Geneva's Choco Pass allows you to sample delectable Swiss chocolates at multiple stops in the city! Here's how to use it.
This past summer we flew in and out of Geneva before and after hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc. Since I’d never been in Geneva before and knew we’d have a couple extra days after our hike, it seemed like a good chance to to explore a new city.
It didn’t take much time or research to learn that Geneva has lots of guided chocolate tours available, including guided tours within the city (over $120 per person) and tours to a chocolate factory combined with a tour of Gruyère (over $200 per person).
While I wasn’t opposed to paying for a once in a lifetime fantastic tour, I was having a hard time guessing if I’d actually enjoy these tours from the descriptions.
Also, I wasn’t sure what my energy levels (or social battery) would be after hiking over 100 miles on the TMB. (I don’t enjoy crowded tours, especially if I’m tired.)
And then I heard about the Geneva Choco Pass. We tried it and loved it!
Here’s how it works.
All About the Geneva Choco Pass
The Geneva Choco Pass allows you to pay for a self-guided chocolate tour in Geneva, Switzerland.
When we used the Choco Pass in 2025, one pass cost 30 Swiss Francs (about $38 when we visited). If you have a Geneva City Pass, you get a discount on the Choco Pass.
The pass gives you access to samples from five chocolate shops on the Choco Pass list. The samples were an assortment of chocolates in a prepackaged baggie, and one of the locations we visited also gave us hot chocolate.
The pass is valid for one year from the purchase date, but once you use the pass to visit a store, you have 24 hours left on your pass to visit up to five locations total.
Will I Enjoy the Choco Pass?
It depends on what you’re looking for.
First, the good points:
We felt like it was an excellent bargain, especially considering the high price of basically everything (chocolate included) in Switzerland.
Here are more ideas for enjoying Geneva on a budget.
Also, it was easy! We could visit at our own pace, and we could take most of the chocolates home to try later. (It was too much chocolate for me to sample in one day.)
If you’re on a tight budget and don’t mind sharing your samples, it’s also nice that you can share. You’ll simply get one chocolate sample bag (or hot cocoa) per pass at each location, so it doesn’t matter how many people there are.
I also felt like this was a fun way to do a self-guided city tour, so instead of going to all five chocolate shops in a row, we wandered around the city for a little bit in between shops.
Now, the (possible) cons:
This is not a guided tour in any sense.
Of the chocolate shops we went to, only one spent any amount of time with us. Most locations simply scanned our pass and handed us a sample bag of chocolate.
One of the shops even made sure we knew the hot chocolate sample was “to go,” not to drink inside their shop. (It was fine: we walked to the nearby Lake Geneva and sipped hot chocolate on a bench.)
If you have food allergies, proceed with caution and be proactive about asking for an ingredients list. One of the five locations we visited (Favarger) did offer to make a custom sample bag to accommodate allergies if needed.
There was very little information about the chocolate itself, although some shops included a small pamphlet describing the types of chocolate that might be included in the packet.
Basically, if you want a hands-on tour with lots of information, this probably isn’t for you. On the other hand, if you simply want to taste a bunch of delicious chocolates without joining a guided tour, the Choco Pass is perfect.
Which Chocolate Shops Should I Visit?
Honestly, I don’t think it matters: they all have wonderful reviews. That said, here’s what we thought of the shops we visited.
Guillaume Bichet was a gorgeous shop. They offered a 10% discount if we made a purchase. (One of the other shops did as well, so I'm unclear on whether they all did this and just didn't mention it.)
La Bonbonnière Chocolaterie gave us a hot chocolate (to go) and a sample pack.
The hot chocolate was really delicious. I was actually happy only one of the locations we visited offered this, as it was very rich and I didn’t want another!
Martel was the busiest location and the only one we had to wait in line for.
They had some incredible looking pastries. If I wasn’t picking up chocolates, I would’ve bought a pastry instead.
This location also had some reasonably priced sandwiches. It would’ve made a nice spot for a light lunch.
Zeller gave us the most unique sample pack. It included a chocolate covered candied orange, an almond and chocolate nest, and a chocolate seashell.
Chocolat Favarger - Boutique Rive
Chocolat Favarger was the friendliest location we visited, and also provided a 10% discount on purchases for Choco Pass users.
They offered to make a custom sample bag if needed to accommodate allergies.
There was a small display on the history of their chocolate shop, but it was all in French, so we didn't learn too much from it.
Choco Pass Tips
- Try to avoid doing this experience on a Sunday: most chocolate shops are likely closed.
- Have the Choco Pass PDF (or a screenshot of the pass) ready to go when you walk into one of the shops.
- Double-check the participating chocolate shop addresses. Some of them have other locations that do not participate.
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