Cheese routes of Savoie

A cheese route is a signposted itinerary that links producers, farms, alpine pastures and dairies around one cheese. It is a way to organise a weekend or a gourmet holiday: you follow the thread of a product, from the meadow to the ageing cellar, stopping to see, taste and buy. Savoie has several of these routes, each tied to a cheese and a massif.

The principle

The cheese route starts from a simple idea: to connect the visitor with the producers of a terroir. Along the itinerary, farms open their doors to show the milking and the making, dairies give tours of their cellars, alpine pastures welcome walkers in summer. You buy direct, you talk with the farmers, and you understand why a cheese tastes of the place where it was born. It is slow tourism, to do by car or on foot depending on the section.

The reblochon route in the Aravis

The best-known itinerary follows reblochon in the Aravis massif and the Thônes valley. It links the farms and dairies around La Clusaz, Le Grand-Bornand, Thônes and Manigod, the historic heart of reblochon and chevrotin. In summer, you go up to see the herds on the pasture and stop at the farm inns. It is a chance to understand the difference between farm and dairy made by going to the source.

The Abondance valley and the others

In the Chablais, you follow the thread of abondance and berthoud in the Abondance valley, between the abbey, the farms and the dairies. Other areas lend themselves to the same game, from the Grand Massif above Samoëns to the Mont-Blanc area. Each valley has its producers and its cheeses, and you can put together your own circuit.

How to follow it

The cheese routes are signposted and documented by the tourist offices and producer bodies, which provide maps and address lists. Before setting off, check the opening days and times of the farms and cellars, often limited, especially out of season. Bring a cool box for purchases. To plan the stages, see also the cheese dairies and cooperatives and alpine farm inns pages.