Eat Your Way Through Europe on This Delicious Chocolate Road Trip

Chocolate is an institution in Spain, and has been since the early 1500s when Columbus brought cacao back from the Americas. However, perhaps because Spain shares a border with France, their chocolate traditions are largely overlooked. Some of the best chocolate in Madrid can be found in hot chocolate, typically served alongside churros. Chocolateria San Gines makes a steaming cup of rich hot chocolate, and you’ll notice it’s darker (and as a result, less sweet) than hot chocolate you’d encounter back in the U.S. You’ll also want to try Alma de Cacao if you’re ready to stray from traditional flavors. They make little chocolate bars with specialty ingredients like olive oil and salt or pine nuts.

Paris is all about luxury chocolate, with incredible flavors and stunning chocolate artistry to match. Debauve & Gallais is the oldest chocolate shop in Paris, so it makes for a perfect starting point on your chocolat tour de Paris. Their chocolate runs the flavor gamut from fruity milk chocolates to dark chocolate with 99% cocoa. Stop into La Maison du Chocolat, a shop known worldwide for their elegant chocolates that opened in Paris in 1977—their store is right on Rue Saint Honore, an exclusive Parisian shopping street. While on Saint Honore, stop in at boutique chocolatier Jean-Paul Hévin—and poke your head into the Hermes store for good measure.

Taking a chocolate tour of Brussels seems practically intuitive, as Belgian chocolate is staple in high-end desserts around the world. Most of the chocolatiers are used to welcoming guests looking to taste a chocolate or two and then move on to the next shop. Start at Neuhaus, which has been open since 1857, when they used to sell their ailing patrons chocolate-covered medicine. They’ve since moved away from that platform and are now known for their chocolate truffles. For luxury chocolate, skip the Godiva shop (you can find that anywhere), and instead head to Pierre Marcolini. Each chocolate is meticulously crafted from various cacao beans and distinctly decorated. Finally, Maison Dandoy is worth visiting not only for their chocolate, but for some of the best waffles in Brussels.

When you’re touring the chocolate shops of Zurich, Lindt and Frey are both obvious choices simply based on name recognition. However, for a chocolate experience you can only find in Switzerland, find your way to Läderach, which is on Bahnhofstrasse, one of the main streets in town. They’re known for their sheets of chocolate toward the front of the display case, which you can buy by weight. Teuscher is also very worth stopping into—it’s where the Swiss go to buy their fine chocolate—and is known for their rich and distinctive truffles.

Barcelona’s Museo de Xocolata details Spain’s history of chocolate and its “role in the economic and social fabric of Barcelona.” It will take you through Spain’s historical views of chocolate—from feeding slabs of it to soldiers because of chocolate’s supposed medicinal value to serving Spain’s signature drinking chocolate with dessert. In terms of sampling Barcelona’s chocolate, start at Pasteleria Escribà, where you’ll see the Escribà family making stunning chocolate sculptures. Bubó also has gorgeous chocolate displays, and their signature treat is a chocolate lollipop with a hazelnut praline center dipped in dark chocolate and almonds or milk chocolate and crisp rice.

Lyon’s chocolate legacy dates back to the 1600s. There are nearly 50 chocolatiers in Lyon, and one of the best is Bernachon. Bernachon has made a name for themselves because of their bean-to-bar chocolates. You’ll also want to stop into Chokola to try pastry chef Sébastien Bouillet’s “Maca’ Lyon.” It’s Bouillet’s chocolate macaron interpretation with a chocolate shell and caramel filling.

Without contest, the most esteemed chocolate shop in Berlin is Rausch Schokoladenhaus. In Gendarmenmarkt Square, Rausch’s shop and chocolate cafe is the perfect place to have lunch and browse their 200 praline flavors, dark and milk chocolates, and even the world’s longest chocolate bar. For a slightly more bitter chocolate palette, visit Eric Hamman in West Berlin to try the powerful dark chocolate they’ve been making since the 1920s.

Tuscany’s “Chocolate Valley” stretches from Pisa to Pistoia to Prato and is home to some of Italy’s best chocolate makers. In Pisa, Amadei is the reigning chocolate maker, and you can buy slabs or “tablets” of their bean-to-bar chocolate, or even chocolate flakes and “drops” for baking. Pasticceria Mannori in Prato is also worth seeking out for their pralines and chocolate eggs. And while touring the Chocolate Valley, don’t overlook humble coffee shop Slitti Cioccolato e Caffè, where you can relax with a steaming cappuccino while sampling their chocolate.