While I’ve been to Barcelona about four or five times now, my most recent visit was extra special — Matt and I got married in the countryside of Catalonia, and our families were in town with us in Barcelona for a few days! Not long after meeting up with my parents, my mom mentioned that she wanted to visit Montserrat, but she couldn’t figure out the best way to get there. After a little bit of research, we decided to book a Barcelona to Montserrat tour that also included tapas and wine tasting.
So the next morning, we set off on our excursion from Barcelona — and we had such a good day and learned so much! Here’s exactly what our day looked like, if you’re interested in the same Barcelona to Montserrat tour.
Why is Montserrat Important?
Montserrat is important to Catalonians in a few different senses.
First, there’s the mountain’s designated status as a Natural Park. The mountains are striking with their jagged peaks — in fact, “Montserrat” is a direct translation of “serrated mountain” in the Catalan language. And the views into the valley below are breathtaking! There are also lots of hiking trails, and many families were enjoying the fresh air and sunshine by spending a morning or afternoon on the mountain, picnic lunches in hand.
The second reason Montserrat is so important is because of its religious and cultural significance. A statue of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus — named the “Black Madonna” for their black skin — was found in the mountain during the 9th century. Ever since then, Montserrat has been a place for pilgrimages and spiritual experiences. The Montserrat Monastery was founded in 1025, though it was destroyed by Napoleon in the 1811 and rebuilt in 1844.
Finally, Montserrat is special to Catalonians in particular because it is one of the only places they were allowed to be themselves during Spain’s 20th-century dictatorship — when the Catalan language was banned everywhere in Spain, except for at Montserrat. It is said that every good Catalonian must make a pilgrimage to Montserrat at least once in their life.
All of these reasons that Montserrat is so important, are things that I learned on my tour! (Of course, I learned a lot more too, but that’s it in a nutshell. But I really have to say the tour was worth it!)
Booking Your Barcelona to Montserrat Tour
If you search “barcelona to montserrat” or “montserrat tour,” a lot of results are going to come up, but make sure you pay attention to the fine print. Because this is such a popular activity, you’ll want to make sure you choose the type of Montserrat tour that fits what you want to get out of your day.
For example, if you want a simple visit to Montserrat without anything extra, you could book something like Montserrat Monastery Half Day Experience from Barcelona, which we did with Matt’s family.
But if you want the added experience of the tapas and wine tasting at a Catalonian winery with more than 1,000 years of history, you’ll want to do what I did with my family: Montserrat Half-Day Tour with Tapas and Gourmet Wines, which we booked through Viator.
One reason I love booking with Viator is their Viator Rewards Program. Basically, each time you book with Viator, you’ll earn cash rewards after your experience to use toward your next Viator experience! And the best part is that it adds up to give you discounts on your future bookings. I’m really happy we chose to book with Viator for our Barcelona to Montserrat tour!
Why We Chose Castlexperience Tours
While we booked our Barcelona to Montserrat tour with Viator, the company operating the excursion was called Castlexperience Tours. When I saw how many good reviews they had on Google and Viator, I had a good feeling that we were going to be in for a great day.
One of the things I liked was the fact that the tour departed from one of Barcelona’s main bus stations, Estació Nord. It’s very conveniently located, just a few minutes’ walk from the Arc de Triomf and Parc de la Ciutadella. When you arrive at the bus station, you do have to go pick up your tickets from the Castlexperience desk, but I’ll explain exactly what you need to do with that in a moment.
Of course, the other thing that stood out about the Castlexperience trip was the tapas and wine tasting aspect, which was something unique that many other tours didn’t offer. It ended up being a bonus that the winery was so historic, but we really didn’t read too much into what to expect from the day — that’s one of the benefits of booking a tour, you can kind of just be along for the ride. 🙂
What Our Day Looked Like: Barcelona to Montserrat Tour
Here’s everything that our trip to Montserrat with Castlexperience included. (Remember, if you choose a different tour group, your day will likely look different.) However, there are plenty of Barcelona to Montserrat tours you can book even if you decide this one isn’t for you.
