A tent full of UNLIMITED FREE CHOCOLATE SAMPLES from some of the most famous chocolatiers in…read moreGeneva?? Only 15 minutes and a CHF3.50 train ride outside of Geneva?? Count me in!!!
Some of these are pretty high-end chocolatiers, so I wondered how they would manage the chocoholics that would inevitably flock to this event planning to stuff their faces with pounds and pounds of free chocolate. But after making my way through about half of the choco-tent, it became clear that even I, among the most determined of chocoholics, had a limit to how much sickly sweetness I could take.
The chocolate festival is a big tent set up on a parking lot, lined with booths and booths of chocolate makers. They show off their decorative chocolate creations, and offer generous samples of their wares. Those of you who are sensitive about hygiene and all that stuff may have a problem with the communal sampling bowls that everyone digs into, but I figure I'm doing enough damage to my body with all the chocolate that a few germs probably won't make a huge difference. Most booths have at least a few varieties of chocolates you can sample, so it's a good opportunity to try something that you wouldn't normally spend money on, like green tea chocolate, or a dark chocolate with sweet wine pairing.
We tried so many different chocolates that it's impossible to recall the brands and chocolates that I particularly liked. But they have a few fun options you should try, like the chocolate mousse in a dark chocolate shell that they top with whipped cream and warm melted chocolate (made to order, CHF5). They also had a big chocolate fountain in the middle of the tent where you can buy a bowl of strawberries and marshmallows that they smother with the flowing lava of the chocolate fountain.
They sell all types of chocolates and sweets, from bark to truffles, bars, macarons, fondants, brownies, chocolate eggs and easter bunnies, you name it. Some of the decorative pieces can get really pricey, but I scored an adorable snowboarding bunny for CHF13 (http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=hv1eZoM0uG7u8lWNj_9cWQ&userid=kRJmJ6MCzSqZayotEBiLfw), pretty reasonable, if you ask me. They had smaller bunnies from CHF2-CHF5, which were souvenir-worthy if you wanted to take something back without breaking bank.
You can find most of the chocolatiers in Geneva (and in many other cities, I presume), and I don't think they offer the chocolates at any reduced rates. Considering that the weather is warm enough to potentially melt your chocolate purchases as you browse, I would suggest focusing on the free samples and making a list of the chocolatiers that you like for future purchase at a more convenient location.
They also have food stands outside selling sausages (CHF6) and frites (CHF5), as well as a hamburger stand (CHF10), and all the other basic festival fare that you would expect to find.
As a family event, there are kids bouncing off the walls from sugar-overdose, so watch your step!
