Montserrat with Cog-Wheel Train & Black Madonna Priority Access
Description
Discover one of the most mystic Catalan wonders on this half-day tour. Take the cog-wheel train and enjoy a breathtaking ride up the mountain. Walk around the sanctuary and imagine the many lives lived by the monks at the site through the centuries. Visit the Black Madonna, popularly known as la Moreneta, and get a free gift.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Leave our office in Barcelona on an air-conditioned coach towards Montserrat cogwheel train station.
After a 1h drive on the highway, board the cogwheel train up the mountain and enjoy the amazing views over the area. Admire the Mountain’s peculiar morphology, which comes from the Catalan words Mont (mountain) and Serrat (serrated). World-famous for its rocky geography, Montserrat beautiful scenery was declared National Park in 1987 to protect its natural and cultural wealth.
Follow your local guide through the site and learn about the history and architectural style of the Monastery. A community of 80 monks currently lives and follow the rule of Saint Benedictin Montserrat. Fall in love with the Gothic and Renaissance details of the basilica and sanctuary.
Line up and learn about the legend of the miraculous apparition of the Black Madonna and Child in the cave of Santa Cova. To this day, their woodcarving is kept in the Church of the monastery, which you will be able to visit. The figure is popularly known as La Moreneta (The Black Madonna) as a result of a varnish reaction.
Besides the main area, there are a great number of small churches and trails you can follow. You will be given free time to taste the finest liquors, to visit the basilica and the Black Madonna and get a free gift, to shop for locally produced treats or to visit the audio-visual exhibition once our guided tour finishes. We would like to show you some activities that you can do during your free time. Please, bear in mind that your free time is limited so you will have to choose one of the activities. Montserrat Museum: wide variety of archeological artworks from medieval times to avant-garde style. Entrance fee not included on the tour. Hiking routes: although there are plenty of trails to follow, we recommend you to reach the cross of Sant Miquel (approximately 15 minutes from the monastery) as it offers one of the best views of the area.
Go back to Barcelona on an air-conditioned coach.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
It is essential to inform the hotel or apartment booked, if possible, at the time of booking.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Duration 08:00AM Tour: 5h30min approx. Duration 10:15Am Tour: 7h approx. (The duration of the tour includes transportation).
- 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.
- Please note that the tour is conducted on foot upon your arrival in Montserrat, come prepared and we recommend wearing comfortable clothes and shoes.
- The weather is mountainous. Depending on the season, you will need warm/rain clothing.
- Check the schedules of the facilities you wish to visit during your free time before your tour.
Reviews(3,490)
The experience was overall ok. A big positive was the organization of the tour. We also were able to see everything promised. But, there were several negatives as well. Our tour guide was very nice and knowledgeable. However, she was expected to state everything in English and then Spanish. This resulted in two times the amount of talking. We didn’t have enough free time to hike as a result. Also, several very young children screaming on the bus made the rides terrible. This isn’t the tour company’s fault but still affected our experience overall.
Jose was a great guide!!! Very informative while still leaving time to explore on our own. Getting to the meet-up spot was a bit difficult but was figured out in time.
Well organised trip to see Montserrat. Cog wheel train was a great experience. Coach and driver were very good. Lorena was a great guide and very passionate about the place and Barcelona. Free time at Montserrat was good and the organised tour part was informative. Only downside is having everything explained in both Spanish & English means some waiting around whilst everything is covered. It would be preferable if the tours were separated into language groups.
It was just breathtaking. going up the mountain by Cog-Train was incredible. The history and stories told by Laraine our guide from Julia Travel, were inspiring and knowledgeable. She did a great job, and it was a wonderful day.
We did the short tour to Montserrat with cog wheel train and Black Madonna through Julia Travel which was 5.5 hours, 8:00am to 1:30pm. It’s good for the Monastery, Basilica and gift shop with liquor tasting. It was well organized, timely and had a nice tour bus. It is not a fully guided tour with commentary but it’s a pleasant half day trip up into the mountains with beautiful scenery. There are longer full day tours if you want to spend more time there, hiking to lookout points or doing the cable car further up the mountain.
Excellent tour with beautiful views and rich history.
Great experience. I little difficult to understand since the guide was speaking both English and Spanish.
Very enjoyable trip about an hour from Barcelona. Julia travel had a nice bus to transport us. Julia’s tour office was easy to find at the bus station. Guide was very knowledgeable.
We had a wonderful day at Montserrat with Jonathan. The day was beautiful, heard the boys choir sing and visited the Black Madonna. Jonathan gave us lots of information about the Monestary and we enjoyed the spectacular scenery and views!
Jose and Jonathan were excellent hosts. They were funny and very informative. Our driver Isaac did a great job keeping it smooth and safe. The tour was beautiful and the monastery was a unique experience. There was plenty of free time for people to hike or take in the views. It was extremely hot, so come prepared for the weather. I recommend staying in the basilica for the light show as it was magical.