8:30am: Arrival at Estació Nord
When we got our tour information via email, the instructions said the excursion would begin at 8:45 a.m., so we got there at 8:30 a.m. just in case. It turns out that was a good thing, because you do have to go pick up your tickets in the station when you arrive. Despite the instructions we received, I still found it confusing and had to ask an information desk worker for help.
So, when you arrive, head to the very top floor of the bus station. Then, head to the end of the hall where there are ticket counters — you’re not looking for a regular ticket counter, but a bright pink one that says “Castlexperience Wine Tours.” That’s how you’ll know you’re in the right place! You check in and you’ll receive a ticket with your guide’s name. Then, they’ll tell you which “platform” outside to meet at to board the bus.
8:45am: Meetup and Tour Start
Between about 8:45 and 9 a.m., the groups gather outside the charter bus. You check in with your guide — there will likely be multiple groups sharing the bus — and then you can get on. The only downside is that I’d bought a coffee in the bus station, and you aren’t allowed to take anything other than water onboard, so I had to dump it out because it was too hot to chug 🙁
9-9:45am: Drive to Montserrat with History Lesson
Pretty much as soon as we settled in on the bus and started the drive out of Barcelona, one of the Castlexperience guides onboard started sharing some really interesting history about Barcelona. She started by talking about Barcelona’s origins as a Roman settlement 2,000 years ago; then, she moved into “typical” Spanish history like the arrival of the Moors on the Iberian peninsula in 711 and Columbus’s voyage in 1492.
She spoke transparently about Spain’s tough 20th century, including the civil war and the fascist dictator who reigned for nearly 40 years before his death in 1975, and she wrapped up with explaining how the 1992 Barcelona Olympics helped catapult it into the city we know and love today.
As we approached the mountains, she shifted her storytelling to focus on Montserrat specifically and its significance to the Catalonian people. I found all of this so interesting that it was one of the reasons I told Matt that I was more than willing to come back the next week with him, because I knew he would also appreciate it.
9:45am: Arrival at Montserrat
After arriving at Montserrat, we disembarked the bus and split into smaller groups with our assigned guides. Our guide was named Thaís, and she was from Brazil though she now lives in Barcelona with her Catalonian wife. Thaís was honestly so funny and so knowledgeable about everything regarding Montserrat — she told us that she had been a student in religious studies, so I felt like she was able to add even more insight about the history of Montserrat’s famous “Black Madonna.”
We followed her around as she carried a tour-guide stick that had a plushie bottle of wine dangling from it. I knew I was going to like her!
10:45am: Entry into Basilica of Monserrat
With our tickets, we were able to skip the line and enter pretty immediately into the Basilica of Montserrat. Before going in, Thaís told us that our time in the basilica was ours, and the tour part of the visit was officially over. She explained some of the things we could see inside the basilica and some of our options for “free time,” before telling us that we would meet near the buses at 12:30.
It was nice to have the freedom to wander inside the church without having to follow a guide, and it made for better quiet reflection as well. One of the most interesting things about the inside of the basilica was all the hanging chandeliers/lanterns — that’s something I’ve never seen in a church in Spain before, and I’ve been to a lot of churches in Spain! Apparently one is FC Barcelona themed. Can you find it? (I couldn’t.)
Of course, you could also see the Black Madonna way up on the altar, though you couldn’t get really close. (Though on the tour I did with Matt’s family, it included a close-up visit to Black Madonna, as well as the ability to touch part of the statue, so if you’re interested in that, I’d recommend this tour.)
If you have the chance, I also recommend checking out the “Ave María” path, which is just to the left of the basilica’s entrance, before heading back to Montserrat’s central area. (If you leave, you aren’t allowed back in once Mass has started.)
The Ave María path is a corridor filled with brightly lit, multicolored candles shining in red, blue, green, and white. Again, pretty interesting setup compared to lots of other churches I’ve seen in Spain. If you want to light a candle but don’t have any change, not to worry — credit cards and tap-to-pay work just fine. It’s €3.50 for a big candle and €2.50 for a small one.
11:15am-12:25pm: Free Time
After finishing up inside the basilica area, we had a bit more than an hour to do whatever we wanted before meeting up with the group. There’s actually quite a bit to see and do up at Montserrat!
