We are taking the chocolate factory tour and are thinking of the cheese factory tour as well. Is it worth it to see the cheese factory and then the castle? Or, would it be better to make a day trip to the Chillon castle instead?
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
695 posts
Julia, the cheese factory tour takes around 1 hour, it is alright but not a great visit, there is some nice shops around, we did not go to the Gruyères Castle but we went to the HR GIGER BAR and it is very cool. The Château de Chillon however, is superb, it takes a good 2-3 hours to visit. If you have a swiss pass you get free entry, and you can take the boat from the dock to Montreux or elsewhere, for free also. I would do the day trip to Chillon. Have fun!
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9110 posts
I found the cheese factory to be the least interesting site in Gruyere. The castle at the top of the hill, including the HR Griger museum, and the various stops/restaurants were much more interesting. The cheese factory is right next to the train station, so if you have some time to kill before the next train, do the factory thing.
Posted by
Tallahassee, FL, USA
67 posts
I did the cheese factory tour in Gruyere, and while the cheese itself is wonderful, the tour is pretty commercial and bland.
I didn't get to see the castle in Gruyere so I can't comment on that, but Chateau de Chillon is pretty darn cool! Chillon is exactly what you'd expect when it comes to a medieval castle - just like you imagined in fairy tales and saw in movies. Plus, the setting is pretty darn cool.
If I was to go to Switzerland again and choose only one place, I would go see Chillon and then wander around Montreaux, a cool town the castle is right next too. Just buy some Gruyere while you're in Montreaux and you've got the best of both worlds!
Posted by
Everett, WA
1299 posts
Skip the cheese factory and Gruyere and go to Chillion instead. I've done all of these options and if you have to choose to skip one Gruyere and the cheese factory is the one I would skip. We found the cheese factory to be a disappointment. (there is a more interesting one further up in Molson, but even that would be the first thing I cut) Gruyere was a cute, but very touristy town, worth a quick look. The Gruyere castle was, again, a disappointment. However, Chillion is one of the best castle's I've toured. It has such a lovely location and is well worth visiting. As for the Chocolate factory tour....mmm mmm good!
Posted by
Sheboygan, Wisc., USA
934 posts
We also didnt think the cheese tour was much.However the chocolate tour that was something special.