The Chocolatarium
The Chocolatarium
5
10:15 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:45 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:45 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:45 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:45 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:45 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:15 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
11:00 AM - 4:30 PM
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About
90 minutes of chocolate heaven. Find out how chocolate is made, make your own dream chocolate bar to take home and enjoy a session in the Tasting Room with over 40 kinds of chocolate! Same wonderful tour. Comfortable social distancing. Children under 6 are not permitted.
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Old Town
Few Edinburghers live in the Old Town, but its labyrinth of dank alleys and steep streets suggests this was not always the case. Today, it’s mostly visitors, tartan-flavored souvenir shops, and pipers that you’ll find on its cobbled streets. This is the place to get a feel for Auld Reekie (Old Smelly), as the town was once nicknamed, and stroll the Royal Mile, the thoroughfare that links the castle with the royal palace – two of Edinburgh’s great set-piece attractions. But there’s lots more exploring to do here down dozens of little alleys, or wynds, while at night the city’s busiest clubs erupt along the Cowgate which is closed to traffic for this purpose.
See what travelers are saying
  • Stu
    Edinburgh, United Kingdom7 contributions
    Great experience - try it!
    A great experience! The folk there have obviously put a lot of care into preparing and delivering the chocolate experience. Our guide, Caitlin, made the morning fly by in a most enjoyable way. One of our number could not make it as he had a flat tyre and the girls threw themselves into the project of making an appropriately shaped chocolate creation for us to take to him. We had a great time and would thoroughly recommend the Chocolatarium to anyone visiting Edinburgh.
    Visited January 2020
    Traveled with friends
    Written January 26, 2020
  • Mike D
    Wormit, United Kingdom15 contributions
    What an experience!
    This was a first rate experience made even more enjoyable by our outstanding guide, Erin, who was very knowledgeable, extremely friendly, and indeed one of the best guides I have ever experienced. In the present circumstances organisation was first class and you felt confident that all precautions had been taken. It was a extremely informative presentation nicely balanced with practical involvement and no shortage of chocolate tasting! I cannot recommend this highly enough.
    Visited September 2020
    Traveled with friends
    Written September 20, 2020
  • Joe
    Wirral, United Kingdom1 contribution
    Highlight of our weekend!
    A great interactive and immersive experience which my girlfriend and I both agreed was arguably the highlight of our long weekend in Edinburgh. We will 100% recommend this to anybody we know if they're up in the city. Really good, informative story on the history of chocolate and the process from small farmers to plate. Our guide (who's name I can't remember, sadly) was really friendly and personable with everybody in our group which seemed to make everyone feel settled and comfortable, ready to engage in every part of the coming tour/experience. The tasters passed around during talks were a good way to keep everybody interested and engaged, and that tasted amazing. The factory and chocolate bar making was very fun. Tasting the raw beans, cocoa butter and then getting to make our own chocolate creations with a range of different fillings/toppings. The tasting room which was lined with walls of dark, milk and white chocolate was brilliant. We both tasted a LOT of different flavours from each section and walked away 'chocolated-out' which I certainly won't complain about.
    Visited February 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written February 21, 2023
  • Hollie B
    12 contributions
    Brilliant experience
    Fantastic experience, would recommend this to anyone who is in Edinburgh and looking to do something a bit different. Erin was a knowledgeable and friendly host who is just great at her job. It’s certainly value for money with all the chocolate that you can taste, plus being able to make and decorate your own bars was a unique experience.
    Visited April 2021
    Traveled as a couple
    Written May 5, 2021
  • dmahon2
    Taunton, United Kingdom120 contributions
    Really good!
    Needed to do something for an hour or two late morning and given my love of chocolate, my wife booked this for 90 minutes. It’s a relatively small location and I wasn’t expecting a huge amount from the event, but it turned out to be both interesting and fun. Caitlin was knowledgable and kept everything running smoothly throughout. Lots of chocolate to taste and you get to make your own custom bar of chocolate to take home. I’d definitely recommend it.
    Visited February 2020
    Traveled as a couple
    Written February 9, 2020
  • Leila W
    6 contributions
    An Edinburgh must see!
