Booking choice: The Parmigiano and Parma ham tour, from $154 per person. Check dates Compare the options below
Most visitors see a ham producer as the second half of a Parmigiano tour: the dairy first thing in the morning, then a short drive into the hills. A ham-only tour exists too, and so does a museum in Langhirano and a festival every September.
This guide covers what you see at a producer, which tours include one and at what price, the Museo del Prosciutto, the festival, and how to choose.
The quick answer
The easiest way to visit a Prosciutto di Parma producer is the $154 Parmigiano and Parma ham tour, which visits a small family ham maker after the dairy, with transport from Parma. Add a balsamic maker near Modena on the $208 day, or go private for $220. The Museo del Prosciutto in Langhirano opens at weekends from March to early December for EUR 5, and the town holds a ham festival in early September.
Can you visit a Prosciutto di Parma producer?
Yes, on a guided tour: most combine a small family ham maker in the hills with a Parmigiano dairy, and there is one ham-only tour.
Prosciutto di Parma is a PDO ham made only from the whole leg on the bone, cured in the hills south of Parma around Langhirano. The producers on the tours are small, family businesses rather than big plants: guests on the ParmaLook tours often mention meeting the owner, Claudio, and several name the producer as Salumificio Ziveri Claudio. You cannot usually just turn up at a prosciuttificio, so a tour is the practical way in.
What happens on a Parma ham tour?
You follow the ham from fresh leg to finished prosciutto: the cold rooms and salting machines, the resting cells, the curing rooms, the needle test and the crown brand, then a tasting with wine.
- History: a short introduction to the ham and the rules.
- The cold stage: where fresh legs are chosen, trimmed and salted, with the salting machinery and the refrigerated resting cells.
- The curing rooms: long rows of hams and a smell you will not forget.
- Spillatura: the needle test, sniffed by an expert, that decides which hams earn the crown brand.
- Tasting: Parma ham, often aged 24 months, with bread and a glass of local wine such as Lambrusco.
Which tours include a Parma ham producer?
The $154 Parmigiano and Parma ham tour, the $208 cheese, ham and balsamic day and the $220 private Food Valley tour, plus a ham-only tour and train packages from other cities.
From-prices per person in USD; ratings are each platform's own. The last three rows are listings we do not link, for comparison.
| Tour | Sold on | With the ham maker | Length | Rating | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parmigiano and Parma ham tour | GetYourGuide | Parmigiano dairy, van from Parma | 4 hours | 4.9 (954) | $154 |
| Cheese, ham and balsamic | GetYourGuide | Dairy and a Modena balsamic maker | 6.5 hours | 4.9 (317) | $208 |
| Food Valley private tour | Viator | Dairy, Torrechiara photo stop, private | 4 hours | 4.9 (131) | $220 |
| Prosciutto di Parma tour (ham only) | GetYourGuide | Van from Viale Borsellino, 24-month ham tasting | 2.5 hours | 4.6 (64) | $99 |
| Tour at a Parma ham producer (ham only) | Viator | Afternoon start at 2 PM | 3 hours | 4.2 (6) | $101 |
| Train packages from Bologna, Milan or Florence | GetYourGuide | Dairy, 1st-class Italo train | 6 to 8 hours | 4.4 (13) from Bologna | $191 |
Is there a ham-only tour, and is it worth it?
Yes: ParmaLook sells a 2.5-hour ham-only tour for about $99, but for $154 the same operator adds a working Parmigiano dairy, so most people are better off with the combined tour.
The ham-only tour leaves from Viale Paolo Borsellino 31 by the station, drives about 40 minutes into the hills, spends an hour at the producer and ends with 24-month ham, homemade bread and wine; it is rated 4.6 from 64 reviews and is not suitable for vegetarians. A similar afternoon version on Viator has only 6 reviews, one calling it too expensive. The difference to the dairy and ham tour is about $55, and that buys the more interesting half of the morning. The ham-only tour makes sense only if you have already seen a dairy.
For about $55 more than a ham-only visit: a working Parmigiano dairy and a family ham maker, with transport.
Explore the Parmigiano and Parma ham tourHow is Prosciutto di Parma made?
From the whole hind leg on the bone, salted and cured for at least 14 months in the hills around Langhirano, then branded with the ducal crown.
The minimum aging used to be 12 months; the new rules raised it to 14. The legs are salted, rested in cold rooms and then left to cure for months, and only then tested with the needle and branded. Most of what you taste on the tours has been aged longer: the ParmaLook tasting on Viator lists 24 months. On a food walk in town the ham is sliced to order at the counter, which is the other way to taste the difference between producers.
Can you visit the Prosciutto museum in Langhirano?
Yes: the Museo del Prosciutto di Parma is in the former Foro Boario, Via Bocchialini 7, Langhirano, open Saturdays, Sundays and holidays 10 AM to 6 PM from 1 March to 8 December; EUR 5, with a ham tasting for EUR 3.
Reduced tickets are EUR 4, and ages 6 to 18 pay EUR 3. The museum is part of the Musei del Cibo network, whose EUR 12 card also covers the Parmigiano, pasta, tomato, wine and salame museums; see Parma food museums. Because it opens only at weekends, it pairs well with a weekday tour to a producer. Langhirano is also near the castle of Torrechiara, where the private Food Valley tour stops for photos.
A private morning at a dairy and a ham maker, with a photo stop below Torrechiara castle.
Check dates for the Food Valley private tourWhen is the Festival del Prosciutto di Parma?
In early September in Langhirano: in 2026 it ran from 4 to 6 September, with ham makers opening their doors for Finestre Aperte from 5 to 20 September.
The festival fills Langhirano with tastings, stalls and events, and during Finestre Aperte (open windows) ham makers open their doors to the public. The 2026 edition is over, and the 2027 dates are not out yet; check the Prosciutto di Parma consortium's site before planning a trip around it. The rest of the year, a tour is the way in.
Which Parma ham tour should you book?
The dairy and ham tour for most people, the balsamic day if you want all three products, and the private tour for families or slow travellers.
- First visit, half a day: the Parmigiano and Parma ham tour, starting early.
- All three famous products: the cheese, ham and balsamic day, which ends near Modena.
- Your own pace, or a family: the private Food Valley tour with a driver or your own car.
- Already seen a dairy: the ham-only tour, or the museum at a weekend.
- Vegetarians: skip the ham tours; the dairy visits and the food walks adapt better.
Parmigiano, Parma ham and traditional balsamic from Modena in one guided day.
Check dates for the cheese, ham and balsamic tourFrequently asked questions
How long is Prosciutto di Parma aged?
At least 14 months under the current rules (it used to be 12). The ham served on the tours is often aged longer, around 24 months.
Where is Prosciutto di Parma made?
In the hills south of Parma around Langhirano, from the whole leg on the bone. Every approved ham is branded with the ducal crown.
Can I visit a Parma ham factory without a tour?
Not usually. Producers are working businesses; the easiest chance is Finestre Aperte in September, when ham makers open their doors around the Langhirano festival.
Is the Museo del Prosciutto open on weekdays?
Not for individual visitors: it opens on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 1 March to 8 December. Groups can book weekday visits.
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.
Parmigiano and Parma Ham Production Tour
- Transport from pickup points in Parma and back (about 20 minutes each way)
- Guided Parmigiano Reggiano dairy and aging-room visit
- A small family Prosciutto di Parma producer in the hills
Cheese, Ham & Balsamic Vinegar Tour
Parmigiano, prosciutto and Modena balsamic
