Cheese museum · Quinta do Anjo, Palmela
Azeitão Cheese: Where to Go
Head to Quinta do Anjo in Palmela, half an hour south of Lisbon, where most Azeitão producers are. The Museu do Ovelheiro in São Gonçalo tells the story of the sheep and the cheese and lets visitors make cheese; call the breeders' association on 21 287 0042 to arrange a visit. The same site hosts the three-day Festival Queijo, Pão e Vinho each spring.
- Where
- São Gonçalo, Cabanas, Quinta do Anjo
- Museum contact
- ARCOLSA, 21 287 0042
- Festival
- Three days in spring
- From Lisbon
- About 30 minutes
The Cheese
Queijo de Azeitão DOP is a buttery, slightly piquant sheep's cheese ripened for about 45 days. Eat it in slices with the rind, which has nothing added and forms as the cheese matures in the air. Its story begins in 1830, when Gaspar Henriques de Paiva arrived from the Beiras with dairy sheep and brought a cheesemaker from home each year to make Serra-style cheese; the craft passed to local families and became Azeitão.
Museu do Ovelheiro
Run by ARCOLSA, the association of sheep breeders of the Serra da Arrábida, the museum's exhibition "Entre o Céu e a Terra" covers flock management and the making of Azeitão cheese. Visitors can make cheese, watch shearing and milking demonstrations when the pastoral calendar allows, and meet the Saloia sheep, a native breed at risk of extinction whose milk earned Azeitão its DOP. Call ARCOLSA on 21 287 0042 for opening times.
Festival Queijo, Pão e Vinho
For three days each spring the museum grounds host one of Portugal's best showcases of regional food: Azeitão DOP and other sheep's cheeses, sheep's butter, regional wine, traditional bread, sweets, fruit and honey. There are food stalls, music, sport and an equestrian programme, shearing demonstrations, showcookings and, the moment everyone waits for, the Corrida das Ovelhas, a sheep race. Recent editions have been held in late March or early April (31 March to 2 April in 2023) with free entry. Palmela council and the festival's Facebook page announce the dates.
Nearby
Vila Nogueira de Azeitão, with the José Maria da Fonseca wine house-museum, is a few minutes away, and Palmela castle is close by.
Where to Stay near Setúbal
We may earn a commission when you book through this map, at no extra cost to you.
More in Portugal
All of Portugal
Serra da Estrela Cheese Dairies
Serra da Estrela, Portugal
Small DOP dairies with visits and workshops, best from October to May.
Serra da Estrela Cheese Fairs
Serra da Estrela, Portugal
Five towns, five cheese fairs, February and March.
Solar do Queijo Serra da Estrela
Celorico da Beira, Portugal
Guided Serra da Estrela cheese tastings in an 18th-century manor house.
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.
São Jorge Cheese Route
São Jorge, Azores, Portugal
Cheese factories, a dairy farm and museums on the Azores' cheese island.
Questions People Ask
Where is Azeitão cheese made?
In the Arrábida region south of Lisbon. Most producers are in Quinta do Anjo, in the municipality of Palmela.
When is the Queijo, Pão e Vinho festival?
Over three days in spring at the Museu do Ovelheiro in Quinta do Anjo; recent editions have been in late March or early April. Check Palmela council for the next dates.
Official site: visitpalmela.pt/conhecer/museus/museu-do-ovelheiro. Dates, hours and prices checked 22 October 2026; confirm on the official site before you travel. See all cheese museums.