    There is no better learning environment than one that provides real life examples, stories, and first hand experiences. The Chocolatarium is just that. An incredible experience from the moment you walk in and smell chocolate. You learn so much about chocolate from bean or tree to bar. And it’s worth the money you pay, it’s worth more. You get to make your own chocolate bar and take it home. Plus, a tasting of various other single origin chocolates and trust me when I say you’ll taste the difference and it’s crazy what a little dirt can do! Helen was our amazing guide- witty, knowledgeable, and passionate. We were so thankful to have her impart her wisdom to our group and share with us how we can be better consumers. Support this business. Support Helen and her team. Edinburgh- The Chocolatarium needs to stay!
    Visited March 2020
    Traveled with friends
    Written March 16, 2020
  • Sandy C
    3 contributions
    Not what I expected
    I expected something much larger than this tour, it is Only 2 small rooms, first one is the Lady explaining how chocolate is made and where it comes from. Second is a very small display of how it is made, then you get to make your own bar of chocolate or should I say design your own bar of chocolate, all the chocolate is dark chocolate they do not do milk chocolate which for me was a big letdown. Then you went into the tasting room where you got to taste lots of little bits of chocolate again all dark. I expected it to be a lot bigger and to have a choice of milk or dark chocolate. Lady was very nice But I did not think it was worth the money.
    Visited February 2020
    Written March 7, 2020
  • Stef
    Edinburgh, United Kingdom58 contributions
    One of the best tours we’ve ever done
    My husband bought myself, my mum and my dad entry to the Chocolatarium as a Christmas present and it was one of the best experiences we have received as a gift as well as one of the best tours we’ve ever been on. Anika was just brilliant. Knowledgeable, ethical and animated, she taught us lots, shared lots of personal anecdotes about her travels and she entertained us along the way. There were quite a few children our tour and they were really engaged with her questioning. A great tour for your kids. I asked Anika’s recommendation for chocolate combination (ginger, lemon and Inca berry, FYI) and it was my favourite chocolate of all the three I made. We loved the structure of the tour, split into 3 sections in 3 different rooms. It kept everyone’s interest and made the hour and half seem so fast. I would recommend to everyone and I would also do the tour again with other family members when they’re visiting Edinburgh. Thank you to all of the Chocolatarium staff who make the magic happen and a special thank you to Anika for such a fun hour and a half.
    Dear Stef, Thank you so much for taking your time to write such a wonderful review and really awesome your kind words. It was an honour to meet you and your family, you guys were amazing and I was impressed by your knowledge about chocolate and sophisticated taste. I’m really glad you loved your chocolate and that you actually liked the combination I recommended, because it’s definitely not everybody’s cup of tea. Many thanks for recommending the tour and you have to know you made me blush. Kindest regards, Anika
    Written August 7, 2020
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited August 2020
    Traveled as a couple
    Written August 3, 2020
  • Woody1004
    12 contributions
    SO MUCH Chocolate!!!!!
    This tour of where chocolate comes from and how its made was absolutely brilliant. Our tour guide Crow was amazing!! She was so informative and engaging it was a joy to listen to her throughout. There was lots and lots of chocolate to try and you get to take home some of your creations too!!!! Me and my daughter enjoyed this so much. Thank you for a brilliant morning. I highly recommend doing this tour and it gets very busy so pre booking is advised as normally it sells out!!
    Visited September 2022
    Written September 17, 2022
  • Miya N
    Seattle, Washington5 contributions
    Memorable Experience in Edinburgh!
    We did the master class in truffle making and it was amazing! Fraser started us off with some information and history of chocolate that helped us understand more about the chocolate-making process, and where there is space to improve in the chocolate industry. Serena led us in the truffle-making portion of the evening where we made various different types of chocolates (using cocoa butter transfer paper for very impressive designs) and molds, as well as ganache truffles and filled truffles! We came away with a substantial amount of chocolate (that we're still working on eating up!). Serena was a lovely instructor and we were free to experiment with our flavors as much as we wanted. After the class, we were given the opportunity to explore the various different flavors that plain milk or dark chocolate can provide depending on the strain of cacao used, as well as lots of chocolates with very interesting and creative flavorings (like Scot Pine, rhubarb and ginger, haggis, and others). This was a great addition to our 2-week trip and it was a nice change of pace from the various tours and museums we had been going on. Highly recommend!
    Visited August 2022
    Written September 17, 2022
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions

