Moment in the best Montserrat tour from Barcelona: mountain view
Moment in our private tour to Montserrat from Barcelona: Royal Basilica view

Best Montserrat Tour From Barcelona
(Half Day or Optional Lunch)

PRIVATE TOUR TO MONTSERRAT FROM BARCELONA

Our best-seller day trip from Barcelona!

Do you have a half day to go out of town? Do you like mountain views? What about music and old monasteries?

Montserrat is the best-selling half day tour out of town, because it can be covered in merely 5 or 6 hours and be back in town for a late lunch on your own and still have the afternoon to rest, go shopping or continue exploring Barcelona.

A historical monastery perched on top of a spectacular rocky mountain, where still nowadays lives a community of Benedictine monks and a renowned boys choir – one of the oldest in Europe.

Visiting Montserrat from Barcelona on your own is doable: you can take the train, but it takes long and you’ll need a whole day. And many tour operators sell step-in Montserrat tours that will take you there, give you some basic information and then give you free time until it’s time to go back (we know: that’s how a few of our guides started their career in Barcelona years ago… to eventually decide they preferred offering more personable services).

With our Montserrat Day Trip from Barcelona, you won’t just be taken to Montserrat in a comfortable Mercedes car or minivan, but your guide will stay with you rather than give you free time and give you the opportunity to choose what you’ll be doing once there: a custom tour of Montserrat!

HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS TOUR FROM BARCELONA TO MONTSERRAT

MONTSERRAT MOUNTAIN   |   ROYAL BASILICA  |   ESCOLANIA CHOIR   |   OPTIONAL LUNCH

Highlights of our Montserrat from Barcelona tour
See a detailed itinerary >>

WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS DAY TRIP FROM BARCELONA TO MONTSERRAT

Cover in one morning what requires a full day on your own.
Unlike most group tours to Montserrat, our guide will stay with you for the entire time, not just give you free time on your own after a basic explanation.
Discover why the Virgin of Montserrat is a “black Madonna” (or maybe she isn’t…).
Beautiful scenery.
Learn about the surprising geological origins of this rocky mountain.
Transform this half day trip into a full day Montserrat tour from Barcelona including lunch stop.
And much more, the best private Montserrat tour in Barcelona, just for you and your party!

MONTSERRAT DAY TRIP FAQ

THIS DAY TRIP RUNS: Every day.
ESCOLANIA CHOIR: Not singing on Saturdays and during their school holidays.

DAY TRIP LENGHT:
– Montserrat half day tour: 5 or 6 hours
– Montserrat full day tour: 8 hours

RECOMMENDED STARTING TIME:
– Half Day Morning tour: 8.30AM for the 6, 9.30AM for the 5-hour tour.
– Half Day Afternoon tour: 3PM for the 5-hr tour without Escolania Choir or the 6-hr tour with Choir. 4PM for the 5-hr tour with Choir.
Full day tour: 8.30 PM.

WHERE DO WE MEET? Your accommodation within the Barcelona city limits, Sants Train Station or Cruise Pier. Supplement applies for airport pick-ups.

WHERE DO WE END? Back to your accommodation or other point of your choice within the Barcelona city limits.

IS THERE A LUNCH STOP? This tour to Montserrat only includes a lunch stop for the 8-hr full day tour option. You may choose to stop for a coffee break or a quick sandwich during the half day tours, though.

HOW DO WE MOVE AROUND? We’ll take you to Montserrat in a luxurious Mercedes car or minivan for up to 6 of you + guide & dedicated driver. You’ll be walking with your tour guide in Montserrat.

IS THERE A DRESS CODE? So far there’s no dress code required for the Montserrat Monastery, however we recommend dressing modestly to enter the Royal Basilica. In the winter, Montserrat tends to be colder than Barcelona. Wear comfortable walking shoes if you are planning to hike.

WHAT’S BETTER, MONTSERRAT IN THE MORNING OR IN THE AFTERNOON? That’s a very personal thing. The Montserrat Monastery is more crowded in the morning, since most visitors leave before lunch. But it’s warmer than in the afternoon, because then the monastery is in the shade and the temperature drops. It also gets dark fast – and the mountain views are a highlight of this Montserrat tour from Barcelona… but the light at dusk is magical.

IS THIS A SKIP-THE-LINE TOUR? Since the pandemic, there’s a timed entrance for the Shrine of the Virgin and to hear the Boys Choir, paid for all guided tours, no matter their group size. Because the access is timed, there’s no line anymore or if there is it is very short.

HOW DOES THE NON-GUIDED OPTION WORK? In the non-guided option you are on your own. Your English-speaking driver might provide light conversation during the rides, but no detailed explanations of the area. The driver stays in the car in Montserrat, where you’ll walk on your own. You’ll ultimately be responsible for getting back to the car at the agreed time, or you’ll risk being charged extra hours if you are late.

CAN WE TAKE THE TRAIN FROM BARCELONA INSTEAD? There is a train that departs from Plaça Espanya, however we don’t recommend it for private tours because it takes almost twice as long as using a driver and a full day would be needed (so you’d be eventually paying as much as a 5-hour chauffeured tour). Plus not being able to drive to some local restaurant, lunch would be reduced to the meh food of the cafeteria. In the other hand, you’d have to stick to very strict timings as missing a train would mean having to pay for extra hours… And we don’t want that to happen to you! Specially if you asked to take the train due to a limited budget. If you really want to take the train in Barcelona, we encourage you to go on your own and spend as much time in Montserrat as you wish. In such case, we recommend to get this Montserrat Pass.

