Aravis and Reblochon farms

Follow the D909 out of Annecy: it’s 32 km to La Clusaz via Thônes, then another 6 km up to Col des Aravis at 1,486 m, where the western face of Mont Blanc clears on fine days. The road threads past combes and grazing pastures of Abondance and Tarine cattle—the milk behind Reblochon PDO. You’ll pass Le Grand-Bornand, whose Wednesday market has featured cheesemongers since 1795, before reaching high meadows where evening and morning milks are blended, then aged 4–8 weeks on spruce boards in cool cellars.

Your driver collects you at your hotel in Annecy in a Mercedes and stays on hand throughout, so you can focus on tastings and visits while he handles the mountain roads. Expect a cooperative dairy in Thônes, then an alpine farm above La Clusaz to see salting and cellaring, with a Reblochon tasting—rye bread and a glass of Savoie wine if you wish. The loop is flexible: pause at the col for the panorama, drop back through the Thônes valley for a cooperative stop and a café, then a smooth return to town.