Visit the Secrets of Chocolate museum in Strasbourg

Updated on 2024-04-23

The Museum "The secrets of chocolate" is a chocolate museum located in Strasbourg, or more exactly in Geispolsheim, 15 minutes away. It is located in a slightly out-of-the-way place, in an industrial zone, because it is the museum next to the production site of the Schaal chocolate factory, which is just next door. I had visited this museum several years ago and did not like it, but it has been completely renovated: it is now a really pleasant and instructive place! Feel like a gourmet trip? Let's go!

Laurène

Laurene is the founder of the My weekend in Alsace. She is from Britany but she has lived in Alsace since 2014. She fell in love with her region and decided to create a blog and to buy, with her husband, an Alsatian house in a small village in the Kochersberg, next to Strasbourg. She likes to explore Alsace, on foot, on her bike, on her horse or in her car to find good spots for her readers.

> Book your visit to Secrets du Chocolat here

Visit of the chocolate museum

Interesting videos

The museum is organized into several themes. We first discover the origin of the raw materials used by Schaal, which has its own cocoa and hazelnut plantations, before moving on to the chocolate manufacturing process and the different kinds of chocolate treats made at the chocolate factory: mouldings, ganaches, pralines, candies… We have the whole process, from the Equator to Alsace! I really liked the scenography, which is based on videos in which the employees speak. In addition to having allowed me to learn things, these videos really put a smile on my face as you can see that we are dealing with people who are passionate about their work!

The chocolate makers at work

During the visit, you can also admire the work of the chocolate makers: a team works in the museum to produce chocolates for the store and the restaurant’s dessert buffet. It’s really nice to be able to watch the (very meticulous!) craftsmanship that goes into creating these delights. As a bonus, I really liked the fact that I could talk and ask questions: there is no huge glass partition like sometimes, you are really in contact with the chocolatiers!

Long live tasting!

Finally, and this will interest all the gourmands of which I am a part, during the visit of the museum, you can taste many (very) numerous chocolates: you will be able to munch in more than twenty delights! Racks are installed in different parts of the museum, allowing you to test ganaches during the visit of the part of the museum dedicated to ganaches, pralines in the corner dedicated to pralines, etc…

I warn you, there are so many that it is better to make choices, it is difficult to taste everything (and yet I have a good capacity of ingestion of chocolate, I assure you!)! Be especially careful if you come with children to avoid the risk of them getting sick 😉

A nice little attention, you will be given at the entrance a small cardboard box in which you can put your favorite chocolates to leave with. The hardest part will be choosing! Personally, I totally fell for a chocolate with tonka bean…

Visit time

Even if the museum is not huge, allow 45 minutes for the visit: the time to watch all the videos, to observe the work of the chocolate makers and to ask questions, it goes by quickly! A booklet dedicated to children is offered free of charge to make the visit even more fun. Some videos are also dedicated to them.

Discovery courses and workshops

The “Secrets of Chocolate” museum offers weekly classes and workshops on the theme of chocolate (of course!). I took part in a special “pâte à tartiner” discovery workshop. The workshop is quick (20 minutes) and the realization very simple, but it already allows to make a small activity and to learn things. I left with my jar of spread and the recipe (and even a diploma!). This type of workshop is a really fun activity for children. Longer courses of 1h30 are also offered, which is another idea for the family!

Store of the Schaal chocolate factory

Even though Schaal sells its products exclusively to professionals, it offers its chocolates in its factory store. There is a lot of choice, we are tempted to leave with a huge bag full of treats! The store offers a deposit system: you buy a few euros a glass candy box to put your chocolates instead of a plastic bag, and you can come and refill it when you have eaten everything 😛 Several chocolate candies are proposed in bulk, which allows you to make your own assortment. I thought it was really good!

Museum Restaurant

The museum has a rather surprising restaurant, since it is located… In a train! An old restaurant car was indeed recovered and hosts the tables of the restaurant. It’s really nice, it gives the impression to travel a little while staying in Strasbourg! The restaurant offers some simple but good dishes, served in glass jars. For dessert or snack, a buffet is offered with delicacies prepared by the chocolatiers.

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