Europe's New $500M Chocolate Theme Park Will Have Hotels, Restaurants, & Sweet Confections

Switzerland is certainly a feast for the senses, home to alpine peaks, storybook villages, and lovely cities. The abundance of fresh air, clean water, and healing thermal spas make it one of the best wellness destinations to visit in 2026. Gourmands are also drawn to its culinary offerings, and let's be honest, you can't talk about Switzerland without mentioning chocolate. And in the coming years, Switzerland will offer a whole new way to enjoy delicious Swiss chocolate at its finest. We're talking about a theme park dedicated entirely to chocolate! 

Maison Cailler, Switzerland's oldest chocolate factory, is slated to open its immersive "Parc du Chocolat" by 2030, with a pre-opening phase set for as early as 2027, reports Euro News. With an investment equivalent to over $500 million USD, it's safe to say that this chocolate theme park will become one of Switzerland's top tourist attractions when it's complete. Guests will get to dive into a world of Swiss chocolate, try it in intriguing restaurants, and even stay in themed hotels on site, according to reports.

Parc du Chocolat will be located at Maison Cailler's historic factory grounds in the French-speaking town of Broc near Gruyères, a region also famous for its cheese. Maison Cailler dates back to the 1800s, and is credited with inventing milk chocolate in 1875. The factory officially opened in 1898, and is now part chocolate museum. The chocolate theme park will be an expansion of the current factory, repurposing its unused outbuildings into new attractions. Upwards of 500,000 people visit the Maison Cailler factory each year, and the new theme park aims to bring this number up to 800,000, according to the Euro News report. 

The first phase of the theme park will invite visitors to "discover the world of chocolate, take a look behind the scenes of chocolate-making inside the factory, taste creations, and take part in workshops with master chocolatiers," says Association Gruyère-Chocolat. Euro News reports that the plans include hotels that cater to families, as well as restaurants. Also included in the proposal is a "cocoa greenhouse," an educational exhibit about the harvesting of cocoa beans, a "chocolate emporium" for the ultimate taste-testing experience, and an outdoor events center, reports RTS Info.

For those who plan to visit, Broc is roughly three hours from Zurich Airport by train. But the most exciting way to get to Maison Cailler is aboard the Chocolat Express train, which whisks passengers from Bern to the Broc-Chocolaterie (Maison Cailler) train station in less than 90 minutes. When it's complete, developers say that Parc du Chocolat will be directly accessible on the Swiss rail network. Switzerland is home to some of the world's most scenic train rides, so the journey is always as great as the destination.