World Chocolate Day 2025: Choc fans will love these travel ideas – thestar.com.my

Monday, 07 Jul 2025
Shiroi Koibito Park is a chocolate theme park in Hokkaido. — Shiroi Koibito Park website
So beloved is this cocoa-based confectionery that it’s been conferred its very own day of celebration. World Chocolate Day, falling on July 7 annually, is a day that gives anyone with a sweet tooth the excuse to relish the gooey goodness of the saccharine snack.
If you are a chocoholic, however, chances are you’d want every day to be one that’s chock-full of chocolate.
You might even dream of having a chocolate-themed trip. Should that be the case, here are some fun chocolatey things to do and places you can visit to eat, explore and enjoy your favourite treat.
Chocolat Express travels from Bern to the chocolate factory in Broc. — Chocolat Express website
Chocolate trains
As if Switzerland isn’t already tempting enough with its Alpine scenery and quaint villages, it also has to be home to numerous premium, high-quality chocolate brands as well.
Don’t miss the opportunity to sample all the Swiss chocolate you possibly can while visiting the picturesque European country. In fact, you should do so in the most unique way possible – by pairing it with a vintage train ride through scenic Swiss landscapes.
Train Du Chocolat (Chocolate Train) is a round-trip transportation service that runs from the picturesque resort town of Montreux to the medieval town of Gruyeres. It’s a day excursion that includes a stop at Maison Cailler factory and museum, where you’d gain knowledge about chocolate and eat plenty of sweet treats.
There is another train service that offers a direct journey from Bern to the same Maison Cailler in Broc. Chocolat Express, as it’s called, takes just an hour and 18 minutes.
This train departs from Bern four times a day.
Chocolate Museum Kota Damansara is the largest of its kind in South-East Asia. — Chocolate Museum/Facebook
Chocolate museums
While you’re in Switzerland, pay a visit to the world’s largest chocolate museum: Lindt Home of Chocolate.
Opened in 2020, it also houses the world’s largest chocolate fountain. Measuring over 9m tall, the fountain takes the shape of the brand’s iconic round truffle with a giant whisk hovering above it, dripping 1,400kg of real chocolate.
If you wish to explore only within Asia, then head to the second largest chocolate museum in the world. Located in South Korea’s largest (and arguably most famous) island, Jeju, the chocolate museum is also unique in that it is made with the volcanic rock that gives Jeju its distinct look.
If you do not wish to venture outside of South-East Asia, luckily we have the largest chocolate museum in the region right here in our backyard! Well, if you live in the Klang Valley, that is.
Chocolate Museum Kota Damansara is definitely one we Malaysians cannot forget when talking about such museums. You can have a go at making your own chocolate bars here.
Chocolate theme parks
Usually when Hokkaido’s capital, Sapporo, is mentioned, the food-associated word that comes next is “beer”. Not at Shiroi Koibito Park, though.
The chocolate-themed attraction is dedicated to the eponymous confectionery brand that has become synonymous with Hokkaido – anyone visiting this mountainous region in Japan will count Shiroi Koibito chocolate cookies as must-buy souvenirs.
Offering attractions that range from cute cafes to adorable photo spots, the park also has what it dubs the Gulliver Town. It’s basically a “small” town for kids, as in the buildings here are shrunk to around their size.
Another fun attraction is the park’s Shiroi Koibito Railway Site, though this one doesn’t open in winter.
If you’re more into trains that go around in twisty loops – aka roller coasters – then Hersheypark might be more your speed. The 119-year-old theme park is located in Pennsylvania, United States.
Or, you can wait for the upcoming Cacau Park in Brazil. Occupying 700ha of land near Sao Paulo, it will open in 2027 with 35 attractions, one of which will be a 55m-high roller coaster – the largest in South America.
The fashion show at Salon du Chocolat is one of its key attractions. — Salon du Chocolat/Facebook
Chocolate festivals
Eurochocolate is to chocophiles as Eurovision is to music fans. Held annually in Perugia, the capital of Italy’s Umbria region, it is the largest chocolate festival in Europe – some say the world – as it draws roughly one million visitors every year.
This year, Eurochocolate holds its 31st edition from Nov 14 to 23. Guided by the theme “clouds/chocolate”, visitors can expect to see fluffy cloud installations and cloud-shaped treats at the festival.
Salon du Chocolat is another well-known chocolate festival. If you go to this, you’d get to experience something no other chocolate festival would have: A fashion show – as expected from an event born in the world’s fashion capital.
First held in Paris in 1995, the festival has since expanded to Lyon in south-eastern France as well as cities in other countries, such as Shanghai (China), New York City (US), and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia).
Each city has its own date, and the main festival in Paris is set to hold its 30th edition this year from Oct 29 to Nov 3.
It also recently made its Malaysian debut in Kuala Lumpur earlier this month, as the key highlight of the Foods & Drinks Malaysia B2B trade show by Salon International de l’alimentation.
Malaysia also has its own fairly new chocolate festival. Specifically, it is the Chocolate Festival in Johor. While the 2025 edition has already taken place recently in May, you can always watch out for next year’s edition.
The festival doesn’t feature just sweet treats. It also has art workshops, special appearances by local actors and performances by local bands, DJs and singers.
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