Top Picks For Chocolate Lovers: Chocolate Museums Around The World

Chocolate takes on many forms. It is a popular food flavor used as a coating, snack, in desserts, as a beverage, and sometimes even in alcoholic drinks (like crème de cacao). Various types of chocolate exist including dark, white, and milk chocolate. Chocolate is so beloved that museums have sprung up that document the history and the production process behind it, often offering live demonstrations and samples. Here is a list of such chocolaty places one can visit.

5. Museum Of Cacao And Chocolate - Brussels, belgium

The private museum in Brussels is a chocolate museum and historic site that was established in 1998. The museum has a shop, a demonstration room, and two exhibition rooms. Tourists are expected to book a ticket in advance before visiting. The planning pays off, however: once inside, tourists get to enjoy live demonstrations of making different types of chocolate by experienced chocolate artists with samples offered at every destination.

4. Cadbury World - Dunedin, New Zealand

Cadbury world is a chocolate-themed tourist attraction founded by the Cadbury chocolate company. Cadbury world offers a unique chocolate-themed atmosphere for tourists with guided tours. It receives more than a half a million visitors annually. Tourists have an opportunity to learn about the origin and historical milestones of chocolate as well as a background into the Cadbury chocolate company.

3. Museu de la Xocolata - Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona is a Spanish city with a rich and long history that includes a tradition of chocolate consumption. The Xocolata Museum is a private museum owned by the city pastry-makers guild. The museum has numerous displays of chocolate sculptures and models of famous buildings in Barcelona. The museum, located in a former monastery, is a great place to learn about the origins of chocolate and its widespread use. The museum organizes events and tours that take tourists through the epic chocolate journey from its introduction to Spain to its widespread popularity and from cacao beans to chocolate.

2. Republic of Chocolate - Taoyuan City, Taiwan

The Republic of Chocolate was founded in 1977 by Hunya Food Company as a chocolate museum before they diversified to offer tourism services. The museum, a three-story chocolate-shaped building, was established in 2012 and hosts a greenhouse, an exhibition hall and a class on chocolate making. Tourists are guided through a factory tour where they learn of various chocolate making techniques, which they can also practice at home.

1. Imhoff-Schokoladenmuseum - Cologne, Germany

This museum is located on Rhine River and receives than 600,000 annual visitors, who come to see attractions such as the glass house where cacao trees grow. Chocolate making machines, historical vessels used for drinking chocolate, and a chocolate fountain can also be found on site. The museum also includes a gift shop, a must for any chocolate lover.