Cheese travel
Cheese Travel in Portugal
Portugal's cheese country is the centre and the south. In the Serra da Estrela, small dairies show you how the soft sheep's cheese is made from October to May, and five towns hold cheese fairs in February and March. Serpa has the big Alentejo cheese fair in February, Rabaçal a Roman-themed cheese market in May, and Azeitão, half an hour from Lisbon, a sheep museum and a spring cheese festival. Out in the Azores, São Jorge is the cheese island.
Cheese Museums
See all worldwide
Festivals
See all worldwideSerra da Estrela Cheese Fairs
Serra da Estrela, Portugal
Five towns, five cheese fairs, February and March.
Rabaçal Cheese and Romans Market
Rabaçal, Penela, Portugal
A May weekend of Rabaçal cheese and Roman reenactments at the Roman villa.
Feira do Queijo do Alentejo
Serpa, Portugal
The Alentejo's cheese fair, three days each February in Serpa.
Cheese Tastings
See all worldwide
Cheese Tours
See all worldwide
Cheese Trails
See all worldwide
The Cheese Regions
Serra da Estrela
Queijo Serra da Estrela is a raw sheep's milk cheese curdled with thistle, runny when young and firmer when aged. Dairies around Seia, Gouveia, Oliveira do Hospital, Celorico da Beira and Mangualde take visitors, mostly between October and May when they make cheese. See Serra da Estrela cheese dairies, the winter cheese fairs and the Solar do Queijo in Celorico.
Beira Baixa and Rabaçal
Around Castelo Branco and Fundão, three Beira Baixa DOP cheeses are made from sheep's and goat's milk. Further west, the Rabaçal cheese of the Sicó hills is a small sheep and goat cheese, celebrated at the Mercado do Queijo e dos Romanos in May.
Azeitão and Setúbal
Queijo de Azeitão, a buttery sheep's cheese, comes from the Arrábida hills south of Lisbon, and most producers are in Quinta do Anjo. See Azeitão cheese.
Alentejo
Serpa, Évora and Nisa all have DOP sheep's cheeses. The Feira do Queijo do Alentejo in Serpa each February brings 250 cheeses together, and the parish of Tolosa near Nisa holds a one-day cheese fair in May.
The Azores
São Jorge cheese, a hard, spicy cow's milk cheese, is made by cooperatives on São Jorge island, which the Azores tourist board has mapped as a cheese route; see the São Jorge cheese route.
Lisbon and Porto
Both cities have cheese shops selling the DOP cheeses. Porto has the better places to sit down to a tasting board; see Porto cheese tastings.
When to Go
| Month | Where | What |
|---|---|---|
| February | Seia, Celorico da Beira, Serpa | Serra da Estrela cheese fairs; Feira do Queijo do Alentejo |
| March | Oliveira do Hospital, Gouveia, Fornos de Algodres | Serra da Estrela cheese fairs |
| Spring (March or April) | Quinta do Anjo, Palmela | Festival Queijo, Pão e Vinho |
| Early May | Rabaçal, Penela | Mercado do Queijo e dos Romanos |
| Mid-May | Tolosa, Nisa | Feira do Queijo (a Saturday) |
| October to May | Serra da Estrela | Cheesemaking season, the best time for dairy visits |
A Cheese Route Through the Centre
From Lisbon, spend a morning in Quinta do Anjo for Azeitão, then drive to Serpa in the Alentejo. Head north to Penela for Rabaçal and the Roman villa, then into the Serra da Estrela for two or three days of dairy visits around Seia, Gouveia and Celorico da Beira, finishing in Porto. In February and March, time the Serra da Estrela leg for a weekend fair. A car is the only practical way to reach the dairies.
More Places to Taste Cheese
| Place | Town | What you can do | When | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queijaria Cheese Shop | Lisbon (Príncipe Real) | Portuguese and European artisan cheese; private tastings on request | Tue to Fri 12:00 to 19:30, Sat 10:00 to 20:00 | queijaria.pt |
| BeiraLacte | Alcaria, Fundão | Dairy visit and Beira Baixa DOP tasting, €40 per visit plus €1 per person | Saturday mornings, book 8 days ahead | Rota dos Queijos |
| Queijaria DAMAR | Fundão | Tasting of three Beira Baixa DOP cheeses, €15 per person | Mon to Fri, groups of 10, book 3 days ahead | Rota dos Queijos |
| Sabores da Soalheira | Castelo Branco | Beira Baixa DOP tasting and shop | Mon to Fri 8:00 to 12:00, 14:30 to 18:30 | Rota dos Queijos |
| Queijaria Almeida | Castelo Branco | Beira Baixa DOP shop | Mon to Fri 8:00 to 13:00, 14:00 to 17:00 | Rota dos Queijos |
| Museu do Pão | Seia | Bread museum; restaurant buffet with Serra da Estrela DOP, €30 | Museum Tue to Sun 10:00 to 18:00 | Rota dos Queijos |
| Casa da Ínsua | Penalva do Castelo | Hotel; tastings of its own wine, cheese and preserves | Daily, ask | Rota dos Queijos |
| Feira do Queijo de Tolosa | Tolosa, Nisa | One-day cheese fair | A Saturday in mid-May (17 May in 2025) | cm-nisa.pt |
Know your cheeses before you go. Every cheese from Portugal, what it tastes like and how it's made.
Cheeses of PortugalWhere to Stay in Portugal
We may earn a commission when you book through this map, at no extra cost to you.
Questions People Ask
Where can you visit a cheese dairy in Portugal?
In the Serra da Estrela, where dairies near Seia, Gouveia, Oliveira do Hospital and Celorico da Beira take visitors between October and May, many for free or under €25. The São Jorge cooperatives in the Azores also take visits by appointment.
When are the cheese fairs in Portugal?
Mostly in late winter: the Serra da Estrela fairs in February and March and the Serpa fair in February. Rabaçal's cheese market and the Tolosa fair are in May.
Which Portuguese cheese should I try?
Serra da Estrela and Azeitão for soft, spoonable sheep's cheese, Serpa and Évora from the Alentejo, Rabaçal for a small mixed-milk cheese and São Jorge for a hard, spicy cow's milk cheese.