Parma Food Tour: Cheese Factory, Ham House & Lunch

Cheese aging rooms, ham-curing houses, and a three-course lunch of Parma's specialties

A private half-day food tour in Parma takes you inside a Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese factory and a Parma ham producer, then ends with lunch at a local restaurant serving regional dishes, local wines and coffee. Your English-speaking guide picks you up from your hotel or the train station and handles transport throughout the six-hour tour. A minimum of two people per booking is required.

Step-by-step itinerary

Discover Parma's culinary traditions

• Meet guide in Parma at 09:00 am
• Visit cheese factory and taste Parmigiano-Reggiano
• See Parma ham curing process and taste ham
• Enjoy lunch with local specialties and wines

The Experience

The tour starts at 9 am with pickup from your hotel in Parma, the train station, or another convenient meeting point. Your guide leads you first to a cheese factory where you watch milk transform into Parmigiano-Reggiano and learn how the cheese ages for years without any chemical additives. An expert tasting walks you through the different aging stages so you can taste the difference between younger and older wheels.

Next you move to a Parma ham producer to see every phase of the curing process and taste the finished product. The meticulous aging that yields the ham's flavor is visible in the production house itself. From there you head to a typical local restaurant where lunch includes tortelli d'erbetta (a round pasta stuffed with ricotta and herbs), different types of salami, and Sbrisolona and other dry pies for dessert. Wine pairings feature Lambrusco and Malvasia, and the meal includes water and coffee.

Transport by private vehicle is included in one option. If you choose the version without transport, you arrange your own way to the cheese factory and ham house, though your guide still meets you at the restaurant for lunch. Either way, the guide speaks English and Italian, and you can request dietary accommodations when you book.

Options for this experience

2 options

Up to 8 per booking · Guide in English or Italian09:00

Up to 7 per booking · Guide in English or Italian09:00

You pick the guide language when booking.

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

What’s included

• Local English-speaking guide.
• hotel pickup and drop-off in Parma or preferred meeting point.
• private vehicle transport (in the transport option).
• cheese factory visit with expert tasting of Parmigiano-Reggiano at different aging stages.
• Parma ham producer visit.
• three-course lunch with regional specialties including tortelli d'erbetta, salami and Sbrisolona.
• local wine tasting with Lambrusco and Malvasia.
• water and coffee.

Days and timesDaily · 09:00

Ages5 to 91 years · Under 5 — No ticket type: can't be added to a booking

Meeting point and pickupPickup optional · ends where it starts2 pickup points to choose from.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 10 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats available

Operated by Maestro Travel Experience

Is this one for you?Book with transport if you're arriving by train or prefer not to drive. Choose without transport if you have your own car or want to meet the guide directly at the restaurant. A minimum of two people per booking means solo travelers need to find a partner, but groups of any size fit into one private tour.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English and Italian.

What exactly happens inside the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese factory?

The cheese factory shows you how milk is transformed into Parmigiano-Reggiano and aged without chemical additives. An expert guide leads a tasting so you can recognize and taste the differences between various aging stages, from younger to fully matured wheels.

Can I see how Parma ham is actually made?

Yes. The Parma ham producer lets you watch every phase of the curing process and taste the finished product. You'll see firsthand how the meticulous aging creates the ham's distinctive flavor.

What does the lunch include?

Lunch is a three-course meal at a local restaurant featuring tortelli d'erbetta (pasta stuffed with ricotta and herbs), various types of salami, and Sbrisolona and other dry pies for dessert. The meal includes local wines like Lambrusco and Malvasia, plus water and coffee.

Do I need to arrange my own transport, or is it included?

Transport by private vehicle is included in one booking option. The other option excludes transport, so you arrange your own way to the cheese factory and ham house. Your guide meets you at the restaurant for lunch. Either way, hotel pickup and drop-off in Parma are included.

What time does the tour start and how long does it last?

The tour starts at 9 am and runs for six hours. Your guide picks you up from your hotel in Parma, the train station, or another convenient meeting point in the city.