Cheese travel

Cheese Travel in Germany

Germany's cheese country is the Allgäu, in the far south between Lake Constance and the Alps, where hay-milk dairies sell direct, several let you watch the cheesemaking, and around 30 villages celebrate the Viehscheid when the cattle come down in September. In the north, Nieheim in Westphalia has the German Cheese Museum and Germany's biggest cheese market, held every two years; the next is in September 2028.

Photo: Richard Mayer, CC BY 3.0

Coming Up

1 Sep 2028 to 3 Sep Deutscher Käsemarkt Nieheim, Every two years

Cheese Museums

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The Westfalen Culinarium building housing the cheese museum in Nieheim

Deutsches Käsemuseum

Nieheim, Germany

Germany's cheese museum, open two Sundays a month in season, in the town of the cheese market.

Factories and Dairies to Visit

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Käserei Vogler

Bad Wurzach, Germany

Allgäu dairy with a free museum, a walk-in tour every Thursday and a restaurant.

Festivals

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Deutscher Käsemarkt Nieheim

Nieheim, Germany

Germany's big cheese market, every two years. Next: September 2028.

Next: 1 Sep 2028

Lindenberg Cheese Festival

Lindenberg im Allgäu, Germany

About 75 European cheese exhibitors, last weekend of August.

Decorated cattle coming down from the alp at a Viehscheid in the Allgäu

Allgäu Viehscheid

Allgäu, Germany

About 30,000 cattle come down from the alps in September, with a festival tent in each village.

Cheese Tours

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Cheesemaking Courses in the Allgäu

Oberstaufen, Germany

Hands-on cheesemaking with a master cheesemaker near Oberstaufen, from €110.

Cheese Trails

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Allgäu Cheese Route

Allgäu, Germany

Hay-milk dairies near Lake Constance, some with viewing windows and tours.

The Cheese Regions

Allgäu

Four Allgäu cheeses carry EU protected origin: Allgäuer Emmentaler, Allgäuer Bergkäse (at least 4 months old, from raw morning and evening milk), Allgäuer Sennalpkäse (made only in summer on listed alps above 800 metres) and Allgäuer Weißlacker, a strong, salty cheese with a white sticky rind first made by accident at a Limburger dairy in Wertach. The Allgäu cheese route links the dairies of the West Allgäu, Käserei Vogler in Bad Wurzach has a free cheese museum and weekly tours, and you can make your own cheese on a course near Oberstaufen. The local dish is Kässpatzen, egg noodles layered with grated Bergkäse, Emmentaler and Weißlacker and topped with fried onions; Allgäu GmbH points to places like Zum Spatz in Kempten and the Spatzendealer in Rettenberg, and the Kempten weekly market sells it to go.

Westphalia

Nieheim, between Paderborn and Höxter, makes Nieheimer, a small sour-milk cheese. The Deutsches Käsemuseum opens on two Sundays a month in season, and every other September the town holds the Deutscher Käsemarkt.

Sour-Milk Cheese Country

Central Germany is the home of small sour-milk cheeses: Harzer from the Harz, Handkäse in Hesse and around Mainz, and Altenburger goat cheese from Thuringia. Look for them in local markets and taverns rather than at dairies, as few producers take visitors.

When to Go

Spring: the Allgäu Bergbauernmuseum in Diepolz opens at the end of March and the Nieheim museum in mid-April.
June to September: the alp season. Sennalpkäse is made on the alps, and alp huts such as the Sennalpe Oberberg above Gunzesried serve walkers until early November.
Late August: the Lindenberg cheese festival on the last weekend of the month.
September to early October: the Viehscheid, when about 30,000 cattle come down from the alps to around 30 villages. In 2026 it ran from 11 September (Bad Hindelang, Oberstaufen) to 10 October.
September, even years: the Deutscher Käsemarkt in Nieheim (next 1 to 3 September 2028).
Winter: the dairies and shops stay open, and it is Kässpatzen season in every Allgäu inn.

A Four-Day Allgäu Cheese Route

Day one: Bad Wurzach for the Thursday tour at Käserei Vogler (14:30) and lunch in its Sennerstüble. Day two: Wangen and the cheese route, starting with the viewing corridor at Biokäserei Zurwies on a weekday morning. Day three: the Wednesday tour at the Bio-Schaukäserei Wiggensbach near Kempten, then the Bergbauernmuseum in Diepolz. Day four: Gunzesried, for the Sennerei in the valley and a walk or the Mittagbahn up to an alp. In September, plan the trip around a Viehscheid; Oberstdorf and Immenstadt both have railway stations.

Getting Around

Trains run to Kempten, Immenstadt, Oberstaufen, Lindau and Wangen, and buses reach most villages, but the dairies are spread out, so a car or bike makes the most of a cheese trip. On Viehscheid days the villages are crowded; park outside and walk in.

More Dairies, Alps and Museums to Visit

Place	Town	What you can do	When	Website
Allgäuer Bergbauernmuseum	Diepolz, Immenstadt	Open-air mountain farming museum with a mountain cheese dairy, farm animals and butter-making courses for groups	Daily 10:00 to 18:00, 29 March to 8 November 2026; adults €8	bergbauernmuseum.de
Sennalpe Oberberg	Gunzesried	Family alp dairy in its fifth generation; about an hour on foot from the Gunzesried Tobel car park or a short walk from the Mittagbahn top station	Until early November, closed Mondays	alpe-oberberg.de
Sennerei Schweineberg	Ofterschwang	Dairy tours	Tours on Tuesdays	allgaeu.de
Sennerei Lehern	Hopferau	Cheese cut fresh from the wheel in the shop	Monday to Saturday 8:00 to 18:00, Sundays and holidays 9:30 to 18:00	sennerei-lehern.de
Allgäuer Emmentalerkäserei Leupolz	Wangen im Allgäu	Demeter dairy with a shop	Tue and Thu 9:00 to 12:30, Wed 9:00 to 12:30 and 15:00 to 18:00, Fri 9:00 to 18:00, Sat 8:00 to 12:00	kaeserei-leupolz.com
Bergwies Bio-Käserei	Maierhöfen	Watch milk turned into cheese (register first); courses from 2026; walk in from the marked car parks	By arrangement	bergwies-biokaeserei.de
Walder Käskuche	Wald, Ostallgäu	Open dairy where you can watch cheesemaking and beer brewing	Check the website	walder-kaeskuche.de

Where to Stay in Germany

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Questions People Ask

Where is the best place for cheese in Germany?

The Allgäu in southern Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. It has the protected Allgäuer Emmentaler, Bergkäse, Sennalpkäse and Weißlacker, dairies you can visit and alp huts that make cheese in summer.

When is the Viehscheid in the Allgäu?

From early September to early October, on a different day in each village. In 2026 Bad Hindelang and Oberstaufen were first, on 11 September, and Immenstadt was on 19 September.

Is there a cheese museum in Germany?

Yes. The Deutsches Käsemuseum in Nieheim opens on the first and third Sunday of the month from April to October, and Käserei Vogler in Bad Wurzach has a free dairy museum.

What should I eat in the Allgäu?

Kässpatzen: egg noodles layered with grated Allgäu cheese and topped with fried onions. Every inn serves them, and the Kempten weekly market sells them to go.