Last Updated on April 16, 2026
It had to happen eventually: the opening of a museum consecrated entirely to le fromage and how it came to conquer French tables and palates. Why it took until well into the 21st-century for someone to make the move and create such a collection is a mystery.
But never mind. In July 2024, Pierre Brisson, a local cheesemonger and founder of a Paris-based “cheese school”, opened the Musée Vivant du Fromage (Living Cheese Museum).
I was eager to visit, especially since I’d very much enjoyed a previous visit (and cheese tasting workshop) at Parole de Fromagers, the aforementioned tasting room and cheese school located at the edge of the Belleville district.
So I headed to the Île St-Louis, one of the natural islands situated between the two banks of the Seine, to go have a look at the new museum. Armed with a timed ticket (purchased directly through the official website) I embarked on what I was told would be a self-guided tour of the collection, followed by a demonstration and tasting led by an expert cheesemaker and staff member.
The Collection
This was an accessible, well-curated display dedicated to telling the story of the culture & history of cheesemaking, mostly in relation to France, but with some references to other traditions. It’s small, occupying just three rooms. But as you make your way through, you’ll encounter everything from antique cheese presses, molds and milk fermentation vats to artworks, advertisements, witty quotes, and other memorabilia celebrating a history of cheesemaking stretching back to Antiquity.
{Some of the Best Cheesemongers in the French Capital}
I was told by the manager that the collection was assembled by the owner, Pierre Brisson, with many of the historic objects ones he had collected privately over the years. He also works with cheesemakers from around France to ensure that the cheeses featured in the demonstrations (see more below) and sold in the adjoining small cheese shop highlight the diversity and “savoir-faire” of local artisans.
Digital displays make it easy to learn (and engage)
There are also a number of smartly thought-out digital displays and maps that make it easier to condense this long, rather complex history into an easy-to-visualize and understand one.
There’s notably a “French Cheese Map” with colorful icons displaying the country’s main cheese regions and its most emblematic cheeses, categorized by milk type . When you press a button, the cheese is illuminated.
This digital display (and others) seemed like a clever way to engage and educate visitors— and I imagine they would be fun for kids as well. (By the way, kids under 7 visit for free, while reduced rates are offered for children aged 8-16).
The Cheese Demo & Tasting
After wandering around and checking out the displays for around 40 minutes, I and the other visitors milling around the museum were summoned to a demonstration area. There, several cheeses displayed under heavy bell jars were spread on a heavy wooden table, and separated into four main “cheese families”.
Julien, one of the cheesemakers and staff members at the museum, explained that he’d be showing us a bit about the first steps in the cheesemaking process, starting with the processing and fermentation of milk to produce fresh, un-aged cheeses.
I don’t want to go into too much detail here, because over-revealing the contents of the demonstration would likely make it less exciting and engaging when you do visit.
But briefly, Julien explained that there are four main families of cheese, ranging from fresh, largely unaltered cheeses like ricotta and cream cheese to fromages à pâte persillé (blue-veined, typically pasteurized cheeses that radically transform milk by introducing particular forms of live bacteria, then are pressed ). He helped us to identify these four primary types by sight, taste and smell— something I found both fascinating and practical.
He was also funny, affable and allowed plenty of time for follow-up questions, which I appreciated (though he good-naturedly balked at my suggestion that “vegan cheeses” were not necessarily a contradiction in terms).
Ending the Visit: The Onsite Cheese Shop
I ended my visit with a stop at the small window/shop around the reception area, which had a good variety of cheeses (representing the four main families explored in the workshop) to choose from, as well as a small selection of wines, gifts and cheese-serving tools.
I was staying with friends who preferred milder cheeses, so while I enjoy a good “stinky” variety, I chose a generous, nutty wedge of Comté AOC, a hard cow’s-milk cheese produced in the French region bordering Switzerland and aged (in this case) for 18 months). I also bought a round of Pérail le Vézou, a relatively mild sheep’s cheese from the central region of Aveyron.
Both were delicious accompanied by a light red wine and a baguette “tradition”, all enjoyed during dinner at my friend’s place.
{Related: History of the Baguette, From Myths to Facts}
Overall, my visit to the museum proved an enjoyable way to spend an unusually cold, wet march afternoon (walking was not pleasant that day and I was glad to be inside). I really applaud Brisson and his team for bringing the important, wonderful history and culture of cheesemaking to a wider audience— and keeping it alive, as it were.
I admit, though, that my visit here left me hungering for a more in-depth tasting or workshop, even though the casual tasting session and demonstration at the museum was entertaining, engaging and left me feeling like I had learned a lot.
Still, if it’s a more substantial tasting encounter you’re after, I’d recommend following up your visit to the museum with a (seated) workshop in the centuries-old cellar at Parole de Fromagers, one of the sister cheese shops and tasting rooms (choose and book a session at this page). This would be a clever way to apply what you’ve learned at the museum, get a more in-depth initiation to the key concepts of cheesemaking and tasting— and get a good meal out of it all, too.
How to Visit the Musée Vivant du Fromage?
- Location: 39 Rue Saint-louise En I’lle, Paris, 75004 (4th arrondissement)
- Metro: Pont-Marie (Line 7)
- Tel: +33 (0)6 12 92 24 20
- More practical info here (current prices, etc)
- Visit the official website (and book a self-guided tour)
Courtney Traub is the Founder and Editor of Paris Unlocked. She’s a longtime Paris resident who now divides her time (as well as she can manage) between the French capital and Norwich, UK. Co-author of the 2012 Michelin Green Guide to Northern France & the Paris Region, she has been interviewed as an expert on Paris and France by the BBC, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Le Figaro, Matador Network and other publications. Courtney has also written and reported stories for media outlets including Radio France Internationale, The Christian Science Monitor, Women’s Wear Daily and The Associated Press. In addition to going down various rabbit holes of curiosity when it comes to French culture, history, food and art, Courtney is a scholar of literature and cultural history whose essays and reviews have appeared in various forums.
