Millions of people have long associated Belgium with the country's main delicacy – chocolate. What is the secret of its nice and delicate taste? The search for an answer to this question sooner or later leads you to Bruges to the Choco-Story Chocolate Museum.

The exhibition space filled with alluring sweet aromas was opened in 2004. The museum has been a private institution since its foundation: it is owned by the Van Belle family. Its main sponsor is the company that produces the original Belgian chocolate, Belcolade. Without its help, curation, and financial support, one of the country's most interesting and mouth-watering expositions would have remained unknown.

You have to pay for the pleasure. All visitors, except for children under six, are charged an entrance fee. There are discounts and special offers for organized groups, citizens over 65 years, students, and schoolchildren under 11.

The doors of the museum are open every day from 10 am to 5 pm. Ticket sales stop 45 minutes before the end of the workday. Besides, if you plan to visit the exhibition during Christmas and winter holidays, be careful and check the schedule in advance: Choco-Story is closed on some days in December and January.

The journey into the world of chocolate begins with a tasting session. Right at the entrance, you will be offered to taste samples of white, milk, and dark chocolate before you go to explore the museum halls.

The exposition is based on historical, geographical, and botanical information about chocolate and cocoa beans from which it is made. During the guided tours, visitors travel all the way of the favorite delicacy from the ritual altars of the Maya civilization, who considered a beverage similar to modern cocoa to be a drink of the gods, to the desktop of a Belgian pharmacist who tried to invent a cough medicine but created bitter chocolate.