12 experiences Updated September 29, 2026

Things to book in Parma

Dairies, ham houses and the opera, direct price against the tour

Parmigiano dairies, prosciutto houses, culatello cellars, balsamic lofts, cooking classes and a night at the opera, with the price you pay booking direct against the price of the tour.

WHERE TO START

Where to start

Three ways into the Food Valley.

One morning, no car

Cheese first

A dairy visit from €23 direct, a taxi ride from the centre.

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Everything in one day

No planning

Cheese, ham and balsamic by van, at a price.

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You have tasted prosciutto

Next step

The cellar on the Po where culatello hangs in the fog.

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Copper-lined cauldrons and cheesemakers at work in a Parmigiano Reggiano dairyWorth it

Parmigiano Reggiano dairy visit

A working dairy inside Parma's city limits runs a 9 a.m. English tour for €23. A van tour with a ham house costs €135. Here is which to book and how to get there without a car.

€18–€25 booked direct Be there by 9 a.m. Nearest dairy 5 km from center
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Pairs well with

Parmigiano ReggianoCaseifici Aperti (Open Dairies)Food Valley day tour
Two rows of whole Prosciutto di Parma hams hanging on a white tiled wallIt depends

Prosciutto house visit in Langhirano

A family ham house near Langhirano runs a 75-minute tour at 10:30 a.m. for €26, but you need your own car. The van tour from Parma costs €87. The ham museum opens at weekends.

€26 direct, €87 by van tour English tour at 10:30 a.m. Car or taxi only
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Prosciutto di ParmaTorrechiara CastleFestival del Prosciutto di Parma
Hundreds of culatelli hanging to age in the brick cellar of the Antica Corte PallavicinaWorth it

Culatello cellar tasting

The Spigaroli family's 14th-century estate on the Po: a Culatello Museum and old aging cellars for €7, a tasting for €8, and a starred restaurant or a hosteria for lunch.

€7 museum, €8 tasting Tue–Sun, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. 41 km, 48 min by car
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Culatello di ZibelloAntica Corte PallavicinaAntica Corte Pallavicina Relais
Rows of small balsamic vinegar barrels behind a tasting table in a Modena acetaiaWorth it

Traditional balsamic vinegar tasting

Traditional balsamic DOP ages at least 12 years in casks; the IGP kind is a different product. You can taste both free in Modena, or pay €28 for a deeper visit near Reggio Emilia.

Free in Modena, €28 at Novellara DOP aged 12 or 25 years About 1 hour from Parma
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ModenaFood Valley day tourDOP, IGP and the labels on Parma food
Parmigiano Reggiano wheels in a steel cage soaking in a dairy brine bathIt depends

Food Valley day tour

Van tours that combine a Parmigiano dairy, a ham house and a balsamic acetaia cost €170 or more. Booked direct, the same visits cost €49 per person. The difference is the driver.

Tours €170–€183, DIY €49 6.5–8 hours, early start No car? Take the tour
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Pairs well with

Food Valley tour or do it yourself?Parmigiano Reggiano dairy visitProsciutto house visit in Langhirano
Plate of tortelli d'erbetta dressed with butter and ParmigianoIt depends

Parma city food walking tour

A two-hour guided food walk in Parma costs about €65 with four stops. The city's own free food trail, plus a board of salumi and torta fritta, gets you most of the way for under €20.

Guided €59–€98; DIY from free 2–3 hours All in the historic center
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Historic centre loopEvening aperitivo walkTrattoria del Tribunale
Red velvet stalls and gilded boxes of the Teatro Regio auditorium facing the stageWorth it

An opera night at the Teatro Regio

Parma's 1829 opera house stages Festival Verdi every autumn and a winter opera season. Tickets start at €10; under-30 dress rehearsals are €10 and under-35s get half price in the season.

Tickets from €10 Festival Verdi, October 2026 Strada Garibaldi 16/a
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Festival VerdiTeatro Regio di ParmaIs an opera at the Teatro Regio worth it?
Brick arcades of the Museo del Prosciutto courtyard in LanghiranoIt depends

The Food Museums (Musei del Cibo)

Nine small museums on cheese, ham, salami, pasta, tomatoes, wine, culatello, truffles and mushrooms. €5 each, a €15 card for all, and weekend-only for most. The Parmigiano one moved in June 2026.

€5 each, €15 card for all Weekends, March 1–December 8 Parmigiano museum now Fontevivo
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Pairs well with

Culatello cellar tastingProsciutto house visit in LanghiranoRocca Meli Lupi, Soragna
Anolini being ladled out of a pot of brothIt depends

Cooking class in Parma

A small in-town class teaches tortelli d'erbetta for €89; a family home in the hills teaches ravioli and tagliatelle, with a truffle upgrade, for the same price. We found no anolini class.

€89 per person, 3 hours Maximum 8 people Tortelli d'erbetta in town
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Tortelli di erbettaAnolini in brodoBlack truffle hunting at Fragno
Vineyard rows in the Parma hills leading toward Torrechiara Castle at duskWorth it

Wine tasting in the Colli di Parma

The hills south-west of Parma make Malvasia and light reds. An organic winery 21 km out charges €20 for a guided tour and three glasses, €30 with Parmigiano, €45 with lunch.

Tour and three glasses, €20 21 km, 26 min from Parma With food €30–€45
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Lambrusco and MalvasiaThe Parma HillsThe Food Museums (Musei del Cibo)
White city bicycle with a wicker basket parked by a cafe terrace in ParmaWorth it

Cycling Parma

Parma is flat and made for bikes. The station's Cicletteria rents one for €12 a day, share bikes cost €1.20 per half hour, and a signed 70 km route runs through the flatlands to Busseto.

Rental €12 a day, e-bike €38 Rental desk at the station Flat 70 km route to Busseto
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Getting around ParmaReggia di ColornoThe Bassa and the Po
White Lagotto Romagnolo truffle dog beside its handler holding fresh trufflesIt depends

Black truffle hunting at Fragno

Calestano's hooked black truffle is picked from October to January, and the town holds its fair on autumn Sundays. The truffle hunt you can actually book is 65 km away near Berceto, for €185.

Bookable hunt €185, Berceto Harvest October to January Calestano, 33 km from Parma
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Fiera Nazionale del Tartufo Nero di FragnoCooking class in ParmaThe Food Museums (Musei del Cibo)

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Everything else on the site, with what is in it.

Sights 15 Events 7 Day trips 12 Walks 6 Areas 6 Hotels 12 Restaurants 16 Local food 12 Bars 6 Plan 8 Itineraries 6 Worth it? 8 Guides 5 Articles 4