Welcome to the “City of Chocolate” as EuroChocolate Perguia 2018 takes over the picturesque Italian streets. This is basically a chocoholic’s dream. EuroChocolate is celebrating their 25th anniversary this year. In 1994, the festival started in Perugia, Italy, where it has continued to grow ever since. Chocolate vendors line the streets, making it hard to pass by and not buy a treat at every stand. To get the most out of this sweet festival, take my advice and follow these tips for the EuroChocolate festival.
1. Get a Full Night’s Rest
This sounds silly, but EuroChocolate draws a large crowd. You need not only the energy, but the good mood to patiently wait in long, unorganized lines. You have to bring your A-game to fully take in all that EuroChocolate has to offer.
2. Bring Patience
As I just said, you need to be okay with waiting in long lines that don’t really look like lines, rather just blobs of people who really want chocolate. The lines typically form for the “free” chocolate, so not every stand will be overcrowded.
3. Give Time for Transportation and Enjoyment
Take time to smell the chocolate roses. With the crowds and the lines, you can’t just rush your way through the festival if you want to get the full experience. I would recommend leaving about half a day to explore the festival without a sense of urgency that will most likely lead to annoyance. This is from personal experience! Once my friend and I decided to postpone our train to the next adventure, we immediately began to enjoy the festival so much more. Don’t forget to factor in travel time. We were dropped off by a public bus in Piazza Umbria Jazz and then we took a “MiniMetro” tramrail to the chocolate festival, which took around 30-45 minutes.
4. Leave Your Luggage Behind
My friend and I were backpacking that weekend. And lemme tell ya, there’s not much room for a big bulky backpack in these crowds. While it does provide a nice barrier between you and the person behind you, it’s tough to weave your way through people who REALLY want their chocolate.
5. Bring Euros
As with anywhere in Italy, it’s best to have euros. Some stands take credit card, but to get the Holy CHOCOCARD, you have to pay in euros.
6. Get the CHOCOCARD
For six euro, this chocolate card gets you lots and lots of “free” chocolate. I’m saying free in quotes because technically you already paid for it. But, you get so much chocolate that by the end of the day, you will think you robbed EuroChocolate. At each stand that sponsors chocolate card, you’ll get a little chocolate treat ranging from a small candy to an entire chocolate bar!
The participating vendors can be found in the pamphlet you’ll receive upon purchasing the card. You will also receive a cute drawstring bag already filled with some goodies and the invaluable map: the compass to lead you to the “free” chocolate. This card lets you sample chocolates without breaking the bank or completely throwing yourself into a chocolate coma; consider the card a glorified babysitter of your well-being and finances for the day.
7. Find a Chocolate Treat
You just got your CHOCOCARD and you are drooling, waiting for chocolate. The cute bag will have some chocolate cookies in it, but that didn’t satisfy my cravings. To stay sane, we got chocolate from a vendor without a long line so we could get our hands on some of the good stuff while we waited in the line for our first piece of “free” chocolate.
8. Bring Water and Eat Proper Meals
Chocolate makes you thirsty. Come with your own water so you can focus on what matters… the chocolate. Substituting breakfast for chocolate sounds like fun until the sugar shakes hit. The same goes for lunch! While you could eat a chocolate meal, I recommend putting something else in your stomach like a quick panini so you can get back to business without the chocolate coma.
9. Smile and Breathe
Hangry, especially in the form of NEEDING chocolate, is a real thing! Don’t forget to just enjoy the experience; it’s not a race to get all the chocolate first. Trust me, this city is practically bursting at the seams with chocolate. They’ll save some for you.