Booking choice: The private food and wine walk, from $129 per person. Check dates Compare the options below
The three walks compared here all cancel free up to 24 hours before. They differ in group size, length, how much you eat and how much sightseeing is mixed in.
One thing none of them does is show you food being made: for the dairy and the ham curing rooms you need a production tour in the countryside. Below: how the walks compare, what each one serves, and how to pick.
The quick answer
For the full experience, the private food and wine walk ($129, 5.0 from 651 reviews) makes five stops in three hours with cured meats, three ages of Parmigiano, two fresh pastas, pastries, gelato and two glasses of wine. The $74 food and sightseeing walk is the shorter, cheaper shared option with more history. The $101 full-meal walk swaps sightseeing for a proper lunch or dinner, trippa included. None of the walks visits a dairy or a ham maker.
What is a Parma food walk?
A guided walk through the old centre with four or five tasting stops at delis, osterias, bakeries and a gelato shop; you eat and learn, but you do not see anything being produced.
Walks are the easy way to taste everything Parma is known for in one go, including things the production tours skip, such as Culatello di Zibello, fresh pasta and trippa. What you do not get is the making: no copper vats, no curing rooms. If that is what you came for, book a morning dairy tour as well; see how to visit a Parmigiano dairy.
How do the Parma food walks compare?
From $74 for two shared hours to $129 for three private hours; the private walk is the best rated and the most food.
From-prices per person in USD; ratings and review counts are each platform's own. The last rows are other walks sold in Parma, for comparison.
| Walk | Sold on | Group | Length | Drinks | Rating | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private food and wine walk | Viator | Private | 3 hours | 2 glasses of wine, coffee | 5.0 (651) | $129 |
| Food and sightseeing walk | GetYourGuide | Shared | 2 hours | 1 glass of wine, coffee | 4.7 (226) | $74 |
| Full-meal food walk | GetYourGuide | Small group | 3.5 hours | Water and 1 drink | 4.7 (101) | $101 |
| Savor Parma walk | GetYourGuide | Shared, starts at the Duomo | 2.5 hours | 1 glass of wine | 5.0 (25) | $57 |
| Small-group food tour | Viator | Small group, 11:30 AM | 3.5 hours | At least 1 drink | 4.9 (90) | $78 |
| 8 tastings food tour | Viator | Shared | 3 hours | 2 glasses of wine | 4.9 (31) | $113 |
What is the private food and wine walk like?
Three hours with your own guide from Caffè San Pietro on Piazza Garibaldi, five stops and a meal's worth of food, rated 5.0 from 651 reviews.
The private walk by Artemilia serves a board of Prosciutto di Parma, Culatello di Zibello, culaccia, coppa and salame; three ages of Parmigiano; two fresh pastas; a sandwich, focaccia or savoury pie; two pastries; gelato; coffee; a glass each of Colli di Parma white and red; and a taste of traditional balsamic from Modena. It covers about 3 km, is wheelchair and stroller accessible, and offers vegetarian and gluten-free options with notice (not vegan). One thing to check: the listing has a cheaper option that does not include the tastings, so pick the one that does.
Parma's best-rated walk: five private stops with culatello, three ages of Parmigiano, fresh pasta and two wines.
Explore the private food and wine walkWhat is the food and sightseeing walk?
Two shared hours from Palazzo Dalla Rosa Prati on Strada Duomo, mixing the old town's history with pastry and coffee, three ages of Parmigiano, cured meats, bread and a glass of wine.
The food and sightseeing walk ($74, 4.7 from 226 reviews) is lighter on food and heavier on stories: guests praise the history, and the guide adds tips on where to eat for the rest of your stay. It starts with a pastry of your choice at a traditional bakery, then Parmigiano in three ages and DOP cured meats including Parma ham. A vegetarian option is available on request, but there is no gluten-free option at the pastry stop, and under-18s get a soft drink instead of wine.
Two hours of Parma's history with pastry, three ages of Parmigiano, cured meats and wine.
