Sprungli Confiserie Zurich

Confiserie Sprungli at Paradplatz and Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich (among 16 other locations) is a must stop for anyone who likes chocolate. Of course this famous street of Bahnhofstrasse, which is located just a few steps from the train station facing towards the Lake of Zurich, is said to be the most expensive mile in Switzerland, if not the world.

Once you take a stroll along the street, you will understand if you dare to enter some of it's shops. Sprungli's neighbors include fashion houses, antique emporiums and the headquarters of the powerhouse banking institutions of UBS and Credit Suisse.

Sprungli is most famous for their exquisite Luxemburgerli, which is a miniature macaroon with a creamy filling that may be vanilla, champagne, chocolate, hazelnuts, caramel, coffee or a seasonal treat like apricot, that are best eaten fresh the day they are made. There is no good way to describe how good these little things are, except that you had better eat them before they go bad!~

Sprungli is why the Swiss have a reputation for making great chocolate - don't miss it if you have a sweet tooth! (The website lists Zurich shop locations and hours of operation.)

The house specialty is the truffe du jour, a melt-in-your-mouth chocolate truffle of fresh cream and butter that is sold only on the day it is made.

Ninety percent of all Sprungli products are made by hand: raspberry cakes, sugar-dusted walnut cookies and trays of shimmery pear tarts, which are baked pears with chocolate stems, nestled in a pear-shaped crust and looking very much like a queenly brooch.

IF YOU GO: Confiserie Sprungli, Bahnhofstrasse 21, Zurich. The Web site is www.confiserie-spruengli.ch.