Booking choice: The private Parma art day, from $279 per person. Check dates Compare the options below
The Palazzo della Pilotta is Parma's biggest museum, and its ticketing is simpler than most visitors expect: there is one ticket for the whole complex, sold only by the museum. There is no theatre-only ticket and nothing to book in advance for the Teatro Farnese.
Below: the 2026 prices in one table, the cheap and free options, the opening hours and Monday exceptions, where to buy, the EUR 25 combined ticket, and which tours include the entrance.
The quick answer
A full ticket costs EUR 18 and covers the Teatro Farnese, the Galleria Nazionale, the archaeological museum, the Biblioteca Palatina and the Bodoni museum. Ages 18 to 25 pay EUR 2, under-18s go free, and a late ticket for entry between 17:00 and 18:00 costs EUR 10. The Pilotta opens Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 to 19:00 (last entry 18:00), and tickets are sold only at the box office or on pilotta.ticka.it.
What does the Pilotta ticket include?
Everything in the complex: the Teatro Farnese, the Galleria Nazionale, the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, the Biblioteca Palatina with the Petitot Gallery, and the Museo Bodoniano.
The Pilotta is one palace with several museums inside, and the museum sells a single ticket for all of them. The official estimate for the whole route is about 3 hours; visitors report anything from 2 to 4. You can see what each part holds in the Teatro Farnese guide and the Galleria Nazionale guide.
How much are Pilotta tickets in 2026?
EUR 18 full price, EUR 2 for ages 18 to 25, free under 18, EUR 14 each for groups of 10 to 30, and EUR 10 for late entry between 17:00 and 18:00.
Official 2026 prices from the museum. The online shop adds a small booking fee of about EUR 0.20.
| Ticket | Price | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Full | EUR 18 | The whole complex, including the Teatro Farnese |
| Ages 18 to 25 | EUR 2 | Bring ID |
| Under 18 | Free | Also free for Amici della Pilotta members |
| Groups of 10 to 30 | EUR 14 per person | School groups book by email in advance |
| Late ticket | EUR 10 | Entry between 17:00 and 18:00; the museum closes at 19:00 |
| Combined ticket | EUR 25 | Adds the Antica Spezieria, Torrechiara Castle and Veleia |
| First Sunday of the month | Free | Busier, and some rooms may be closed |
| Online booking fee | About EUR 0.20 | Only on pilotta.ticka.it |
Want the tickets handled for you? The private art day includes every entrance, with a guide in English.
Check dates for the private Parma art dayCan you buy a ticket for the Teatro Farnese only?
No: there is no theatre-only ticket. The Teatro Farnese is part of the EUR 18 ticket, and you do not need to book a time slot for it.
Some visitors, as they report on Tripadvisor, arrive wanting only the theatre and are surprised to pay for the whole complex. If the theatre is really all you want, the cheapest legal way is the EUR 10 late ticket: go in between 17:00 and 18:00, see the Teatro Farnese first, then the gallery highlights until closing at 19:00. If you are 18 to 25, you pay EUR 2 at any time.
When is the Pilotta free?
On the first Sunday of every month, plus 25 April, 2 June and 4 November; on 8 March entry is free for women. In 2026, some rooms close or keep short hours on free days.
Still to come in 2026: 4 October, 1 November, 4 November (a Wednesday) and 6 December. Because of staff shortages, the museum publishes guaranteed itineraries for free days. On recent ones the Teatro Farnese and the main gallery halls stayed open all day, while the early Italian paintings, the library and the Bodoni museum opened only in the morning, the archaeological museum only in the afternoon, and about 13 gallery rooms stayed closed. You could leave and come back in during the day. Expect crowds: visitors report free Sundays are the busiest days of the month.
Skip the free-Sunday scramble: a private morning with your own guide and every entrance ticket included.
Explore the private Parma art dayWhat are the Pilotta opening hours?
Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 to 19:00, with last entry at 18:00. Closed on Mondays, except for special openings on 6 April, 1 June, 2 November and 7 December 2026.
