Faq

Our office organizes the Parma city tour, a walk with a qualified guide who tells the story of the city of Parma in the most significant places of the historical centre.
The visit is two hours long every day at 10am.
The visit is outdoor only and could be bilingual Italian/English if there were both Italian and foreign participants. The cost is €15 per person, €12 from 11 to 18 years old, free under 11.
You can also book online or by phone or email.

We also organize guided tours of the Farnese Theater and National Gallery, in the Pilotta Complex, which take place on Sunday afternoons.

It is also possible to organize a different and personalized tour by booking in advance via email.

At the moment in Parma there is no possibility of a ticket for all places of interest or a card.
A combined ticket for the National museums is available for the Palazzo della Pilotta, the Ancient Pharmacy of San Giovanni and the Castle of Torrechiara (in the province of Parma).

Our office also offers combined tickets with the Parma city tour + Royal Palace of Colorno or Rocca di Fontanellato or Royal Palace of Colorno + Glauco Lombardi Museum.

Starting from January 2026, a single integrated ticket for the Municipal Museums will be available, a new way of enjoying the museums that will allow access, with a single ticket, to: Camera di San Paolo, Casa del Suono, Pinacoteca Giuseppe Stuard, Museo dell’Opera, Castello dei Burattini – Museo Giordano Ferrari and the Arturo Toscanini Birthplace Museum.

In the province there are two cumulative tickets: for the food museums www.museidelcibo.it and for the Verdi places www.bussetolive.com

The Charterhouse described by Stendhal in the novel The Charterhouse of Parma is actually a literary invention, but tradition has it that the author took inspiration from the one located in Paradigna or Valserena, a few kilometers north of Parma, on the road that leads to Colorno.

This truly stupendous Certosa, with the treasures of the CSAC Museum, study center and communications archive of the University of Parma, with permanent and temporary exhibitions.
However, there is another Certosa in Parma, on the road that leads to Mantua, just outside the city, which houses the Penitentiary Police school, which cannot be visited at the moment.

We recommend families with children visiting Parma to see the Puppet Castle where, together with the Stuard Art Gallery (both civic museums), take place visits and workshops dedicated to kids on weekends, which can be found at this link Activities in the Civic Museums – Information tourist information on Parma and its province (parmawelcome.it) which is updated every week.

Another place that children really like is the House of Sound, very close to Piazza Duomo: Casa del Suono Parma – Museum of the City of Parma (parmawelcome.it)
The Ducal Park is monumental and certainly not to be missed, especially for children there is the possibility of renting “grilli”, traditional pedal tricycles, then there is the lake and the playground area, as well as in Cittadella Park, a little less central but not far away.
The Botanical Garden and the Natural History Museum are also worth a visit, check the opening hours: Home – University Museum System (unipr.it)

You can rent a bike at the Cicletteria at the station and get around the city with it, they have bikes for children, tandems and cargo bikes: Bike storage, rental and repairs: Cicletteria Parma | Infomobility

There is also an itinerary called Talking teens, i.e. “talking statues”; by scanning the QR code or calling the number indicated near the statues, you can listen to the characters telling their stories: Talking Teens

In the Parma area, from the plains to the mountains, there are numerous castles that also offer dedicated initiatives throughout the year: www.castellidelducato.it

Also worth seeing is the Labyrinth of Masone, the largest in the world: Labirinto della Masone by Franco Maria Ricci (labirintodifrancomariaricci.it)

In the province there are also food museums, which often offer workshops for children: www.museidelcibo.it

Furthermore, a visit to a producer of Parmigiano Reggiano or Prosciutto di Parma can certainly be of interest to all ages! You can find the producers available for visits in the Parma City of Gastronomy section

You can tour the Castles in complete freedom individually, choosing between those on the plain, on the hills or on the mountains. It is advisable to travel by car to be able to see at least two or three of them, or by public transport, organizing opening times and bus routes.
Most castles close on Mondays, especially in winter, check the opening hours on our website.

For further information contact the Castelli del Ducato by visiting the website www.castellidelducato.it and for public transport the company website www.tep.pr.it

The historical center of the city can be explored on foot, all the museums are within a few minutes’ walk of each other, the main museums are certainly those inside the Pilotta museum complex, with a single ticket for the Farnese Theatre, National Gallery, Archaeological Museum, Palatine Library and Bodoni Museum. A combined ticket is available for the Pilotta palace, the Old pharmacy of San Giovanni (not to be missed) and the Castle of Torrechiara (in the province of Parma).
The Chamber of St. Paul, frescoed by Correggio, is certainly worth a visit. In the same building you can also see the Castle of puppets (this one has free admission).
Don’t miss Piazza Duomo, where you can visit the Baptistery and Cathedral.
Another wonderful corner, again near Piazza Duomo, is Piazzale San Francesco with Palazzo Cusani with the House of Music, not far away there is also the House of Sound inside the deconsecrated church of Sant’Elisabetta.
For updated museum opening hours click here
Even a walk in the Ducal Park is certainly not to be missed.
You cannot leave Parma without having tasted (and purchased) our gastronomic specialties which have given our city the title of UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.

