4 Fantastic Cheese Tours in France
Washing the rinds of Epoisses on a farm with Cheese Journeys
For many travelers, a trip to France is synonymous with discovering its many remarkable cheeses. Whether you're exploring Paris or the French countryside, these guided cheese experiences offer the chance to sample regional cheeses while learning about the traditions, terroirs, and artisans behind them.
Paris: French Cheese Explosion with Jennifer Greco
Jennifer Greco at one of her tastings photo credit Anna Mindess
This three-hour class is led by cheese expert Jennifer Greco. Greco begins with a visit to Laurent Dubois, where she selects 10 cheeses for the tasting. Back in a cozy tasting room, she guides guests through a tour of France's cheeses, explaining the history of each cheese and how terroir influences its texture, aroma and flavor.
Guests sample a range of fromage, from delicate chèvres and creamy triple crèmes to aged mountain cheeses and pungent washed rinds, accompanied by wine and bread. Throughout the tasting, Greco explains how factors such as the diets of dairy cows, goats, and sheep influence the flavor of their milk. For example, animals that graze on fresh grass and clover produce milk with a different flavor than those that feed on flowers and herbs. By the end of the class, guests have a deeper understanding of terroir, seasonality and why France produces more than 500 unique cheeses.
Available through Paris By Mouth. $150 per person for three hours; maximum eight guests; parisbymouth.com
Paris: Cheese Walk with Ann-Sophie Herzner
Cheese map of France on Ann-Sophie Tour. Photo credit Anna Mindess
Chef and art historian Ann-Sophie Herzner leads visitors on a walking tour, stopping at four cheese shops in Paris before continuing to curated picnics in hidden gardens and other tucked-away spots. In addition to tasting a range of fromage, Herzner places each cheese in its historical context and teaches guests how to properly cut and taste different varieties. Along the way, she weaves in historical anecdotes about the role of monks in the development of French cheese, the importance of Camembert during World War I, the rise of affineurs, and how Roquefort became the first cheese to receive legal protection under France's AOC designation in 1925.
One memorable anecdote: Salvador Dalí reportedly got the idea for his famous melting clocks after seeing a wheel of Camembert on a warm day. Cheeses may include Brie, Camembert, Époisses, other washed-rind cheeses, Roquefort, and whatever else looks especially good at Laurent Dubois that day. Herzner also suggests wine, bread and food pairings.
Available as an Airbnb Experience or through Ann-Sophie’s website. $118 per person for visits to four cheese shops, three curated picnics and tastings of eight cheeses; becomefrenchfoodtoursparis.com
Central Loire Valley: Guided Goat Cheese Tour with Laure Juvet
Goats on Laure Juvet guided goat cheese tour photo credit Anna Mindess
If you're visiting Sancerre in the Loire Valley, local guide and wine expert Laure Juvet offers tours showcasing the region's renowned chèvre (goat cheese). Guests meet Alpine Chamoisée goats, watch the cheesemaking process in person or by video, tour the affinage rooms and taste a range of chèvres. Depending on the tour, stops may include:
A family-run goat farm where visitors meet Alpine Chamoisée goats, tour the production area, and sample three or four cheeses of varying ages paired with wines from the same family.
A larger commercial farm where visitors can look into the milking parlor through viewing windows, tour three aging rooms, watch a video explaining the cheesemaking process, and sample up to six different cheeses in the farm shop.
An affineur that works with several local farms and demonstrates how tradition and technology combine in the aging and evaluation of cheeses.
Note that due to the seasonality of chèvre, these tours are available from mid-April to mid-October.
Available by contacting Laure Juvet through Vinitour; vinitour.com
Bourgogne: 11-Day Luxury Cheese Tour with Cheese Journeys
Tasting of washed-rind cheeses on a Cheese Journeys tour photo credit Tenaya Darlington
Former cheese shop owner and monger Anna Juhl has organized dozens of cheese-focused tours across Europe through her company Cheese Journeys. Her 11-day tour through Bourgogne, France, includes a stay in a renovated 500-year-old château, visits to cheesemakers and winemakers, shopping at local markets, and classes that cover cheese history, tasting, and pairing.
Cheese Educators Hanna Shaps and Tenaya Darlington
Helping bring the region’s cheeses to life are cheese educators Tenaya Darlington (also known as Madame Fromage and author of Madame Fromage’s Adventures in Cheese) and Hanna Shaps, a French American cheese and wine specialist. Shaps, who also serves as an interpreter when needed, helps bridge the language barrier. Highlights include visiting a cheesemaker’s farm, where guests watch washed-rind cheeses being scrubbed by hand before meeting the dairy cows that produce the milk.
Beyond its tours, Cheese Journeys also supports the cheese industry through Curd to Counter, a mentorship program that connects cheese retailers with European cheesemakers and affineurs.
Available through Cheese Journeys. (Tours often book months in advance).