- North Halls: this part of the Galleria Nazionale opens at 10:30, not 9:00, so start with the Teatro Farnese if you arrive early.
- Mondays: closed all year apart from the four special Mondays; in the rest of 2026 that means 2 November and 7 December.
- Best time: visitors report weekday mornings are the quietest and afternoons the busiest.
- Allow: about 3 hours, the museum's own estimate.
Where do you buy Pilotta tickets?
Only from the museum: at the box office on the day, or online at the official shop, pilotta.ticka.it. GetYourGuide and Viator do not sell the museum ticket.
You do not need to buy ahead for a normal visit: booking is not required for general entry or for the Teatro Farnese. Online tickets simply save a queue, for about EUR 0.20 extra. Be wary of any site selling a Pilotta ticket at a mark-up; the tours on this site sell a guide, not the entrance, unless they say so. When galleries are crowded, the museum may cap some rooms at about 30 people at a time. School groups must book by email and bring a guide.
Prefer a guide who deals with the queue and the tickets? The private art day includes both.
Check dates for the private Parma art dayIs the EUR 25 combined ticket worth it?
Yes, if you will also visit Torrechiara Castle: the Pilotta (EUR 18) and the castle (EUR 8) already cost EUR 26 separately, and the combined ticket adds the Antica Spezieria and Veleia.
The combined ticket covers the Pilotta, the Antica Spezieria di San Giovanni (EUR 5 on its own, an old monastery pharmacy in the centre of Parma), Torrechiara Castle (EUR 8) and the Roman site of Veleia (EUR 5). Bought separately, that is EUR 36. If you are only in Parma for the day and will not leave the city, the single EUR 18 ticket is enough. More on the castle in the Torrechiara Castle guide.
Do any tours include the Pilotta ticket?
Only one on this site: the private art day on Viator ($279 per person) includes the entrance to the Galleria Nazionale and the Teatro Farnese. On every other tour, budget EUR 18 per adult on top.
The Pilotta group tour ($26, in Italian) and the private Pilotta tour ($174 per group) both leave the museum ticket to you. The private art day starts at 9:00 at the Pilotta entrance, spends about an hour in the gallery and 30 minutes in the theatre, and adds the Cathedral and the Camera di San Paolo, with every entrance included. Every option is compared in Pilotta tours compared.
The only tour here with the Pilotta tickets included: a private guide in English, Correggio's domes and the Teatro Farnese.
Explore the private Parma art dayFrequently asked questions
Do I need to book Pilotta tickets in advance?
No. Booking is not required for general entry or the Teatro Farnese; you can buy at the box office on the day. Buying on pilotta.ticka.it only saves the queue, for about EUR 0.20 extra.
Is the Pilotta free for children?
Yes: everyone under 18 enters free. Ages 18 to 25 pay EUR 2.
What is the late ticket at the Pilotta?
A EUR 10 ticket for entry between 17:00 and 18:00. The museum closes at 19:00, so you get up to two hours, enough for the Teatro Farnese and the gallery highlights.
Is the Pilotta open on Mondays?
Normally no. In 2026 it opens on four special Mondays: 6 April, 1 June, 2 November and 7 December.
Ready to book
Choose your visit
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Private Parma Art Day with the Pilotta Gallery
- Private guide for your group, 9:00 start at the Pilotta entrance
- Entrance tickets included: Galleria Nazionale, Teatro Farnese, Cathedral, Camera di San Paolo
- About 1 hour in the gallery and 30 minutes in the Teatro Farnese
Guided Tour of the Pilotta Monumental Complex
- Licensed guide, live commentary in Italian
- Galleria Nazionale (Correggio, Parmigianino, Canova) and the Teatro Farnese
- Museum ticket not listed as included: budget EUR 18 (EUR 2 for ages 18 to 25)
Private Pilotta and Teatro Farnese Tour
- Private licensed guide for your group only (up to 15)
- Palazzo della Pilotta and the Galleria, then the Teatro Farnese
- A short walk through the historic centre
