Parma Food Valley
Private Food Tour from Milan
Watch Parmigiano Reggiano being made at dawn, walk through the ageing rooms of a Parma ham producer and finish in the old town. 10 hours by private Mercedes, fixed price from €920 per car.
Book this day trip
Parma Food Valley · private and tailor-made
Book this day trip
See the price for your car now, then send the request: we confirm the driver and send a secure payment link. The itinerary is yours to change: tell us your stops in the notes.
- CarsMercedes E-Class up to 2 guests, V-Class up to 6
- Pick-upYour hotel in Milan, or Malpensa, Linate, Bergamo (+€60)
- PaymentNothing now: we confirm, then send a secure link
Cheese, ham and a ducal city in one day
The countryside around Parma produces two of the best-known foods in Italy. Parmigiano Reggiano is made every morning in small dairies across the plain, from raw milk, salt and rennet, then aged for at least 12 months. Prosciutto di Parma comes from the hills south of the city around Langhirano, where the legs are cured with nothing but salt and air for at least 14 months. Parma itself, about 125 km from Milan on the A1, is an elegant small city with a Romanesque cathedral and the Farnese palace, which makes this one of the most satisfying day trips from Milan for anyone who travels to eat.
Timing matters. The cheese is made early in the day, so to see the cheesemakers at work we leave Milan around 7:15 and reach the dairy by about 9:00. The ham producer and lunch follow in the hills, and the afternoon is free for the old town. Dairy and producer visits must be booked in advance and are not included in the price; we can help you arrange them. A glass of Lambrusco or Malvasia at lunch is no problem either: you are not the one driving. The price is per vehicle, not per person: from €920 with an E-Class for two, from €1,040 with a V-Class for up to six.
Parma Day at a Glance
Parma Food Tour Itinerary
An early start to catch the cheesemaking, then ham, lunch and the city: 10 hours door to door.
Tailor-made, always. This itinerary is our suggestion only: every MilanobyCar day trip is tailor-made. Change the stops, the order and the timing as you like, or tell us your own plan in the booking notes.
Your driver, your local insider. Our chauffeurs are not licensed tour guides and do not guide you inside museums or sites, but they know these places well from years on the road: ask them for the best viewpoints, where to eat, where to stroll and how to avoid the busiest spots. If you would like a licensed guide, we can book one for you.
Early pick-up at your hotel in Milan
An early start is the key to this day. Your driver meets you in the lobby and takes the A1 Autostrada del Sole south-east past Lodi and Piacenza.
Parmigiano Reggiano, from milk to wheel
In the morning the milk is heated in copper vats, the curd is broken up and the cheesemakers lift each new wheel out in a linen cloth. Then the brine baths and the tall ageing rooms, and a tasting of cheeses of different ages.
A Prosciutto di Parma producer near Langhirano
In the hills south of Parma a producer shows you the salting, the resting rooms and the long ageing halls, with a tasting at the end. The Prosciutto di Parma museum in Langhirano is an alternative or an addition.
Torta fritta and tortelli in the hills
Parma cooking is rich: torta fritta with cured meats, tortelli d’erbetta with butter and Parmigiano, anolini in broth. Your driver can suggest a trattoria and book a table; the Torrechiara castle is close by.
Parma: Duomo, Baptistery and the Pilotta
The centre is a limited-traffic zone, so we drop you close to Piazza Duomo. Inside the cathedral is Correggio’s painted dome; next door is Antelami’s octagonal Baptistery in pink marble. The Pilotta palace holds the wooden Teatro Farnese and the National Gallery.
Back to your hotel in Milan
Door-to-door return, or a drop-off at Malpensa, Linate or a hotel elsewhere. Wheels of cheese and hams travel well in the boot.
Parma Food Tour Prices — 10-Hour Private Car
Prices are per vehicle for the whole 10-hour day with distance included, whatever the number of passengers. Saturdays and Sundays +20%, major holidays +50%, airport pick-up +€60. Extra hours €75 with the E-Class, €85 with the V-Class, bookable in the form below.
- •Early start for the cheesemaking
- •English-speaking chauffeur
- •10 hours · distance included
- •Early start for the cheesemaking
- •English-speaking chauffeur
- •10 hours · distance included
- •Executive luxury sedan
- •English-speaking chauffeur
Included in the price
- ✓Private Mercedes and English-speaking chauffeur for the whole day
- ✓Door-to-door pick-up and return in Milan
- ✓Fuel, motorway tolls and parking for the car
- ✓Bottled water on board
- ✓Child seats on request, free of charge
- ✓Driver waiting during your visits
Not included — paid separately
- ✕Dairy and ham producer visits and tastings (booked in advance)
- ✕Museum, Baptistery and Pilotta tickets
- ✕Meals, drinks and food you buy
- ✕Licensed local guide (bookable on request)
Milan to Parma: The Route
About 125 km south-east on the A1 Autostrada del Sole, 1 hour 20 to 30 minutes. The dairies lie on the plain around the city; Langhirano and the ham producers are about 20 km south of Parma in the first hills.
Parma Food Tour from Milan — FAQ
Parma by private car or by train?
The train from Milan Centrale reaches Parma in under an hour, which suits a city visit. The dairies and ham producers, however, are in the countryside with no public transport, and the cheesemaking starts early. A private car is the only easy way to see all three in one day.
Why Parma is worth a day from Milan
Few places let you see so clearly where famous food comes from. Parma is a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, and in a single day you can follow Parmigiano Reggiano from the copper vat to the ageing shelf, see how Prosciutto di Parma is cured, and still have time for Correggio and the Baptistery.
How much is a Parma day trip?
MilanobyCar charges a fixed price per car: from €920 for two passengers in a Mercedes E-Class and from €1,040 for up to six in a V-Class, for a 10-hour day including driver, fuel, tolls and parking. The exact price for your date appears in the booking form.
Book Your Parma Day Trip — Private Mercedes from Milan
10 hours, early start, English-speaking driver. We help you book the dairy and the ham producer.
or call +39 335 821 0912