Numerous small and big companies offer guided tours that focus on the savoury and salty richness of Parmigiano cheese and Parma ham. Most operators will bring you to a cheese factory tour just outside the city, let you try differently aged samples (most likely 1, 2 and 3-year cheeses). Similarly, don't miss a chance to see a Parma ham factory and taste the thinnest melt-in-your-mouth slices. Pick a tour that best matches your budget, interests and time frame. The most important variable in choosing the best tour is traveller reviews.

The Green Lake is known as the Jade of the city. Two long dikes divide the lake into four parts. Brightly painted pavilions, tree-lined walks and exercising locals all add to the appeal of the park. During the winter months, black-headed gulls from Siberia migrate to Green Lake and entertain the crowds of visitors as they circle around and snap up bread fed to them by birdwatchers and visitors. There used to be a military school in the neighbourhood, where the famous Chinese generals Zhu De and Ye Jianying were educated in the 1910s.

Named after Erechtheus, king of Athens and foster son of Athena, the Erechtheion is an ancient Greek temple on the north side of the Acropolis dedicated to both Athena and Poseidon. This intricate temple was designed to accommodate the radically uneven ground on the site and to avoid disturbing sacred shrines like the altars to Poseidon, the sacred olive tree, a well containing sea water, the tomb of Kekrops, and the Pandrosion sanctuary.