

7. Taucherli

This Zürich chocolate shop is known for their “hot-chocolate” sticks to melt into a cup of hot milk. They also sell chocolate fondue, which is a bit rare in Switzerland. The website is German only, but can pay with PayPal. See their online shop.

8. Lindt Chocolate Factory

Since you can buy Lindt worldwide, it’s not so special as a gift. But the Lindt chocolate workshops are a fun experience, especially during the holidays.

In 2020, Lindt opened their “Home of Chocolate” tour at their Zürich factory. You can buy vouchers for the both the chocolate tour and workshops. 

9. Du Rhone Chocolatier

All the chocolates are hand-made at this high end chocolatier in Geneva. They are best known for their Mocca Glace and Noble Rhone. In their online shop, you can pay with PayPal, which is helpful for customers outside Switzerland.

They also offer workshops but they very expensive – CHF 80/pp, min. 8 participants. 

product pics from the Du Rhone Chocolatier website

10. Confiserie Bachman

Bachman is more of a pastry shop than a chocolate shop. But they also have a fine collection of chocolates and lovely gift boxes that are a bit more affordable than the higher end competitors. If I had to pick one treat, I’d probably go for their award-winning Grand Cru truffles. See their online shop.

Missing your favorite Swiss chocolate?

There are so many more chocolate makers in Switzerland. You might also like this list of 24 small Swiss chocolate producers to support by my friend Kristin. If you live or travel here, you should definitely check them out. But unfortunately many of their websites are not in English and/or don’t accept international credit cards. So I’m not recommending them for sending gifts.

See also: How to send gifts to family and friends in Switzerland