The production area of ​​Parma Ham is located on the hills South of the city, starting from Sala Baganza (about 15 km away) up to Langhirano.

You can take part in the Tastybus, organized by Maestro travel experience, it is a complete half-day tour with transport by minibus that departs from Viale Toschi from Monday to Saturday where you visit a dairy farm, a ham producer and you can add the visit of a cellar that produces balsamic vinegar.
Here is the information and the possibility to book: https://www.maestrotravelexperience.com/it/tour-item/tastybus/
Or we can organize a visit (at least 1 day in advance) for one of the products of interest: Parmigiano Reggiano, Parma ham and wines from the Parma hills. You purchase a voucher at our office at a cost of €20 per person which includes the visit and tasting, after checking that there is actual availability for the day you want. For this reason it is necessary to reach the production sites with your own vehicle.
Otherwise you can contact the producers independently and book a visit, you can find all the addresses in the Parma city of Gastronomy section of the website.

In Langhirano there is also a Ham Museum, which shows the curiosities, history and richness of this exceptional cured meat (open on Saturday and Sunday).

The territory of the province of Parma is full of dairies, generally you can stop there and buy the famous cheese directly at the place of production. However, without a reservation it is rather difficult to get a guided tour of the farms, it always depends on the producer’s availability.

You can take part in the Tastybus, organized by Maestro travel experience, it is a complete half-day tour with transport by minibus which leaves from Viale Toschi from Monday to Saturday where you visit a dairy farm, a ham producer and you can add the visit of a cellar that produces balsamic vinegar. Here is the information and the possibility to book: https://www.maestrotravelexperience.com/it/tour-item/tastybus/
Or we can organize a visit (at least 1 day in advance) for one of the products of interest: Parmigiano Reggiano, Parma ham and wines from the Parma hills. You purchase a voucher at our office at a cost of €20 per person which includes the visit and tasting, after checking that there is actual availability for the day you want. For this reason it is necessary to reach the production sites with your own vehicle.
Otherwise you can contact the producers independently and book a visit, find all the addresses in the Parma city of Gastronomy section of the website

There is also a beautiful Parmigiano Reggiano Museum in Soragna, a town about 30 km west of Parma (open on Saturday and Sunday).

The typical gastronomic products of our territory are on sale in all cured meats and food shops in general, both in the historical center and out of town, as well as in the places of production (for example Parmigiano Reggiano at the dairies).
Supermarkets also sell excellent products. In short, our specialties can be purchased everywhere! Many stores have a shipping service.
On Tuesday and Saturday mornings in the historic center there is a producers’ market, to buy directly from the farm to the table.
To get some addresses of places where you can buy our specialties, you can choose among the members of the Parma city of gastronomy club.

The historical center of Parma can easily be explored on foot, having a diameter of about 2 km, but if you want to use a a bicycle like a local, you can rent one, normal or electric, a fun way to discover the city while respecting the environment.
Bicycles can be rented in the historical center at the Cicletteria or via the bike sharing apps: LINK

In Parma there is the possibility of leaving your luggage in various storage points in the historical center via the website https://usebounce.com/ active throughout Europe. The application is also available.

Tourist buses can arrive in the historical center and stop temporarily on Viale Toschi, which is a two-minutes walk from the museums, the Giardino Ducale and 5 minutes from Piazza Duomo.
Buses arriving from the A1 motorway must follow the directions for the city center and then for the Toschi car park, which however is an underground car park, so they must stop along the street, in an open space on the right with signs for the buses. Passengers will find a bar with a public toilet (closed on holidays) and a refreshment point.
The buses will then have to park outside the historical center and the drivers will eventually be able to return by public transport. The most convenient car park is located in Via San Leonardo, North of the historical centre, towards the A1 motorway, next to the Centro Torri Shopping Center or continuing on the same road, at the North Exchange Parking, which is also free.
Parking is free, as is the entry to the city, which does not require any toll.

The historical center of Parma is a limited traffic area, therefore not accessible to cars and regulated by traffic cameras.
There are free parking lots at the entrances of the city or paid parkings closer to the historical center.
For information on how to get to and park in Parma, see the dedicated section: LINK

The main public toilets in the historical center are free and located at:

Piazza Ghiaia (under the steps on the river side)
every day from 9am to 1pm and from 4pm to 7pm

Parco Ducale (Via Pasini side and Via Kennedy side)
every day from April to September from 9am to 1pm and from 3pm to 7pm
every day from October to March from 9am to 12.30pm and from 1.30pm to 6pm

TPMatic self-cleaning toilets:
Borgo San Vitale (Town Hall car park) – from 8am to midnight
Piazza della Pace corner of Borgo delle Cucine (near the former Provincial Palace) – from 8am to midnight
Via Verdi (near the MiniEcoStation at Via Magnani) – from 8am to 8pm
Parco Ducale (in the children’s play ground towards Via Kennedy) – from 7am to 11.45pm in the Summer period; from 8am to 8pm in the Winter
Parco Ferrari (near Via Pezzani, from the kiosk and Gommaland) – from 8am to 8pm

Cittadella Park and Ferrari Park:
every day from 9am to 7pm