Maison de la Fourme d'Ambert

Auvergne

LoginSave

Creamy blue Fourme d'Ambert, recognisable by its tall, cylindrical shape, is one of the Auvergne's five Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOP) cheeses. This dairy museum, within a 14th-century building in the cheese's town of origin, is the ideal place to pay homage to this fromage. Join a 45-minute guided tour about the cheese's history and manufacture, then enjoy a three-cheese tasting (€3.50).

Book ahead for tours in English and, in July and August, for hands-on workshops (from €10) on butter-churning and cheese-making; check the website for the latest events and booking details.

Out of season, the Maison will open for groups by prior reservation.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Église Abbatiale de St-Robert

    Église Abbatiale de St-Robert

    15.98 MILES

    For Pope Clement VI, a humble tomb simply wouldn't do. The pope commissioned a palatial church to shelter his final resting place and the resulting Église…

  • Musée de la Coutellerie

    Musée de la Coutellerie

    22.93 MILES

    Split across two buildings, this museum gives an entertaining account of cutlery-making history. In number 23, a kid-friendly sound-and-light show evokes…

  • Abbey Saint Austremoine, Issoire, France.

    Abbatiale St-Austremoine

    23.9 MILES

    Issoire is the proud home of the Auvergne’s most extravagantly decorated Romanesque church. The exterior of this 12th-century edifice is festooned with…

  • The Basilica of Saint Julien in the city of Brioude.

    Basilique de St-Julien

    24.85 MILES

    The Auvergne's largest Romanesque church is a whopper in design as much as size. Built over the tomb of martyred Saint Julien, and housing a gold…

  • Usson

    Usson

    19.71 MILES

    Designed as an impregnable citadel, the village of Usson roosts atop a volcanic plume, 8km east of Issoire. The daughter of Henry II and Catherine de…

  • Église St-Jean

    Église St-Jean

    22.22 MILES

    A blushing sandstone church in Glaine-Montaigut, 20km southwest of Thiers, makes a worthwhile detour. The Romanesque church's interior, brightly coloured…

  • Donjon de Montpeyroux

    Donjon de Montpeyroux

    26.49 MILES

    This castle keep is the stocky centrepiece of the medieval walled town of Montpeyroux, 12km north of Issoire. Montpeyroux's fortifications were built as a…

  • Vallée des Rouets

    Vallée des Rouets

    22.97 MILES

    About 4km northeast of Thiers is the Vallée des Rouets, an open-air museum dedicated to the knife-makers who once toiled here in front of water-driven…

View more attractions

Nearby Auvergne attractions

1. Moulin Richard de Bas

2.31 MILES

Paper has been made here since 1326, and this old-school operation still produces around 200 sheets per day using traditional techniques. Hour-long guided…

2. Église Abbatiale de St-Robert

15.98 MILES

For Pope Clement VI, a humble tomb simply wouldn't do. The pope commissioned a palatial church to shelter his final resting place and the resulting Église…

3. Usson

19.71 MILES

Designed as an impregnable citadel, the village of Usson roosts atop a volcanic plume, 8km east of Issoire. The daughter of Henry II and Catherine de…

4. Église St-Jean

22.22 MILES

A blushing sandstone church in Glaine-Montaigut, 20km southwest of Thiers, makes a worthwhile detour. The Romanesque church's interior, brightly coloured…

5. Musée de la Coutellerie

22.93 MILES

Split across two buildings, this museum gives an entertaining account of cutlery-making history. In number 23, a kid-friendly sound-and-light show evokes…

6. Église St-Gènes

22.94 MILES

It's worth a peep inside this collegiate church, whose foundations date back to the 6th century, to admire its medieval murals and fine 19th-century organ.

7. Vallée des Rouets

22.97 MILES

About 4km northeast of Thiers is the Vallée des Rouets, an open-air museum dedicated to the knife-makers who once toiled here in front of water-driven…

8. Abbatiale St-Austremoine

23.9 MILES

Issoire is the proud home of the Auvergne’s most extravagantly decorated Romanesque church. The exterior of this 12th-century edifice is festooned with…