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Flavours of Emilia Romagna

Parma to Modena by bike
 
Food lovers are in for a real treat on this leisurely, self-guided cycling holiday, which explores Italy’s most gastronomic region. With your luggage transferred ahead, you cycle from Parma to Modena on routes that promise historic interest and superb, world-famous cuisine.
Flavours of Emilia Romagna. 6 nights
+44 (0)1653 617001 Call now
Flavours of Emilia Romagna. 6 nights
+44 (0)1653 617001 Call now
 

Holiday information

 

A cycling holiday in Emilia Romagna

It may be one of Italy’s lesser-visited regions, but Emilia Romagna is remarkable. Not only is it the country’s gastronomic heart – home to such culinary superstars as Parmigiano Reggiano and Parma ham – but its cities are fascinating and its countryside ideal for cycling.
This holiday begins in Parma, where impressive architecture meets artisan food producers. You are based in the atmospheric city centre, but our routes also take you into the surrounding countryside for far-reaching views across gently rolling hills and vast, fertile plains. As the week progresses, you have endless opportunities to try the region’s many specialities and to explore its thriving towns – where historic centres are lined with grand public buildings and the backstreets teem with high-quality restaurants. Providing a fitting finale to your journey across Emilia Romagna is Modena: a city of must-see sights and magnificent, must-sample cuisine.

To give yourself time to enjoy the cycling and to explore Parma and Modena – both a perfect size for discovering on foot – we highly recommend adding an extra night or two to your holiday.
 
Gallery

 

Itinerary

The key to Inntravel holidays is flexibility. You can start on the day of your choice, and are free to add extra nights.
  • The average maximum daytime temperatures and monthly rainfall relate to the nearest weather station and are intended as a guide only.
    Average temperatures and rainfall
      Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
    °C 9 10 14 17 23 27 31 32 26 21 14 10
    mm 57 58 62 85 65 57 41 34 59 67 83 71
  • Arrival in Parma
    Night 1: at Hotel Button (the first of two nights here).
    As your first night’s accommodation is on the day of travel, Day 1 is your first day of cycling.
  • Circular route from Parma: 44km; ascent/descent 190m
    An ideal warm-up ride, this first route takes you away from the city and into the ‘Food Valley’ that lies to Parma’s south. Here you will find the Museo del Vino, housed in a 15th-century fortress. Tour the museum and soak in the sweeping valley views from the fortress before following the River Baganza back to Parma.

    Parma is a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy famed for its Prosciutto di Parma (Parma ham) and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, but it also has a raft of architectural delights. These include the pink Verona-marble Battistero (baptistry), the Pilotta Palace, which houses the fabulous Farnese Theatre and the National Gallery, plus the Duomo with its frescoed dome masterpiece.
    Cycle right through the heart of Parma
    Circular route from Parma: 44km
  • Parma to Reggio Emilia: 42km; ascent/descent 195m
    A wonderfully varied route separates Parma from your next destination – the small city of Reggio Emilia. As you pedal south then east, you cross wide, cultivated countryside where the region’s prized Parmigiano cheese and Parma ham are produced. The route delivers you right into the thriving and cycle-friendly centre of Reggio, where bustling squares are framed by grand public buildings, and where Italy’s national flag, the Tricolore, was born. Here you stay one night at the historic Hotel Posta.
    Pick up lunch provisions from a deli
    Parma to Reggio Emilia: 42km
  • Reggio Emilia to Correggio: 24km; ascent 20m/descent 50m
    Leaving Reggio Emilia, you head north into the Po Valley, on whose fertile plains agriculture has long prospered – leading to the area being named Italy’s ‘bread basket’ and ‘fruit bowl’. After exploring the landscapes from where some of the country’s most flavoursome ingredients hale, you continue to the delightful small town of Correggio, which, with its porticoed streets and Renaissance architecture, makes for an inviting stopover en route to Modena. Your one night in the town is spent in its very centre, at Hotel Medaglioni.
    Reggio Emilia
    Reggio Emilia to Correggio: 24km
  • Correggio to Modena: 46km; ascent 55m/descent 45m
    As well as exploring the vine-clad countryside where the light and fruity Lambrusco grape thrives, your journey from Correggio to Modena takes you to the Renaissance jewel of Carpi – a town with a rich artistic heritage and an extraordinary piazza, the third largest in Italy. Your final destination is yet more magnificent, however: once you reach Modena, take time to pause in its beautiful centre and to admire the three UNESCO World Heritage Sites – the Romanesque cathedral, Ghirlandina Tower and Piazza Grande – before continuing to your final two-night base, the central Hotel Canalgrande.
    Cycle into Modena
    Correggio to Modena: 46km
  • Circular route from Modena: 46km; ascent/descent 145m
    Your final ride begins by following the network of roads and cycle paths that lie at the foot of the mighty Apennine Mountains. A real highlight of this route is the chance to visit the fortified village of Castelvetro – where we include a tour and tasting at a traditional balsamic vinegar producer. Enjoy a leisurely lunch here before getting back in the saddle one last time to return to Modena.
    Visit the Vecchia Dispensa for a tour
    Circular route from Modena: 46km
 

