Paris Cheese Tours – Discover the Best Fromage Tastings

Sampling French cheese is a must when in Paris, the heart of French food culture. Charles de Gaulle is famous for declaring that it was impossible to govern a country with deux cent quarante-six variétés de fromage. All those cheeses, made throughout the country, eventually find their way to Paris, which is why there are over 250 fromageries in the city. Our best advice is to get get inside the Paris food culture by joining a wine and cheese tasting during your visit. Here are five offerings from our cheese platter.

1. Cheese & Wine Tasting in a Cheese Cellar

This is a great way to get inside the culture of Paris life and food — a wine and cheese tasting in the cellar where the cheese are aged by a Master Cheese Affineur. It's a unique & unusual tour — you don protective clothing (to protect the aging cheeses) and do your tasting in the cellar, right among the cheeses.

You not only get to taste some of the most famous cheese of France, but you learn all about their history, lore and production techniques. You are also served wines and fruits that compliment the wines. The number of tours monthly are very limited, so be sure to book well in advance. Takes place in the Marais.

2. Cheese & Wine Tasting Lunch in Paris

Go the distance and spend ninety minutes at a wine tasting and sit-down lunch at one of the best wine tasting rooms in Paris.

This is a fun and different way to have a meal in Paris. Arrive at noon to the 17th-century wine cellar near the Louvre and taste six different wines from six different wine regions of France. You learn about each wine and about the food that's served with it – regional cheeses and meats from all over France. Takes place in a wine tasting room near the Louvre, in central Paris. À votre santé !

3. The Food of The Marais – Wine & Cheese

This is one of the most popular food experiences in Paris, and no wonder! You wander the ancient streets of everyone's favorite Paris quartier with an expert food guide to visit some of the most fantastic food shops in the city. This tour takes you deep into the Marais as you visit (and sample at) a boulangerie, wine shop, epicerie, chocolatier, and of course, a fromagerie for the cheeses. This is a small-group tour to ensure you get individual attention (and plenty of samples!).

4. Private Cheese Initiation

Find out about the food scene by joining a master fromager for an afternoon of tasting and sipping. Your cheese expert guides you through each of the six cheeses and explains the region they come from. While sampling you also drink wines that are perfectly paired with the cheeses. This activity offers an intimate private wine- and cheese-tasting session led by an expert host. You are introduced to six cheeses and four wines that pair with them.

5. Montmartre Cheese, Wine & Pastry Tour

On a guided walking tour of Montmartre you visit eight food shops where you taste delicious French cuisine, sampling fresh cheeses, charcuterie, pastries, and chocolate paired with French wine. Explore the cobblestoned streets, the café terraces, and private mansions, and visit Place du Tertre, world-famous for painters, cafes, and its iconic Parisian ambiance.

The Timeless Appeal of French Cheese

French cheeses are renowned worldwide for their unique character, depth of flavor, and connection to terroir — that is, the soil, local climate, and other conditions that shape each cheese's identity. From creamy Brie de Meaux to the robust Roquefort, each region has developed its own specialty cheeses, crafted using techniques refined over centuries. This skill and tradition are what set French cheeses apart, creating flavors that are both complex and unmistakably French.

Cheese in France is more than a food; it's part of the country's culture, it's a product of generations of expertise, and it's a testament to the country's commitment to quality. We never miss a chance to sample fromage when we're in Paris; it's an opportunity to experience this legacy first-hand, tasting cheeses that reflect the diversity and depth of French culinary heritage.