With Switzerland promoting the tourism theme of “Living Traditions,” one of the best places to experience it firsthand is the Emmental region, located in the canton of Bern. The valley boasts sloping green hillsides dotted with traditional dairy farms producing the famous Emmentaler cheese, with ample opportunities to sample both its scenery and its delicacies.
Emmentaler Schaukaserei is a cheese manufacturer and show dairy, giving visitors an up-close look at cheese production. A tour of the dairy takes guests through various evolutions of the cheese-making process, from traditional methods to modern production. Visitors get a peek into large storage rooms where huge wheels of Emmentaler are maturing — giving the cheese its distinctive flavor, as well as its famous holes.
Recommend that clients try out the new Emmental cheese route, made up of 21 attraction points designed to be visited by e-bike. Riders can adjust their e-bike to the level of exertion they desire, in order to enjoy the beauty of the valley while traveling easily between stops on the route.
The cheese route also offers a downloadable app with information, pictures and an audio version for each point of interest. Stops include working farms and dairies, a modern cheese factory, farms offering food and beverages, scenic spots and cultural points of interest.
If travelers want to spend more than one day exploring the Emmental, there are many options for accommodations. Visitors can even choose to stay on a working farm to fully complete the experience of living the Emmental’s traditions.
The Details
Emmental Cheese Route
www.kaeseroute.ch/en
Emmental Tourism
www.emmental.ch/en
