Teatro Regio di Parma

Construction ran from 1821 to 1829, to a design by the court architect Nicola Bettoli. The Duchess commissioned it to replace the old ducal theater in the Palazzo di Riserva, which was demolished once the new house was built. Opening night, May 16, 1829, was Bellini's Zaira, written for the occasion; it was not a success.

• 112 boxes on four tiers, with a fifth-tier gallery, the loggione, reached by its own entrance.
• Ceiling and curtain painted in 1828 by Giovan Battista Borghesi.
• The chandelier, made in Paris and hung in 1853, weighs about 1,100 kg (2,425 pounds).

The house was built for about 1,800 spectators when it opened, according to its history; we did not find a current official capacity. For the Duchess herself, and what else she built, see our article on Marie Louise and the Museo Glauco Lombardi across the street.

The standard tour covers three spaces: the foyer, the auditorium seen from the stalls and boxes, and the Ridotto, the upstairs reception room. The theater says the route has no architectural barriers. Groups and school groups have reserved slots at 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday, so individual visitors fit around them.

The theater also sells longer special visits, which it lists on the same page:

For most visitors the €12 tour is enough. The premium visits make sense only as a private event for a small group.

The Regio runs an opera season plus Festival Verdi in the autumn; Festival Verdi 2026 runs from October 1 to 25. The theater's calendar starts earlier, but those September dates are €10 open rehearsals (Aida in Busseto on September 10, an Alzira Under30 rehearsal on September 25), not festival performances. Prices vary by production and seat, and the theater publishes them per show, so we do not quote a single range here. Our worth-it verdict on an opera night compares the seats, and the opera night guide covers booking.

If a performance is on during your stay, a ticket is the better use of the evening than the tour is of the afternoon. You see the same auditorium, lit and full, for as long as the opera runs.

The top gallery, the loggione, has its own entrance and a reputation that travels: its regulars are among the most demanding opera audiences in Italy, and singers who miss a note in Verdi can expect to hear about it. That is part of the show, and part of why a Verdi night here feels different from one in a bigger house. Seat prices and sightlines vary by production and position, so check the seat plan when you book.

We found no published dress code. Italians dress up for premieres and Festival Verdi evenings; smart casual is fine for most performances. Avoid shorts and flip-flops.

• Where: on Strada Garibaldi, a short walk from the Pilotta. About 270 m from Piazza Garibaldi and 400 m from the Pilotta entrance.
• Booking the tour: 0521 203995 or [email protected]. Groups should book ahead.
• Bookshop: at the entrance, open during tour hours.
• Pair it with: the Teatro Farnese for the 17th-century court theater, and the music walk through Toscanini's birthplace and the Casa del Suono. A Toscanini House ticket gets you the €8 tour rate.

Parma: Historic Old Town Guided Walking Tour

Only the cathedral interior is visited; the Teatro Regio and the Pilotta are seen from outside and their tickets are extra.

2 hours

4.2★★★★★★★★★★(76 reviews)

Reserve

Rating as shown on GetYourGuide

Booking through these links supports this site at no cost to you. Prices move by date, so we do not print them here; the official prices we checked are in the page above.