Modena

On a sample weekday, Wednesday, October 7, 2026, trains from Parma to Modena included:

The pattern holds through the day: a fast regional at 27 minutes past most hours, plus slower regionals. Regional fares are fixed, so there is nothing to gain by booking early. Keep the ticket: it gets you a discount at the Ferrari museums. The same line continues to Bologna, 58 minutes from Parma, if you want to see both in two days.

The cathedral is free to enter. The presbytery and sacristy need a ticket: they are included in the full €6 ticket to the Musei del Duomo, or cost €3 separately. The museums, with a new route opened in 2023, open Tuesday to Friday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday to 7 p.m. They close on Mondays; ticket sales stop 30 minutes before closing.

The Ghirlandina is 89.32 m tall and was finished in 1319. You climb as far as the Sala dei Torresani, the old keepers' room, not the very top. Visits are by booking only, in groups of up to 25:

• October to March: daily 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; slots at 9:45 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:15 a.m., noon, 12:45 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:15 p.m., 3 p.m., 3:45 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 5:15 p.m.
• April to September: daily 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., with a 6 p.m. slot added.
• Price: €6; €4 for ages 13 to 26, over-65s and Modena residents; free under 12. You book online without a card and pay at the tower.
• Closed: Christmas Day and the morning of January 1.

Inside the tower is a copy of the Secchia Rapita, the bucket Modena seized from Bologna in 1325.

The Museo Enzo Ferrari is in Modena itself, at Via Paolo Ferrari 85, about 700 m (9 minutes on foot) from the station. The bigger Museo Ferrari is in Maranello, south of the city, and needs separate transport.

The tip most visitors miss: show a one-way Trenitalia Tper Emilia-Romagna regional train ticket used this year and one museum costs €20, both €32. Your €6.30 ticket from Parma qualifies. The Modena museum opens 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. in September and October and 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. from November to March; closed December 25 and January 1.

Balsamic vinegar is Modena's product, and the city even keeps a municipal acetaia in the Palazzo Comunale on Piazza Grande. For how to taste the real Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale and what separates it from the supermarket kind, see balsamic vinegar tasting.

Osteria Francescana, Massimo Bottura's restaurant, is the name everyone asks about. Its own menu page lists the tasting menu at €350 per person and the wine pairing at €240. There is also an à la carte list, with starters at €80 to €100 and a dish of Modenese tortellini in Parmigiano cream at €80. Two people with the pairing are looking at about €1,180 before extras. Reservations open online; if you do not have one, do not build a day trip around hoping for a table.

For the rest of us, Modena's trattorie serve the same Emilian staples as Parma with local twists, and you will find gnocco fritto under a different name. Parma's own answer to Modena's tortellini is anolini in brodo.

1. 8:27 a.m. regional from Parma, arrive 8:56 a.m.
2. Museo Enzo Ferrari at 9:30 a.m., next to the station; show your train ticket.
3. Walk into the center; Ghirlandina at your booked slot, say 11:15 a.m.
4. Cathedral and, Tuesday to Sunday, the Musei del Duomo.
5. Lunch; afternoon for balsamic or the market streets.
6. Fast regionals back to Parma run through the evening.

Mondays are weak: the cathedral museums are closed. If you are driving, leave the car at your Parma hotel; our ZTL and parking page explains how Parma's limited traffic zone works and where to leave a car.

Cavedoni Balsamic Vinegar Tour: The Oldest in Modena

Same €75 as the acetaia's own 'Visita Gourmet'; its plain tasting visit is €35 direct. It is 25 km from Modena; no transport.

2 hours

5.0★★★★★★★★★★(274 reviews)

Reserve

Rating as shown on Viator

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