Battistero di Parma
Battistero di Parma
Battistero di Parma
4.5
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
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  • Ali_and_Andy
    291 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A beautiful place, don't miss it
    Breathtaking, truly stunning building. Buy tickets from the Ticket Office diagonally opposite across the square, and this gets you in to the museum (at the ticket office) as well. Some people may think it is too expensive, but honestly you are contributing towards the upkeep of this beautiful place so don't judge it on £££
    Visited August 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written August 12, 2023
  • betteskid
    Boston, Massachusetts1,357 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Must see in Parma - don't miss it!
    Located on the same square as the cathedral, this structure is just amazing. We had never seen anything like the beauty in the frescos inside. There were things to see everywhere you looked and the details were just amazing as were the colors. This is a very special place and you should not miss it when you visit or pass through Parma.
    Visited May 2023
    Written August 23, 2023
  • Vicky Silve
    Abbadia Lariana, Italy706 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Home to statues by Antelami
    Which makes this Baptistery famous are the statues by Benedetto Antelami representing the cycle of agricultural work through the months of the year; every month is associated to a Zodiac sign. The frescoes on the walls are also remarkable. You can visit the Baptistery thanks to a combo tickets which includes the Diocesan Museum too.
    Visited November 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written November 3, 2023
  • Ingeborg56
    Oslo, Norway2,428 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Recommend a visit!
    It was a bit difficult to find, and one has to buy tickets on the other side of the square. It is not very big, but very interesting and unusual with sculptures which symbol all months and lots of small paintings on the walls behind. I do not think I have ever seen anything like this, - neither exterior and interior. I recommend everyone to visit the museum where you buy the tickets because then one can watch a movie in Italian with English subtitles about Battistero di Parma's sculpures etc.
    Visited March 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written March 28, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,963 reviews
Excellent
1,277
Very good
498
Average
123
Poor
41
Terrible
24

Nataliia G
Moscow, Russia532 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2019
The baptistery is a special room next to the temple for performing the rite of baptism. Baptisteries were built in the early Christian era specifically to baptize a large number of people.
The baptistery is an octagonal tower faced with pink marble. The building was built by Benedetto Antelami in 1196-1260 in the Romano-Gothic style. He also created relief decorations on the facade and internal walls of the building. On the inside of the dome there are frescoes from the life of Christ.
Written January 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

david B
Tring, UK90 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2022
Certainly worth a visit. Something a bit out of the ordinary. Since the cathedral itself is free entry the price is not too bad. Some reviews criticise the fact that the admission is a package for the museum and the Battistero but the museum provides the background and explanation for the site itself - plus some other interesting bits. Treat them as a whole rather than two sites. Shame the staff in the baptistery seem so uninterested in the building they are hosting. The lady at the museum was rather more welcoming.
Written April 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Vicky Silve
Abbadia Lariana, Italy706 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Family
Which makes this Baptistery famous are the statues by Benedetto Antelami representing the cycle of agricultural work through the months of the year; every month is associated to a Zodiac sign. The frescoes on the walls are also remarkable. You can visit the Baptistery thanks to a combo tickets which includes the Diocesan Museum too.
Written November 3, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ali_and_Andy
Lewes, East Sussex UK291 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Family
Breathtaking, truly stunning building.
Buy tickets from the Ticket Office diagonally opposite across the square, and this gets you in to the museum (at the ticket office) as well. Some people may think it is too expensive, but honestly you are contributing towards the upkeep of this beautiful place so don't judge it on £££
Written August 12, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Yvonne O
The Netherlands604 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021
Stunning structure, beautifully decorated. Nothing to indicate you have to buy tickets on the far side of the plaza. TBH I found 12 Euros much too expensive for just this one building but I am glad I visited. Museum (at ticket office) has no information in English, so don't bother unless you are a real historian and know what you're seeing.
Written August 23, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ingeborg56
Oslo, Norway2,428 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Couples
It was a bit difficult to find, and one has to buy tickets on the other side of the square. It is not very big, but very interesting and unusual with sculptures which symbol all months and lots of small paintings on the walls behind. I do not think I have ever seen anything like this, - neither exterior and interior. I recommend everyone to visit the museum where you buy the tickets because then one can watch a movie in Italian with English subtitles about Battistero di Parma's sculpures etc.
Written March 28, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Spectacle64
Yorkshire, UK489 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022
A "must see" in Parma but complicated to get tickets from tourism office. Then it is "just" the one (amazing) room. Once your neck aches looking up you leave and think - that was impressive but not sure it was worth the money! But pleased I have been...
Written August 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Off their P
Manchester, UK4,341 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022 • Couples
Our visit was a relatively brief one so we didn’t have time to explore all the buildings in this wonderful time.

This magnificent structure could definitely do with some of your time though judging from the outside. Quite stark in a way but also very beautiful it dominates the skyline and is set up ona wonderful square.

We read the history of it in amongst all the buildings around it and it certainly has a great story to tell.
Written June 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

betteskid
Boston, MA1,357 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023
Located on the same square as the cathedral, this structure is just amazing. We had never seen anything like the beauty in the frescos inside. There were things to see everywhere you looked and the details were just amazing as were the colors. This is a very special place and you should not miss it when you visit or pass through Parma.
Written August 23, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

AnnArborMHT
Genoa, Italy1,686 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2012 • Solo
The Baptistery, one of the most important medieval monuments, at Piazza Duomo was high on my list of must see sites in Parma. When I purchased the ticket, I noticed that for one euro more you could also see the Diocesan Museum and since I’m a sucker for museums, I purchased the 7eu ticket for both sites. WOW!...I am sure glad I did!...but more on that, later and how to solve the problem many TA reviews complain about “no information” inside the Baptistery.

The Baptistery is known for its stunning exterior façade, so don’t rush to see the interior, enjoy the wonderful doors and base of the structure decorated with figures and animals in beautiful pink marble. The interior frescoes are by an unknown artist and date back to the 13-14 century and tell many stories about the apostles, Christ, the prophets, saints and others; beautiful! The sculptures by Benedetto Anrelami, showing the months and seasons are considered the real show stoppers, but for me, I loved the frescoes, but there isn’t much information available regarding these, thus the reason I was delighted to visit the Diocesan Museum. Just across the piazza is the museum which I visited after seeing the Baptistery. It’s in the basement (nice and cool on a hot day) and alone, is of interest for its architecture. It contains some of the most important original statues from the Baptistery, by Anrelami that have been removed to a better climate. The great discovery for me was … in a very small alcove containing a table with computer was a wonderful program on the Baptistery frescoes, restoration pictures, and extensive explanations (in Italian, but easy to figure out if you know some of the saints and religious stories) on all the frescoed panels, the cornices and dome. I sat at the desk nearly 45 minutes, looking at before/after restoration pictures, zooming in on several frescoes and learning about the storytelling of these wonderful frescoes. From there, I went back to the Baptistery and the gentleman was happy to let me return once more and view the Baptistery with a much greater appreciation for the art and sculpture. Highly recommended! See additional information on the Diocesan Museum under my review there.

The Baptistery is open daily from 9am-12:30 and 3-6:45pm and costs 6eu, or 7eu with the Diocesan Museum. I purchased the book Parma: Guide to the city and the province, and found it to be very helpful, although some of the English translations are a bit rough, but informative and it was only 5.50eu. at the shop next to the Cathedral. It has a detailed explanation regarding the Baptistery and can also help solve the problem of "no information". If you do enter the Baptistery without knowing anything about it, it will just be a "been there, done that" experience, when it can be so much more!
Written July 28, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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