WHAT ABOUT THE CREMALLERA RACK TRAIN, THE AERI CABLE CAR AND THE FUNICULARS? They are optional. Since their cost is not included, you’ll be able to play by ear and decide whether to take them or not once we get there. We often use the cable car to get to the Montserrat Monastery, because it’s the fastest way to get there (as long as you are not scared of heights). We don’t like the rack train so much because if we miss one, the wait for the next can be around 20 minutes – and we know your time is gold. In any case we only use them for the way up – the way down is usually done with our driver for time efficiency. As for the funiculars, there’s time for one or the other while we are in the monastery area, before the Escolania choir sings.

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REVIEWS FROM TRAVELERS LIKE YOU:

Guide and guest during our day trip from Barcelona to Montserrat (Spain)
“Thanks to Marta for showing us Montserrat. We had a lovely time in the mountain, and felt privileged to have touched the Black Madonna, and to have watched and heard the beautiful boys choir.”
Myrabel (Toronto, Canada)
“We felt very spoiled because we had our own delightful and very dapper driver and we got to do whatever we wanted. We saw everything we wanted to see and were never rushed. The tour to Montserrat ended with a fabulous lunch at a local restaurant on the other side of the mountains. Great day !”
Renee Albersheim
Grandparents and grandchild on one of our Montserrat day trip from Barcelona

TAILOR THIS MONTSERRAT FROM BARCELONA TOUR TO YOUR NEEDS

This tour of Montserrat (Barcelona, Spain) is our best-selling half day tour out of town (our full day best-seller is Girona and the Dali Museum), because it can be done in just 5 or 6 hours and its a short 45 minutes to 1 hour ride from Barcelona. Anyone wanting to see the top sites in and around Barcelona should consider this day trip, specially if you love mountain views or are into music. Or if you are a Christian, of course.

If you are traveling with kids, this tour is totally kid-friendly. And if you’d like a longer tour, they’ll also love to stay for lunch at a Montserrat farmhouse restaurant or to have lunch by the beach in Sitges.

If you have walking issues or use a wheelchair, while the driver is only used for the rides between the Montserrat Monastery and Barcelona, but not in Montserrat itself, the Monastery area and the Royal basilica are wheelchair accessible and whenever there are steps they can be avoided. The Audiovisual and Exhibit, the Art Museum, the cog wheel train stations, the cafeteria, and the gift shops are accessible too. The funiculars, the cablecar and the various hike options are NOT wheelchair accessible.

If you are on a cruiseship and you have already seen Barcelona, this Montserrat half day tour is appropriate as a shore excursion as long as your ship doesn’t sail until 4PM or later (considering they’ll require you to be back on board no later than 1 hour before departure). Pier pick-up and drop-off are included.

If you are a Catholic, you don’t want to miss the place where the Montserrat Madonna, Patron Saint of Catalonia is worshiped. Saint Ignatius of Loyola also stopped here during his trip to Holy Land.

If you aren’t a Christian, you will still enjoy this day tour if you like mountains, music and history.

If you are traveling in the winter, please note that the weather up in the mountain is likely to be wet, cold and foggy. November through February we recommend warmer destinations such as Tarragona or Sitges, or indoor destinations like a winery or the Dali Museum instead.

If you’d like a longer day and visiting a second site, check out our other Tours to Montserrat.

If you only have one day to visit Montserrat AND Barcelona, here is our Barcelona & Montserrat Monastery tour.

PRICING

This is a 100% private Montserrat tour, exclusive for you and your party. There is a base rate total per tour (no matter how many people you are), plus a per person rate to cover the entrance fees.

BASE RATE (paid once per tour):

NON-GUIDED

5-HR TOUR
€675
  • Basic itinerary
  • On your own in Montserrat
  • Car or van with driver

BASIC TOUR

5-HR TOUR
€950
  • Basic itinerary
  • Licensed Tour Guide
  • Car or van with driver​
BEST SELLER

EXTENDED

6-HR TOUR
€1145
  • Black Madonna Chapel Access
  • Licensed Tour Guide
  • Car or van with driver

CHANGE YOUR TOUR DATE UNLIMITED TIMES *
*Notifying us at least one week in advance. Click to learn more >>

PREFER A FULL DAY TOUR INCLUDING LUNCH STOP (8-hr trip)?
Guide & driver: €1425
Non-guided: €1050

ENTRANCE FEES IN MONTSERRAT: 

NECESSARY AND PAID UPON BOOKING:
– Basilica admission (includes Escolania Choir when available): €13.50/person

OPTIONAL AND PAID UPON BOOKING:
– Black Madonna Alcove: 13.50/person

OPTIONAL, BETTER PAID UPON BOOKING DURING HIGH SEASON:
– Cable car: €10/person (ONE WAY)
– Funicular of Sant Joan: €16.50/person (ONE WAY)

Any other optional tickets can be paid on site (museum, audiovisual…) 

* Costs are given as an orientation only, as they can change without notice. Discounts might apply for students and/or seniors.

LUNCH (FULL DAYS ONLY): Meal not included. Expect to pay €30-40/person, depending on your order. Learn more about lunch on tour.

More questions?   Inclusions  —  Exclusions  —  FAQ  —  Contact   —  Cancellation Policy

OFTEN BOOKED TOGETHER

ALTERNATIVES TO THIS MONTSERRAT TOUR FROM BARCELONA:

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