Private Half Day Parma Food Tour: Parmesan Cheese, Parma Ham, Lunch
Recommended by 95% of travelers
Parma, Italy
- 6 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
Discover Parma’s culinary scene on a half-day food tour that includes lunch and wine. Visit a local Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese maker and a Parma ham producer, where you’ll learn about the city’s two most famous exports. End at a restaurant for a 3-course meal that features typical dishes like pasta, salami, and dessert, plus coffee and regional wine like Lambrusco and Malvasia. This tour operates in two ways: either your own car with a guide or with a tour driver and vehicle.
- Sample the best of Parma's cuisine on a tasting tour
- Enjoy a delicious 3-course lunch paired with local wines
- Visit local food producers and learn about the production process
- Hotel pickup and drop-off included
What's Included
- Beverages and wine tasting
- Food tasting and 3-course lunch
- Local guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off (from your accommodation in Parma or preferred pick-up point in Parma)
- Transport by private vehicle when applicable
- Food and drinks, other than specified
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Operating hours.9:00 am
Itinerary
1
Stazione ferroviaria di Parma
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Consorzio Del Prosciutto Di Parma
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
3
Via J. F.Kennedy, 18
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
- Infant seats available
- Most travelers can participate
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Loren_P
Cheese, Ham, Wine - what could be better. This was a great way to see how all of this amazing food is made, and the tastings were sooooooo good.
Giacomo was great, knowledgeable (is an Italian history and Geography teacher in his day job), so brought the region and processes to life.
Reviews
4.9
based on 44 reviews
James_D, Oct 2023
Our tour guide Marika was the best. She was very knowledgeable and passionate. She went the extra mile and helped us to get an earlier train and made sure we knew where to go. If you can request a guide request her.
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Hi, thank your for your lovely review. We are so happy that you enjoyed your tour and your tour guide. All our guides are very informative and passionate because we love out territory and product. We hope to see you again in Parma soon.
Rossella
Sidney_L, Oct 2022
Our tour guide, Stefania Bertaccini, was a blast! We were late due to an accident on the highway and she made sure we got to see everything on our tour. She is very energetic and knows her subject matter inside and out! We went on a Parma Cheese, and Parma Ham tour and then she was kind enough to take us to her In Laws Estate to visit and see her Family Balsamic Vinegar collection! She teaches cooking classes so she shares a lot of information with you about how she uses the products in her own preperation.
Response from Host, Oct 2022
Dear Sidney,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write the review. I am happy to hear you've enjoyed your foodie experience with Stefania.
Hope to see you in Parma again!
Katherine_K, Sep 2022
We had a wonderful experience! Our private tour with Lisa provided so much in depth gastronomic information about Parma and its food treasures, prosciutto di Parma and Parmesano Reggiano.
Response from Host, Sep 2022
Hi Katherine,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write the review! I am happy to know you've enjoyed your experience with Lisa and felt our passion for the region and its delicacies, they are truly unique.
Wishing you all the best and hope to see you in Parma again!
andrea_j, Aug 2022
While Monica was an excellent guide, the tour description included lunch in a farmhouse overlooking the valley. We had the lunch in a small shop instead. Food was great, but I booked the tour expecting what was stated.
Response from Host, Sep 2022
Hi Andrea,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write the review. I am happy to hear you've enjoyed the tour with Monica and lunch at salumeria. And I am very sorry the lunch location wasn't what you were expecting, yet in our tour description and inclusions, there's no specification about the farmhouse with the valley view. We work with different family-owned eateries in order to ensure the quality of the experience and avoid overcrowded spots.
Loren_P, Aug 2022
Cheese, Ham, Wine - what could be better. This was a great way to see how all of this amazing food is made, and the tastings were sooooooo good.
Giacomo was great, knowledgeable (is an Italian history and Geography teacher in his day job), so brought the region and processes to life.
Response from Host, Sep 2022
Hi Loren, thank you so much for the review. I am glad to know you've enjoyed your foodie experience in Parma and hope to see you again!
Heather_B, Jul 2022
Lisa was an amazing tour guide. The tour was informative and delicious. I highly recommend it. It was the highlight of our trip to Parma.
Response from Host, Jul 2022
Heather, thank you so much for the review! Happy to hear you've enjoyed your foodie experience with Lisa and hope to see you in Parma again.
George_G, Jun 2022
Monica provided wonderful information in an interesting engaging manner. I will never look at Parma ham or parmasian cheese in the same way.
Response from Host, Jul 2022
Hi George!
Thank you so much for the review. I am happy to know you've enjoyed your food experience with Monica and hope to see you in Parma again.
James_L, May 2022
Our tour guide Monica took us on a private tour and then lunch. This was a great experience! She also gave us the name of a local traditional balsamic maker to stop at in the ride back to Bologna for a free one hour tour and tasting as his home. Acetacia Picci was the most amazing! It is a must do to top off your day!
Response from Host, Jun 2022
Hi James,
Thank you so much for your kind review, I am happy to hear you've enjoyed the experience with Monica!
Cloyd_A, Apr 2022
Our guide Monica did a fantastic job. Her English was great and she was very knowledgeable. She was fun to be with.
Response from Host, Jun 2022
Hi Cloyd,
thank you so much for the review, I am happy to know you've enjoyed the experience with Monica
Tarek_M, Dec 2019
Was a great day to learn about parmigiano regiano and prosciutto di parma and visit the different production facilities around Parma. Our guide was Lisa, a foodie, great energy, very knowledgabe of the production processes and made the day pass by seemlessly. Thanks again Lisa for a great day !!
