Parma is famous for two foods, and this half-day tour is built around both. The prosciutto is the headline: Parma ham is made from pork legs cured with salt and time in the dry air of the hills south of the city, and the town of Langhirano is its home. On the tour you visit a factory there, walk through the seasoning rooms, hear how hams are selected and taste the finished product. The itinerary also includes a stop at a Parmigiano Reggiano dairy, where you see the cheese being lifted out of the vats, then aged and stored, and sample mature cheese with local wine. It is a more complete introduction to Parma’s food than the single-stop dairy visits elsewhere in Emilia-Romagna, and it is the way to meet the ham in its natural habitat. Transport, a guide, entry fees and the tastings are included, so you can relax and absorb the smells and the stories without arranging anything yourself on the day.
How it works
The tour lasts about four to five hours and begins in Parma, where you meet at the point given at booking, close to the railway station. Travel is by private air-conditioned minivan with pickup and drop-off in Parma, an English-speaking guide, factory entry fees and tastings of Parmigiano with local wine and Parma ham with local wine.
It is described as a small-group tour with a maximum of thirty travellers, and free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before the start. Late arrivals are treated as no-shows and are not refundable, and the tour is not suitable for wheelchair users.
How it differs from the dairy tour: This guide already features a Parmigiano Reggiano dairy tour near Noceto, and the dairy stop here is only about half an hour. The reason to choose this tour is the ham. You see how a fresh leg turns into a prosciutto over months of salting and resting, with the seasoning rooms hung with legs, and you taste slices cut moments before.
Reviewers have praised the guides and the quality of the ham, though a few mention waits between groups and noisy rooms that make headsets hard to hear, so arrive patient and curious.
Getting there from Bologna
Parma is about an hour by train from Bologna, so it works as a day trip, with the tour as a morning or midday highlight. Arrive early, find the meeting point, and leave time at the end for the old centre, with its cathedral and baptistery, and for lunch. If you also want balsamic vinegar and a car museum, spread them over a second day trip from Bologna through Modena instead of trying to cram everything in.
What to expect
The experience
A small-group half-day tour by minivan from Parma, visiting a Parmigiano Reggiano dairy and a prosciutto factory in the Langhirano hills with tastings.
Best time
Choose a morning or midday slot so that the old centre of Parma fits in afterwards.
How long
Four to five hours, starting and ending in Parma.
Tips
Arrive at the meeting point early because late arrivals count as no-shows, and wear comfortable shoes.
Quick picks
- Best for
- Food lovers who want to see how Parma ham is made and taste it where it is cured.
- Families
- Children who like food may enjoy it, but the tour is not wheelchair accessible and factory rooms can be noisy.
- Couples
- A fun, delicious half-day that ends with a stroll through Parma.
- Pair with
- A walk through Parma’s centre, or a Modena balsamic vinegar tasting on another day.
- Time needed
- Half a day, plus an hour by train each way from Bologna.
Good questions
What is included in the tour?+
An English-speaking guide, factory entry fees, tastings of Parmigiano and Parma ham with local wine, and transport by minivan from and back to Parma.
How long does it last?+
About four to five hours.
Where does it start?+
It starts and ends at a meeting point in Parma, close to the railway station.
Is it different from a Parmigiano dairy tour?+
Yes, it adds a visit to a Parma ham factory in the Langhirano hills, which is the reason to choose it.
Can I cancel?+
Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before the start, but late arrivals are not refundable.
