Swiss Chocolate, Cheese and Fondue

Switzerland is a land of rich Alpine tastes: world-famous smooth chocolate, invented and perfected here, and great mountain cheeses like Gruyere and Emmental. Best of all is the ritual of fondue, a communal pot of cheese melted with wine and garlic, into which everyone dips cubes of bread with long forks, the convivial centrepiece of a cold Swiss night, along with its cousin raclette.

What you actually see

• Swiss chocolate - the smooth chocolate of the famous chocolatiers.
• Fondue - the shared pot of melted cheese for dipping bread.
• Raclette - the melted cheese scraped over potatoes.
• The mountain cheeses - Gruyere, Emmental and the alpine dairies.

When to go

Year-round for chocolate and cheese; fondue and raclette are winter dishes, most enjoyable in the cold mountain months after a day on the slopes, though served year-round for visitors.

Honest expectations

Fondue and raclette are heavy, wintery dishes, less appealing in summer heat, though restaurants serve them year-round. Everything is expensive in Switzerland, including a simple fondue. Tradition says drink warm tea or white wine, not cold water, with the melted cheese.

Nearby

Chocolatiers and cheese dairies are found across the country; Gruyeres has a famous cheese and chocolate trail.