Parma is located in Northern Italy, about halfway between Milan and Bologna. It is well connected by air, train and road alike.
We have listed all the main information regarding reaching Parma hereafter, but feel free to contact us at general.icocims@unipr.it if you need any further help. Please, mind placing the “[LOGISTICS]” tag at the beginning of the subject of your email so that it can be sorted out quicker by our team.
Arriving by Air
Closest airport for Parma is, of course, “Giuseppe Verdi” Parma international airport (PMF). PMF is served by Ryanair, flying multiple days a week to Cagliari, Malta and Palermo, and FlyOne, flying three days a week to its hub in Chişinău. Bus line number 6 goes from the Airport to the city center two times per hour, the ticket costs only €1,60 and can also be bought on the bus by credit or debit card.
“Guglielmo Marconi” Bologna international airport (BLQ) is the second closest airport to Parma and is quite well connected to Europe and other continents too.
Reaching Parma from Bologna airport is simple as the airport is connected to the “Bologna Centrale” railway station via an automatic people mover, the “Marconi Express”, which runs frequently and can be boarded ticketless by paying with a contactless card or device. From “Bologna Centrale”, reaching Parma will then be as easy as catching one of the many (Regional, Inter City or high speed) direct trains covering the route every hour.
Bergamo – Orio al Serio international airport (BGY) is one of major Ryanair hubs in Europe and as such is a busy and very well connected airport with destinations ranging from far west islands in the Atlantic, to the Middle East as far as Dubai. In addition, flying into Bergamo (also advertised as Milan – Bergamo sometimes) is usually pretty affordable.
From BGY, you can reach Parma by bus (directly or with one stop) or by bus and rail (with a stop in “Milano Centrale” railway station). Many companies offer, directly or thru airlines, bus tickets from the airport to “Milano Centrale” or to other destinations. We recommend using Google Maps to find the bus company that offers the best connection for your schedule, and also buying bus tickets in advance.
Milan – Malpensa international airport (MXP) is Italy’s second busiest airport, connecting the North of the country to many European and Intercontinental destinations. Many full service carriers from all continents, and low cost airlines fly there. easyJet even has its own terminal (Terminal 2) at MXP!
Reaching Parma from Malpensa is also pretty convenient as it can be done completely by train (both Malpensa terminals host train stops for the “Malpensa Express” service), with a stop in “Milano Centrale”, in approximately 2 hours. “Malpensa Express” tickets can be bought in advance, or as a return ticket, at a small discount. Although, the “Malpensa Express” tickets can also be made on the spot as the train can also be boarded ticketless by waving your contactless card or device at the turnstile. Other than completely by train, bus and rail is an option here too, always with a stop in “Milano Centrale”.
Milan – Linate international airport (LIN) is Milan’s city airport, very close to its city center, and mainly business focused, even though is also visited by some low cost airlines flights fairly frequently.
Milan – Linate is only a few minutes by bus or metro (M4 line) from most Milan suburban railway stations, from which you can then connect on Regional services towards Parma, and also from “Milano Centrale”. Tickets for the metro or the busses can be bought on the spot when entering the metro station (at automatic ticket machines or by using a contactless card or device at the turnstile) or boarding the bus.
Florence (FLR), Pisa (PSA), Verona (VRN) and Genoa (GOA) are other relatively nearby international airports which are, although, less conveniently reachable from Parma.
Arriving by Rail
Parma rail station is very well connected to other Italian cities and, through them, even to major international rail lines (i.e., Parma-Bologna-Munich). It is also at a walkable distance from the city center.
By local trains (numbering starting with “R”, Regional), which are cheap and fairly frequent, Parma can be reached in under 1,5 hours from both Milan or Bologna. It can be reached only slightly faster if taking a long distance train (“IC”, Inter City or “FR”, Frecciarossa, a high-speed train brand).
Parma is also directly connected to Brescia and Suzzara in Lombardy, and to Genoa and Pisa (via La Spezia).
The prices of regional trains remain constant over time and can be bought until a few minutes before departure. On the other hand, Inter City and high-speed trains (such as Frecciarossa, Frecciargento, and Italo) offer lower prices for advance bookings and, in some cases, may even be more affordable than Regional train tickets. You can look for trains timetables and buy tickets on The Trainline website or on the Trenitalia website.
Arriving by Bus or Car
Parma is also easily reachable by bus from many European and Italian cities, we recommend checking FlixBus or, if coming from Italy, Itabus for tickets.
Moreover, MediopadanaLink (website in Italian only) offers quick (under an hour) and frequent connections between the “Mediopadana” high speed rail station in Reggio Emilia and the city center of Parma.
Most long distance busses stop at the Parma bus station, which lies attached to the Parma rail station, very close (also by walking) to Parma city center, or even right in the city center.
If coming by car, we recommend exiting the highway at the “Parma” exit, on the A1 highway. Street parking is regulated and must be paid for in most of the city center.
If coming by car at “Sede Centrale” venue (located in strada dell’Università, 12), we advice parking at the APCOA “Toschi” underground parking garage located in via Paolo Toschi, 2.
If coming by car at the “Aule Centrali, Polo Gramsci” venue (located inside the University Hospital complex, in via Antonio Gramsci, 14) we recommend leaving your car in the APCOA “Abbeveratoia” parking facility, located in via Abbeveratoia, 4.