Parmigiano and Parma ham tours: the three that do both

Parma ham and Parmigiano Reggiano laid out for a tasting

In short: three tours here pair a Parmigiano dairy with Parma ham. They split by where they start and what they add: one from Parma with pickup, one from Parma with a private guide and balsamic as well, and one with a transfer from Bologna that leaves lunch to you. The cheese half is the same morning visit you could book direct. The ham stop and the driving are what you are adding.

From Parma, with pickup€135

Plus balsamic, private guide€183

From Bologna, with transfer€198

Lunch on the Bologna tourExcluded

Most bookedThe €135 tour

Free cancellationUp to 24 h

Why I pair them

I was born in Langhirano, the prosciutto town in the hills south of Parma, and my grandfather was a casaro, a cheesemaker, at a small dairy up there. So cheese and ham in one morning is simply what a day out looked like when I was a child. I am not going to pad this page with ham lore; this site is about the cheese, and I only write here what I have checked. What I can tell you is how the three tours that combine them differ, and which one I would pick.

The three

Most booked

€135: Parmigiano production and Parma ham

The most booked tour on this site, 4.9 from 954 reviews. It includes pickup and drop-off, runs about four hours, and covers a guide, entry and the tasting; gratuities are excluded. John from Germany: “Go early. You see cheese come out of vats.” Carolyn from the United States found the guide knowledgeable and the morning informative and fun. Arrive late and it counts as a no-show, non-refundable and non-reschedulable. For someone in Parma without a car this is the one I suggest first. My full notes are in the cheese and ham tour review.

Check dates on the cheese and ham tour

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start, on all seven tours listed here. Arriving late is different: some operators treat it as a no-show, with no refund.

€183: cheese, ham and balsamic

4.9 from 317, with a private guide and headsets, and balsamic vinegar as the third stop. Alistair from Australia wrote that the guide, Loris, was passionate and knowledgeable and used his connections. The same late-arrival rule as the €135 tour applies. The extra €48 over the €135 buys the balsamic and the private guide. The detail is in the cheese, ham and balsamic review.

Check dates on the cheese, ham and balsamic tour

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start, on all seven tours listed here. Arriving late is different: some operators treat it as a no-show, with no refund.

€198: from Bologna, lunch not included

4.7 from 167. The transfer from Bologna is included and the day is cheese and ham producers. Lunch is excluded. Olga from the United States found learning how the products are made fascinating. If you are based in Bologna this is the ham tour that brings you, and the balsamic alternative is on tours from Bologna.

Side by side

	Most bookedParma: Parmigiano Production and Parma Ham Tour & Tasting	Parma: Cheese, Ham, & Balsamic Vinegar Tour with Tastings	From Bologna: Parma Cheese & Ham Factory Tours and Tastings
Price	€135 per person	€183 per person	€198 per person
Listed from	Parma	Parma	Bologna
Transport	Pickup and drop-off	Not stated	Transfer from Bologna
Length	About 4 h	Not stated	Not stated
Balsamic	—	Yes	—
Lunch	—	—	Excluded
Rating	4.9 from 954	4.9 from 317	4.7 from 167
Free cancellation	✓ Up to 24 h before	✓ Up to 24 h before	✓ Up to 24 h before
	Book this →	View →	View →

Arrive on timeOn the €135 and the €183 tours, arriving late counts as a no-show, “non-refundable and non-reschedulable”. The 24-hour free cancellation does not cover it. These tours start in the morning because the cheese is made in the morning.

The cheese half you could book yourself

None of these tours shows you anything at the dairy that the dairy wouldn’t show you for €15 to €35 through the Consorzio’s own booking page. What you are paying for is the ride, the ham stop and, on the €183 tour, the balsamic. With a car, I would book the dairy direct for an early slot and find the ham afterwards. Without one, the €135 tour is the straightforward answer.

The order matters

Whichever you choose, ask what time the dairy part starts. You want the extraction, when the wheels are lifted out of the vats in linen. That happens early, and a ham tasting can wait until after.

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Frequently asked questions

Is there a tour that combines Parmigiano and Parma ham?

Three on this site: the €135 Parmigiano production and Parma ham tour from Parma, with pickup and drop-off; the €183 cheese, ham and balsamic tour with a private guide; and the €198 tour from Bologna, which includes the transfer but not lunch.

Which cheese and ham tour includes pickup?

The €135 tour includes pickup and drop-off, and the €198 tour includes a transfer from Bologna. How the ride compares on price with booking a dairy direct is on what a Parmigiano tour costs.

Is lunch included on the cheese and ham tours?

It is excluded on the €198 tour from Bologna. I have nothing about lunch on the other two listings, so I would plan to eat afterwards.

What time do cheese and ham tours start?

Check each listing, because I won’t guess a departure time. The start matters because the extraction happens early; the reasons are on what time to visit.