5.0
2,436 reviews
Excellent
2,373
Very good
54
Average
11
Poor
0
Terrible
2

Hollie B
12 contributions
Apr 2021 • Couples
Fantastic experience, would recommend this to anyone who is in Edinburgh and looking to do something a bit different. Erin was a knowledgeable and friendly host who is just great at her job. It’s certainly value for money with all the chocolate that you can taste, plus being able to make and decorate your own bars was a unique experience.
Written May 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

dmahon2
Taunton, UK120 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
Needed to do something for an hour or two late morning and given my love of chocolate, my wife booked this for 90 minutes. It’s a relatively small location and I wasn’t expecting a huge amount from the event, but it turned out to be both interesting and fun. Caitlin was knowledgable and kept everything running smoothly throughout.

Lots of chocolate to taste and you get to make your own custom bar of chocolate to take home. I’d definitely recommend it.
Written February 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Leila W
6 contributions
Mar 2020 • Friends
There is no better learning environment than one that provides real life examples, stories, and first hand experiences. The Chocolatarium is just that. An incredible experience from the moment you walk in and smell chocolate.

You learn so much about chocolate from bean or tree to bar. And it’s worth the money you pay, it’s worth more. You get to make your own chocolate bar and take it home. Plus, a tasting of various other single origin chocolates and trust me when I say you’ll taste the difference and it’s crazy what a little dirt can do!

Helen was our amazing guide- witty, knowledgeable, and passionate. We were so thankful to have her impart her wisdom to our group and share with us how we can be better consumers.

Support this business. Support Helen and her team. Edinburgh- The Chocolatarium needs to stay!
Written March 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sandy C
3 contributions
Feb 2020
I expected something much larger than this tour, it is Only 2 small rooms, first one is the Lady explaining how chocolate is made and where it comes from. Second is a very small display of how it is made, then you get to make your own bar of chocolate or should I say design your own bar of chocolate, all the chocolate is dark chocolate they do not do milk chocolate which for me was a big letdown. Then you went into the tasting room where you got to taste lots of little bits of chocolate again all dark. I expected it to be a lot bigger and to have a choice of milk or dark chocolate. Lady was very nice But I did not think it was worth the money.
Written March 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Stef
Edinburgh, UK58 contributions
Aug 2020 • Couples
My husband bought myself, my mum and my dad entry to the Chocolatarium as a Christmas present and it was one of the best experiences we have received as a gift as well as one of the best tours we’ve ever been on.

Anika was just brilliant. Knowledgeable, ethical and animated, she taught us lots, shared
lots of personal anecdotes about her travels and she entertained us along the way. There were quite a few children our tour and they were really engaged with her questioning. A great tour for your kids.

I asked Anika’s recommendation for chocolate combination (ginger, lemon and Inca berry, FYI) and it was my favourite chocolate of all the three I made.

We loved the structure of the tour, split into 3 sections in 3 different rooms. It kept everyone’s interest and made the hour and half seem so fast.

I would recommend to everyone and I would also do the tour again with other family members when they’re visiting Edinburgh.