Accommodation

All our hotels enjoy an excellent central location.
 

Extend your stay

 
Prices & travel options
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  • 6 nights: 01 April 2024 - 30 June 2024, 01 September 2024 - 31 October 2024, 01 April 2025 - 30 June 2025 & 01 September 2025 - 31 October 2025

    Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above

    Starting Price Single room
    1 - 30 Apr 2024 £1065 £460
    1 - 19 May 2024 £1095 £525
    20 May - 24 Jun 2024 £1140 £530
    1 - 25 Sep 2024 £1170 £575
    26 Sep - 25 Oct 2024 £1155 £495
    1 - 30 Apr 2025 £1110 £480
    1 - 19 May 2025 £1140 £550
    20 May - 24 Jun 2025 £1190 £555
    1 - 25 Sep 2025 £1220 £600
    26 Sep - 25 Oct 2025 £1205 £515
    3rd & 4th person discount -£150 to -£155
    Single traveller supplement £150 to £160

    Includes accommodation, meals, bike hire, luggage transfers and any other services integral to the holiday as described, plus cycling notes and maps, but no travel from the UK, nor any connecting travel from the airport unless stated below.

    Electric bikes available: add £30pp in 2023 or £33pp in 2024

    Book your flights through us and we'll find the best route and times to suit you. Please contact us to find out more about our flight booking service. We can also book connecting travel - see below.

  • Room upgrades (£ per person per night)

    Hotel Posta, Reggio Emilia
    Junior suite: 01 Apr - 30 Jun 2024 £15
    Junior suite: 01 Sep - 31 Oct 2024 £15
    Junior suite: 01 Apr - 30 Jun 2025 £16
    Junior suite: 01 Sep - 31 Oct 2025 £16
    Superior: 01 Apr - 30 Jun 2024 £9
    Superior: 01 Sep - 31 Oct 2024 £9
    Superior: 01 Apr - 30 Jun 2025 £9
    Superior: 01 Sep - 31 Oct 2025 £9
    Hotel dei Medaglioni, Correggio
    Superior: 01 Apr - 30 Jun 2024 £17
    Superior: 01 Sep - 31 Oct 2024 £17
    Superior: 01 Apr - 30 Jun 2025 £18
    Superior: 01 Sep - 31 Oct 2025 £18

    Extra nights (£ per person per night) in a double or single room

    Prices for Parma include an extra day’s hire of a standard bike. If you are upgrading to an e-bike, add a further £6pp per day in 2023 or £7pp in 2024.
    Hotel Button, Parma (B&B) Double room Single room
    01 Apr - 31 Oct 2024 £109 £162
    01 Apr - 31 Oct 2025 £113 £168
    Hotel Canalgrande, Modena (B&B) Double room Single room
    01 Apr - 30 Apr 2024 £140 £228
    01 May - 31 May 2024 £162 £274
    01 Jun - 30 Jun 2024 £169 £287
    01 Sep - 30 Sep 2024 £191 £330
    01 Oct - 31 Oct 2024 £158 £265
    01 Apr - 30 Apr 2025 £150 £242
    01 May - 31 May 2025 £170 £286
    01 Jun - 30 Jun 2025 £180 £303
    01 Sep - 30 Sep 2025 £200 £345
    01 Oct - 31 Oct 2025 £165 £276
  • RECOMMENDED AIRPORT(S):
    Bologna, Milan Malpensa or Milan Linate
    As an alternative to flying, we can arrange rail travel from London

    Travelling from the UK

    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying into Milan. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    Travelling from outside the UK
    We have many years' experience catering for customers who live outside the UK, and will be happy to make tailored arrangements to fit with your plans.

    You have two options:

    1) Book your own flights to London, from where we can book flights and onward connecting travel to your hotel.

