Montserrat Afternoon Tour & Black Madonna Priority Access
Description
Discover one of Catalonia's most mystical wonders on this half-day tour. Visit the Virgin Mary, popularly known as La Moreneta, in the Basilica of Montserrat. Walk around the sanctuary and imagine the different ways of life of the monks in this place full of history throughout the centuries. Once the visit is over, take the cogwheel train down, enjoying the spectacular views of the natural surroundings.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Leave Barcelona aboard one of our comfortable coaches and enjoy an unforgettable excursion to Montserrat, one of Catalonia's most iconic destinations. Montserrat is world-famous for its rocky landscape, which was declared a National Park in 1987 to protect its cultural and natural heritage.
Accompanied by your local guide, you will discover the history of Montserrat Monastery and its unique architecture. Marvel at the harmonious combination of Gothic and Renaissance styles in its basilica and sanctuary. You will learn about the legend that explains the great spiritual importance of the place: the miraculous appearance of an image of the Madonna and Child in one of the caves in the mountain, the Santa Cova. This wood carving, popularly known as La Moreneta, is preserved today in the monastery church. Its characteristic dark colour is due to the oxidation of the varnish over time. Montserrat is also an important centre of spirituality. A community of approximately 80 Benedictine monks currently lives in the monastery, following the Rule of Saint Benedict. In addition to the main monastic complex, the mountain is home to numerous churches and hermitages, some of which are now abandoned, reinforcing the mystical character of the place.
Your guided tour includes tasting excellent local liqueurs, a visit to the Audiovisual Space and access to La Moreneta. After the guided tour, you will have free time to admire the fabulous scenery and visit the market selling local agricultural and typical products.
At the end of the tour, we will descend on the Montserrat cogwheel train, a comfortable and spectacular way to leave the mountain behind while enjoying unique panoramic views of the massif and its natural surroundings. This journey offers a privileged perspective of the landscape and becomes an unforgettable experience for visitors.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Note that the La Escolania children's choir does not perform in the afternoon
- Correct dress code is requested to enter the Basilica at Montserrat. It is not permitted to enter with tank tops, strapless shirts, short shorts or sandals
- Queues to see the Black Madonna may occur depending on season
- Tour operated in both Spanish and English
Reviews(1,976)
Mira was fantastic! She made the trip so memorable with her knowledge and expertise. Montserrat was stunning and a great cultural and historical experience
You should know that if something happens as an emergency they don’t care and are happy just to take your money. I had this tour booked and became unwell the night before so I messaged them at 5 am to see what they could do and to let them know I wouldn’t be able to do that trip. They messsged back some time later and said I had to go in person to Julia travel and explain it to them so reluctantly my partner and I started making the journey. I wasn’t well and actually vomitted on the metro ( very embarrassing) and then my partner was like that- no we are turning back. While on the journey we even called Julia travel to explain and was told the same thing we had to go In person. To someone who is actively vomit ting and in the heat at 12.00 in the day, got them yo even suggest me to go to their office and speak to them from gracia was completely out of order. I raised a refund request with Viator and was refused because thrr ed your operator said no to the refund. Dont know about you, but I think that’s ridiculous given the money the have coming in for every trip would a refund of £108 really have killed them?
An amazing outing an hour out of Barcelona. We were spoilt with information about the history of Montserrat by our guide Sophia. The monastery was a great experience and the village had so much to offer. Enjoyed the liqueur tastings and bought a significant amount of these from the local vendors. The Sunday afternoon slot also ensured that it was not too busy.
Montserrat is beautiful and the history of the cathedral makes this an important venture to partake in. Our guide, Ivan, was so wonderful and shared so much great history and insight. We highly recommend this trip.
Lorena was an excellent tour guide, approachable and knowledgeable. Even if it was chaotic at first, Julia Tours is located inside the Estació del Nord, ground floor, platform 19. Carrer d'Alí Bei, 80. I should have read the comments because we kept going around in circles and did not know that Julia tours was inside the terminal. We were there 30 minutes before the tour but the line was so long we got our tickets at 2 pm and there still at lot of people behind us. The buses left late past 2pm. Julia travels should issue the tickets electronically the day before the trip so people will not get confused. Some went straight to the bus thinking the ticket was the confirmation letter. Overall, the tour was great, very informative and not too tiring for seniors like us. I gave overall 4 rating because the chaotic lines to get the tickets. 5 star rating for Lorena.
Pick-up point so easy to find. Tour guide Ivan was very informative and funny. His knowledge of the Monserrat was amazing. It was a beautiful day and the views were spectacular. Be prepared, it can be busy and we felt that there wasn't enough time at the monastery. The buildings and history and views were incredible - how they got the monastery built all those centuries ago, what a feat of engineering. The art gallery was beautiful, but again not enough time, to take our time. We did not manage to go up to the top of the funicular railway, to the very top of the mountain, again time. Also we were unable to do the "inter-active experience. We chose the option of tasting "4 typical liquors" of Monserrat. This was the biggest disappointment. The lady was so quick, the liquors were spilt over the counter, there was very little explanation of them - The whole experience took less that 4 minutes. Very disappointing and not impressed!! If you get the chance to go, definitely put it on your list - so worth a visit.
We had a great experience. We had no expectations before the trip.
We were allowed less than 15 minutes at the site rushed through. The tour guide said we would be refunded, and when we requested a refund it was rejected. We were in hours of traffic. The tour didn’t deliver, and they didn’t offer any explanation for not providing the itinerary we paid for, or adequately reimburse. An entire waste of our last day in Barcelona.
The tour itself was good. Finding Julia Travels was a bit difficult since they provided a specific street address with number, rather than simply state that they were located inside the Bus Station. Being unfamiliar with the area (as a foreigner) we were trying to find the address near the bus station, without realizing that they were located inside the bus station.
We had a great time with Miri and Sandra our tour guides. The bus ride up went by quickly with lots of little stories of sights we passed. The tour itself was wonderful with lots of history and incredible religious statues and paintings the black Madonna was very impressive and awe inspiring.
