Getting Around Parma
Parma is a compact, flat city, and the historic centre is small enough that most visitors cover it comfortably on foot. The city is divided by the stream of the same name, with the Oltretorrente district on the west bank; reaching the sights across the river takes a little more walking, but still not much. Because the terrain is level, cycling is very popular with locals, and dedicated cycle paths exist around the city.
Walking and Cycling
Walking is the simplest way to see Parma. Virtually everything in the historic centre sits within easy, leisurely walking distance, and the major attractions are concentrated there. If you want to cover more ground, bicycles can be rented from "La cicletteria di Parma," just outside the train station at ground level. You will need to leave an ID (European ID card, driving licence or passport) as a deposit; the shop keeps limited hours. Bike and scooter sharing is also available through Parma Bike Sharing, which uses docked bikes at stations around the city centre, and dott., which offers dockless bikes and scooters.
Trains
Parma's railway station sits on Piazzale Carlo Alberto dalla Chiesa, and from there it is an easy walk into the historic centre. The station is also the city's transport hub: the bus station is right next to it, and taxis wait there. Rail connections make Parma straightforward to reach from elsewhere in northern Italy — Bologna is about an hour away by train, and Milan can be reached on Freccia Bianca intercity services.
Buses and Public Transport
Urban and provincial buses are run by TEP (Trasporti Emiliani Parma), which operates an extensive network covering practically the entire city as well as links to the surrounding province. Bus stops generally display route and schedule maps, and buses run at regular intervals of roughly ten to fifteen minutes. Urban daytime services operate from early morning until around 8pm, with a separate night service running on selected lines every 30 minutes — until midnight from Sunday to Thursday and until 1:30am on Friday and Saturday. Some lines follow a limited route at night.
Google Maps supports public transport directions within the city, which makes planning a journey simple.
- Tickets: A single urban ticket is valid for 80 minutes and also covers a night bus ride. Multi-ride and daily tickets are available, and extra-urban fares are calculated by zone for travel into the province.
- Where to buy: Tobacco shops (tabaccai), authorised sale points, automatic ticket machines at the train station bus stop, and the Teseo or Muver apps.
- Contactless payment: On urban buses you can pay by tapping a contactless Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, VPay or Visa Electron card at the validator when boarding. The system works out the most convenient fare, and one card is needed per passenger.
- Validation: Tickets must be validated — or your card or device tapped — on each boarding and again when switching routes.
- Ticket offices: TEP has an office at the Cicletteria in the train station (Piazzale Dalla Chiesa) and another at Barriera Bixio (Piazzale Barbieri 1), both open weekday mornings and early afternoons. They sell tickets, passes and Mi Muovo cards, and handle season-ticket subscriptions and recharges by appointment. Ticket machines are available at the railway station and at the Barriera Bixio office.
- Regional passes: Mi Muovo is an integrated public transport pass for the Emilia-Romagna region. Short-stay visitors may find "Mi Muovo Multibus," a 12-trip bus ticket, useful.
- Service disruptions: On strike days a reduced service runs, with buses operating only in the morning and early afternoon. Day services do not run on Christmas Day, on the morning of 1 January (all day on extra-urban routes) or on 1 May. Night services do not run on 1 May or on 24, 25 and 31 December.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis wait at the train station and across the street from the Governor's Palace (Palazzo del Governatore) in the centre of town. These two ranks are the practical places to find a cab.
Driving and Parking
If you arrive by car, note that Parma operates an access control system restricting entry to the city centre to local tagged vehicles only; the system is generally switched off after midnight. Parking downtown can be a challenge, but there are several parking garages outside the city centre, the largest of which is behind Teatro Due. Rental cars are available at the small airport just outside town.
Getting In from the Airport
Parma's airport, Aeroporto "Giuseppe Verdi" (PMF), lies just outside the city to the north-west and serves a limited number of destinations. Rental cars are available there. The other close airport is in Bologna, which has a shuttle service connecting the airport to Bologna Centrale train station; from there you can continue to Parma by train.