Thank you to all of the Chocolatarium staff who make the magic happen and a special thank you to Anika for such a fun hour and a half.
Written August 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Stef, Thank you so much for taking your time to write such a wonderful review and really awesome your kind words. It was an honour to meet you and your family, you guys were amazing and I was impressed by your knowledge about chocolate and sophisticated taste. I’m really glad you loved your chocolate and that you actually liked the combination I recommended, because it’s definitely not everybody’s cup of tea. Many thanks for recommending the tour and you have to know you made me blush. Kindest regards, Anika
Written August 7, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Woody1004
12 contributions
Sep 2022
This tour of where chocolate comes from and how its made was absolutely brilliant. Our tour guide Crow was amazing!! She was so informative and engaging it was a joy to listen to her throughout. There was lots and lots of chocolate to try and you get to take home some of your creations too!!!! Me and my daughter enjoyed this so much. Thank you for a brilliant morning. I highly recommend doing this tour and it gets very busy so pre booking is advised as normally it sells out!!
Written September 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Miya N
Seattle, WA5 contributions
Aug 2022
We did the master class in truffle making and it was amazing! Fraser started us off with some information and history of chocolate that helped us understand more about the chocolate-making process, and where there is space to improve in the chocolate industry.

Serena led us in the truffle-making portion of the evening where we made various different types of chocolates (using cocoa butter transfer paper for very impressive designs) and molds, as well as ganache truffles and filled truffles! We came away with a substantial amount of chocolate (that we're still working on eating up!). Serena was a lovely instructor and we were free to experiment with our flavors as much as we wanted.

After the class, we were given the opportunity to explore the various different flavors that plain milk or dark chocolate can provide depending on the strain of cacao used, as well as lots of chocolates with very interesting and creative flavorings (like Scot Pine, rhubarb and ginger, haggis, and others).

This was a great addition to our 2-week trip and it was a nice change of pace from the various tours and museums we had been going on. Highly recommend!
Written September 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

nomad
8 contributions
Nov 2020
Such good value for money, you really get immersed in the chocolate-making process. Loved tasting all of the different types of chocolate and seeing the stages of the process. The demonstration element was engaging and the lady presenting was charismatic. Any time I hear of someone going to Edinburgh, I recommend the Chocolatarium.
Written July 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Graham M
Valencia, Spain5 contributions
Oct 2020 • Couples
Easy 5/5 for the Chocolatarium. Erin, our guide, was fun, engaging, considerate and just generally delightful. The tour itself took in the history, production and of course, tasting of different types of chocolates. Fantastic value for money as well, given the amount of chocolate you get to try as you go, and of course the chocolate bars that you make yourself from melted chocolate and an array of toppings/ingredients.
Written November 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Fran
1 contribution
Oct 2022 • Couples
We booked the chocolatarium on the last day of our trip, and I am so glad that we did. The hour and a half experience is really good value for money and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Katie was our tour guide and made the experience that much better, as she was really enthusiastic and engaging. She took us through how chocolate is made, then we made our own bar of chocolate (or mini chocolate pieces as we made) with over 15 toppings to choose from. After, we went to the tasting room and Katie gave us some information on the history of chocolate. We had over 40 chocolates to taste, from dark, milk or white. Me and my boyfriends personal favourite was the maple syrup bacon which is a must try! Overall, definitely include the chocolatarium on your trip as the staff are amazing and the experience is one you don’t want to miss!
Written October 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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The Chocolatarium (Edinburgh) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Frequently Asked Questions about The Chocolatarium

The Chocolatarium is open:
  • Sun - Sun 11:00 AM - 4:30 PM
  • Mon - Fri 10:45 AM - 5:00 PM
  • Sat - Sat 10:15 AM - 5:00 PM
Buy tickets in advance on Tripadvisor. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel at least 24 hours before the start date of your tour for a full refund.

We recommend booking The Chocolatarium tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 1 The Chocolatarium tours on Tripadvisor



The Chocolatarium Information

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