    2) Book your own flights direct to an airport appropriate to your chosen holiday. You can either make your own way from the airport to the hotel, or we'll be happy to book onward connecting travel for you. Please consult with us before booking your flights, so that we can advise you on the suitability of your proposed route and timings.
    Outward route Airline
    Aberdeen - Bologna (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Aberdeen - Bologna (via Paris) Air France 
    Aberdeen - Milan Malpensa (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Birmingham - Bologna (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Birmingham - Bologna (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Birmingham - Milan Malpensa (via Zurich) Swiss 
    Outward route Airline
    Bristol - Bologna Ryanair 
    Bristol - Milan Malpensa easyJet,  Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Edinburgh - Bologna Ryanair 
    Edinburgh - Bologna (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Edinburgh - Milan Malpensa easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Glasgow - Bologna (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Humberside - Bologna (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Leeds Bradford - Bologna (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    London City - Milan Malpensa British Airways 
    Outward route Airline
    Gatwick - Bologna easyJet 
    Gatwick - Milan Linate easyJet 
    Gatwick - Milan Malpensa easyJet,  Wizz Air 
    Outward route Airline
    Heathrow - Bologna British Airways 
    Heathrow - Bologna (via Düsseldorf) Eurowings 
    Heathrow - Milan Linate Alitalia,  British Airways 
    Heathrow - Milan Malpensa British Airways 
    Outward route Airline
    Luton - Bologna Ryanair 
    Luton - Milan Malpensa easyJet,  Wizz Air 
    Outward route Airline
    Stansted - Bologna Ryanair 
    Stansted - Milan Malpensa Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Manchester - Bologna Ryanair 
    Manchester - Bologna (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Manchester - Milan Malpensa easyJet,  Flybe,  Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Newcastle - Bologna (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Newcastle - Milan Malpensa (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying into Milan. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    This list of flight options should be used as a guide only, and you should check each airline’s website for current routes, frequency and schedules. Not all flights operate daily, and may not run for the entire season. You should also heed the latest flight arrival time and earliest flight departure time stated in the connecting travel section, as it may not be possible to arrange connecting travel outside these times. Please do not book your flights until we have confirmed your accommodation to you. Alternatively, our expert reservations team will be happy to offer advice and to make flight bookings for you for any of the options listed above. We charge £35 per person for our flight booking service. Your flights are then covered by our package-booking conditions, which give you greater protection in the event of delay or cancellation, as well as providing ATOL cover.

  • Prices below are based on 2 people travelling together. If you are travelling solo or as a party of 3 or more and our arrangements include a taxi, please contact us for prices; additional passengers often pay less.

    Unless otherwise stated, connecting travel by rail or bus tends to be from the city centre station, rather than from its airport, and connections between the two should be paid for locally.

    Where a price range is given, the price you pay depends on your date of travel.

    Connecting travel options - flying via Bologna

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    rail Bologna centrale to Parma (1h) £17-£18 1900
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    rail Modena to Bologna Centrale (0h30) £6 1000

    Connecting travel options - flying via Milan Linate

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    rail Milano centrale to Parma (0h45-1h30) £27-£28 1900
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    rail Modena to Milan Centrale (1h15-2h) £35-£36 1200

    Connecting travel options - flying via Milan Malpensa

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    rail Milano centrale to Parma (0h45-1h30) £27-£28 1900
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    rail Modena to Milan Centrale (1h15-2h) £35-£36 1200
What is included
  • 6 nights
  • 6 breakfasts
  • luggage transported
  • route notes and maps
  • GPS navigation
  • high-quality bicycle
  • guided visit to balsamic vinegar producer
 
Reviews

If you've experienced this holiday first hand, why not write a review?

We are keen for as many customers as possible to review their holiday. To make it easier to do so, we include a specific review section on our post-holiday questionnaire, and this is what we publish here, unedited. Read our full review policy >

 

FAQs

If you have any questions relating to this or any other Inntravel holiday, our friendly travel experts will be happy to help. You might also find our General FAQs section helpful.
  • Our cycle supplier will provide you with a hybrid bike with 21 gears; a bottle holder; map holder; rear panniers; lock; and puncture repair kit. Electric bikes are available as an upgrade (see price panel), subject to availability, and must be requested at the time of booking. The bike shop also has a limited number of tandems.
  • While we would always recommend that you take your own well-fitting helmet, they can be hired locally for a small fee. Please let us know at the time of booking if you would like to hire a helmet.
  • Yes, we will provide GPX tracks for this holiday prior to departure so that you can follow your route on your smartphone or dedicated GPS device if you wish. (We also provide maps and our tried-and-tested route notes, which remain the principal means of navigation).
  • We’ll send you route notes and maps 2-3 weeks before your holiday. The route notes not only contain directions to get from hotel to hotel, but also include practical information about places of interest and eateries along each route, plus cultural information about the area. On mornings when you are moving between hotels, you leave your luggage in reception as you leave, and it will be transferred ahead to your next accommodation so that all you need to take with you are a camera, sun cream, drinks, food and waterproofs.