Check dates for the food and sightseeing walkWhat is the full-meal food walk?
Three and a half hours from the Garibaldi monument in a small group, with four or more stops that add up to a proper meal: prosciutto, Parmigiano, pasta, trippa alla parmigiana and gelato.
The full-meal walk by Do Eat Better is the one to book instead of lunch or dinner. The pasta is seasonal, often tortelli or tagliatelle, and the trippa comes in tomato sauce under a snow of Parmigiano. Water and one alcoholic drink are included. Expect 10 to 15 minutes of walking between some stops; children under 10 pay less and under-5s go free with a ticket. One guest regretted being seated outside on a cold day, so ask for a table inside in winter.
Lunch or dinner as a walk: prosciutto, Parmigiano, pasta, trippa and gelato with a local guide.
Explore the full-meal food walkWhat do you eat on a Parma food walk?
Cured meats, Parmigiano in several ages, fresh pasta, a savoury snack, pastries and gelato, with Lambrusco or Colli di Parma wine.
- Cured meats: Prosciutto di Parma, Culatello di Zibello, coppa and salame; culatello is on the private walk's board.
- Parmigiano Reggiano: usually three ages, from about 12 to 36 months.
- Fresh pasta: tortelli d'erbetta, anolini in brodo or tagliatelle, depending on the day and the season.
- Local dishes: torta fritta (fried dough), trippa alla parmigiana, focaccia or savoury pie.
- Sweet: pastries from a historic bakery and artisan gelato.
- To drink: Lambrusco, Malvasia or Colli di Parma wines, and coffee.
- Balsamic: some walks pour a taste of traditional balsamic, which comes from Modena and Reggio Emilia, not Parma.
Private or shared: which walk should you pick?
Private for families, dietary needs or a relaxed pace; shared to save money or meet other travellers; the full-meal walk if it replaces a meal.
- Families and wheelchair users: the private walk, which is wheelchair and stroller accessible.
- Vegetarians: the private walk or the food and sightseeing walk, both with notice; not vegans.
- Budget: the $74 food and sightseeing walk.
- Big appetite: the private walk or the full-meal walk; do not book dinner afterwards.
- Groups over 12: contact the full-meal walk's operator before booking.
Private, three hours, wheelchair and stroller accessible: the top-rated walk in Parma.
Check dates for the private food and wine walkCan you combine a food walk with a dairy tour?
Yes, and it is the best way to see Parma's food: a dairy and ham tour in the morning, when the cheese is made, and a walk later in the day.
The Parmigiano and Parma ham tour takes about four hours from Parma, so a morning start leaves the afternoon or evening free for a walk. Do not stack the private walk straight after a ham tasting, or plan a light lunch in between. If you have only one slot, decide what matters more: seeing the process, or eating a meal of it. All the options are in Parma food tours compared.
Morning at a dairy and a family ham maker, walk in the evening: book the dairy side first.
Check dates for the Parmigiano and Parma ham tourFrequently asked questions
How much food do you get on a Parma food walk?
On the private walk and the full-meal walk, enough for lunch or dinner. The food and sightseeing walk is more of a generous snack with pastry, cheese, cured meats and bread.
Are Parma food walks suitable for vegetarians?
Partly. The private walk and the food and sightseeing walk offer vegetarian options with notice, but none suit vegans, and Parmigiano is made with animal rennet.
Do the walks visit a cheese factory?
No. The walks stay in the old centre and taste the products; to see cheese or ham being made you need a production tour to a dairy or a ham maker.
Can children join a Parma food walk?
Yes. The full-meal walk discounts under-10s and lets under-5s in free with a ticket, and the private walk is stroller accessible. Under-18s get soft drinks instead of wine.
Ready to book
Choose your tour
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Parma Private Food and Wine Walking Tour
- Private local guide, start at Caffè San Pietro, Piazza Garibaldi
- Cold-cut board with Prosciutto di Parma, Culatello di Zibello, coppa and salame
- Three ages of Parmigiano Reggiano, two fresh pastas, pastries and gelato