Thomas_R, Mar 2019
Our tour guide Chiara was exceptional!! Her knowledge of the area and products were great. Lastly the lunch and wine was also quite delicious.
jamygrand, Sep 2018
Lisa from Maestro Travel was a knowledgeable and fun tour guide! We enjoyed learning the processes for making parmigiano-reggiano cheese and Parma ham. The restaurant for lunch had a lovely view.
Benjamin B T, Oct 2017
Our guide, Lisa, was marvelous. We had our 16 year old granddaughter with us and they bonded - that made it even more special. I highly recommend this tour aand the company. Lianda Taylor
Deborah F, Oct 2017
Our expert guide Monica Vanin was amazing! We met at our hotel and began the journey! First we went to a small dairy where Parmigiano Reggiano is made, the real stuff! She went into great detail about the process and we saw every step and ended with a tasting of the delicious cheese....I will never balk at paying the high cost for this cheese again!
Next on to Conti another small family owned producer of Parma Ham and Culatello. Again seeing the care and process of this wonderful food production will always make this food special to us. Then we went to a restaurant high in the hills for an amazing lunch! Tasting lunch with wine and glorious location. The food was one of the best we enjoyed during our 3 week trip to Italy!
I cannot say enough about our guide Monica, she truly loves sharing her knowledge of her region and we felt her genuine interest in us!
Thank you Monica!!!!!!!!
Paul V, Sep 2017
If you are thinking of a tour while in Parma, then look no further. Monica, our guide was fantastic as we were taken on a private tour of a Parmesan chee
John O, Jul 2017
Excellent tour. Detailed explanations of the entire process of making the cheese and ham that make Parma famous. All while walking through the production facilities of both and seeing the various steps being performed. Extremely knowledgable and friendly guide who spoke great English. The lunch at the end, a sampling or Parma regional cuisine in a restaurant on a hilltop, was fantastic!
Very professional tour company.
Denise H, Jul 2017
The tour was great, Kasia was TERRIFIC!!! She was very knowledgeable and enjoyable to hand out with. And very patient with our picture taking!! Lol! We highly recommend her and the tour!!! :-
Michael_C, Mar 2017
Out half day tour of Parma included a Cheese farm, Prosciutto factory and lunch at a local restaurant. Rosella was excellent, she explained every step in the processes at each site and was knowledgeable of the region but more important was extremely personable as was our tour bus driver. The tour couldn't have been any better.
James_F, Nov 2016
Our first Viatour in Italy was one of the best. Our guide Michelle and driver Carlo were friendly and right on time. We traveled into the countryside to visit a working Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese plant. Michelle is very knowledgeable about the area farms and the food produced. It was exciting to see the workers engaged and how they care for the quality of the product.
We then went to a Parma ham production house one of dozens in the area to see how the prosciutto that we love is made. Again Michelle was very proud of the quality and happily answered all of our questions.
We stopped at a terrific roadside trattoria where we had a 3 course lunch with wine! Carlo got us home safely with our appetites happily satisfied. This is a great tour to actually see how are some of our favorite foods are carefully prepared.
Jim and Donna Ferraro
Connecticut
Erson_G, Jun 2016
Performing Parma Food Tour was a dream to us. Thanks to our tour guide for her patient. She demonstrated passion and high knowledge about Parma's food industry. We recommend this tour for those enjoy gourmet food. Great food and wine at the winery we had visited.
Peter_H, May 2016
My wife and I had been planning a pilgrimage to Parma for a couple of years, and when I found this excursion through Viator, it was exactly what we had been looking to do. We're both foodies, and love prosciutto and parmesan reggiano, so this was tailor-made. I'm happy to report it did not disappoint. We both thoroughly enjoyed the tour.
It started with a visit to a local producer of the king of cheeses, parmesan reggiano. The cheese maker had been plying his trade for 50 years and was happy to show us the process and vault where they age the cheese. They are clearly very proud of the product they make, and after tasting it, rightly so. If you have a chance to try the Vache Rosso variety, which is the parmesan that has been aged the longest, do so. It's the priciest, but the best and you have to try it at least once.
From there, we then travelled into the hills west of the city, to a producer of the Prosciutto di Parma. Again, it is a very strictly controlled process that must be followed to be able to call it a Parma ham. Salted and dry aged in the cool mountain breezes coming off of the Apennines, we learned the difference between Prosciutto di Parma, Prosciutto Crudo and Culatello. After leaving there, we briefly visited the castle of Torrechiare and it's medieval village before stopping for lunch at a local osteria where we got to sample some of the fine local produce, including the wine. The region is best known for it's Lambrusco, a dry sparkling red wine.
Our local hosts and guides from Maestro Travel Experience, Rosella and Elisa, were very kind, knowledgeable and fluent in English. Unless you're comfortable driving in Italy, I would recommend having them drive, especially with the libations at lunch.
Laurne_V, Mar 2023
Super experience et super guide! Les explications étaient très instructives. Je recommande vivement !
From $352.76
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
Private Half Day Parma Food Tour: Parmesan Cheese, Parma Ham, Lunch
44
6 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$352.76
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Attractions in Parma, Italy
More attractions near Parma, Italy