    For more detailed information, see our cycling holidays in Europe page.
  • You are responsible for damage to or loss of the rental bike while it is hired to you. Always be careful to lock it up, ideally to an immovable object, and remove all easy-to-steal accessories whenever you leave it unattended.
  • We can book a wide range of routes from the UK with a variety of airlines. As well as being more convenient for you to book all elements of your holiday together, it also means that we’ll accept liability for your travel arrangements, so if things go wrong, such as the airline going bust, we’ll make suitable alternative arrangements for you. The fee for this service is £35 per person (£15 for children aged 2-11). More information on flights >
  • Absolutely! We are experts in tailored rail travel. Making use of sleeper trains or stopovers in cities along the route, we can get you from London to virtually anywhere in mainland Europe. We can even make arrangements to Mallorca, Sicily and Norway with a combination of ferries and rail. Please contact us to discuss your plans.
  • We can’t book flights that originate outside the UK, but if you wanted to book your own flights to London (or elsewhere in the UK), we can make all onward travel arrangements (including flights) from there. Alternatively, if you are booking your own flights to an airport in continental Europe that’s appropriate for your holiday, we can book onward rail travel and/or taxis. More information about how we can tailor holidays for customers outside the UK >
  • Since our holidays are self-guided, we recommend calling us for a chat about your plans before making a booking, especially if it’s the first time you’ve booked with us.
    The price panel shows the supplement for a single room and also the single traveller charge (this covers (luggage) transfers and other costs which are usually shared between two people).
  • Once you’ve decided on your exact itinerary (our travel experts will be happy to offer advice), you need to provide us with your party’s details, either by phone or via our booking form. At this point we also ask you to pay a deposit so that we can secure a room for you immediately on confirming availability with the hotel(s). If it turns out that we can’t secure the accommodation for the holiday you’ve requested, or offer an acceptable alternative, we’ll refund your deposit promptly and in full. After booking your accommodation and other key elements, we'll then book your travel (or you can do so if you’re making your own arrangements) and send you a Booking Confirmation and Invoice.

    More information about the booking process >
    Information about accommodation, general practicalities and more >
    Booking conditions >
  • Yes, it’s something we insist on, even for holidays in the UK. The vast majority of holidays go smoothly, but when things go wrong, it can be expensive to put them right. Buying a new pair of walking boots after your suitcase is stolen mightn’t seem so bad, but the bill for being airlifted down from a mountain with a broken leg or flown home while still recovering from an illness or accident can incur a five or six-figure bill.

    Many insurers offer travel insurance (you can find details on our insurance page of a policy that you may like to consider if you are a UK resident), but you do need to make sure that you’re covered for medical emergencies – including falling ill with Covid-19 while on holiday – and repatriation. We also recommend that you are covered for other eventualities, such as cancellation and loss of luggage and passports.

    When you purchase a policy, be sure to check that it covers the activities you'll be doing on holiday and that it is adequate for your own individual needs.
  • It is your responsibility to ensure you are in possession of the correct travel documents, with the correct validity. If you’re a UK citizen, you need a full British passport to travel to Italy, but not a visa (please note, however, that a new travel authorisation system is being introduced). If you are a citizen of another country, you’ll need to check requirements with the national embassy or your own consulate.

    Current information regarding vaccinations and travel health advice for UK citizens can be found through the Travel Health Pro website. You must make sure you have adequate insurance cover for illness, accidents and repatriation (see the insurance question). You should also apply for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) if your EHIC has expired (if you have a still-valid EHIC, you can use this until it expires).
  • The principal official language is Italian, though some regions have a second official language, such as South Tyrol, where German is widely spoken. The currency is the Euro. Italian time is GMT/UTC + 1. It uses Daylight Saving Time, so in summer is on BST + 1.
  • For information on the practicalities of travel now that the UK is no longer part of the European Union, visit www.gov.uk/visit-eu-switzerland-norway-iceland-liechtenstein.
  • The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides up-to-date, country-by-country travel advice, as well as information on security, local laws, passports and visas for UK citizens.

    If you live outside the UK, see our essential travel information page for a list of relevant websites.
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