For me, the first stop was finding some good coffee. (Remember how I couldn’t bring it on the bus with me?) When Thaís had given us our tour upon arrival, she pointed out the cafe that had the best coffee in her opinion — Bar de la Placa — so I started there when we were let loose.
Just outside of the cafe is what seems to be a water feature with a statue on top. The statue, which looks vaguely Gollum-like, is actually Abbot Oliba, who founded the monastery of Montserrat. And the water feature is actually a drinking fountain with fresh spring water! Thaís assured us it’s safe to drink, as she fills up her water bottle there every day. We drank some of it, and it was certainly better than the tap water in Alicante. 😉
Another free time activity is taking a hike to St. Michael’s Cross. Apparently, it takes about 20 minutes to hike there and about 15 minutes to walk back. We decided to start it a little bit too late so we turned back basically as soon as it got steep (lol) but I do know it’s one of the most popular Montserrat hikes and easy to do in a short amount of time.
Instead, we decided to check out the gift shops — including one where you can sample four types of Catalonian liquors for €3! There’s also a small farmer’s market, which sells honey, oil, and lots and lots of cheese. (They give free samples!) And if you’re still hungry, there are several other restaurants besides just the place where I got coffee.
You’ll also find an art museum, which has an additional cost of €8 (or €6.50 reduced) and boasts art from a variety of famous Spanish, Catalonian, and French artists, including Picasso, Miró, Dalí, Monet, Pissarro, and Degas. Plan to spend about 45 minutes here.
And Montserrat also has a bright yellow funicular that goes down the mountain, and which looks super fun, you likely wouldn’t have time for that on this specific tour.
12:30pm: Departure from Montserrat
We met up with Thaís and our group at 12:25 p.m. to board the bus, and we set off around 12:30. It wasn’t a long drive, but as we rode the bus with a couple of other Castlexperience groups, one of the guides shared some more fun facts about Montserrat and where we were going — Oller del Mas winery.
12:45pm: Arrival at Oller del Mas winery in Manresa
Oller del Mas is an organic vineyard in the countryside close to Montserrat, near a city called Manresa. (Our wedding caterer is from a town near Manresa, so Matt and I had actually been to this area of Catalonia before!) This winery, which is more than a thousand years old, specializes in a grape called Picapoll — and while other wineries use Picapoll in their wines, Oller del Mas is actually the only one in the world who does a 100% Picapoll wine.
Everyone took a few minutes to take some photos and use the bathroom before heading inside for the wine tasting and tapas.
1-2pm: Wine Tasting and Tapas
Our group of 17 people took our seats around a long family-style table, where plates of Catalonian tapas were laid out for each of us. And wine glasses, of course!
(This pic is from after we finished)
Thaís was an excellent guide for this part of the experience, as well. She told us that she had actually started sommelier classes, but she quit when it started seeming like everyone was too snobby about wine. In her words, the best wine is the wine you like to drink — not based on any specific requirements.
We tried one white wine and two red wines, all of which were pretty tasty. And our tapas plate was made up of jamon, chorizo, manchego cheese, croquetas, Spanish tortilla, and bread with tomato. All pretty typical Spanish tapas, so if you want to make sure you’re eating like the Spanish/Catalonians do, you’re in the right place with this tapas plate.
2-2:15pm: Free time and wine bar
When all the groups get out of their wine tasting, there’s about 15-20 minutes where you can head over to Oller del Mas’s wine bar, where the Castlexperience guides act as bartenders! Since we hadn’t tried one of the 100% Picapoll wines during our tasting, all four of us ordered a glass to try. (It probably would have been more cost effective to just buy a bottle and take it back with us, but hey — we’d all been drinking by that point.)
2:20pm: Departure from Oller del Mas
Gates of Oller del Mas with Montserrat’s silhouette in the distance
Our guides joked as we got back on the bus that they would mostly leave us alone during the ride, instead of talking. That way, we could all practice the country’s national sport of siesta. But before that, we did pass through Manresa, and it was pretty cool to see its basilica as they told us about its architect, Berenguer de Montagut. It turns out that he only worked on two other churches: Santa Maria del Mar, in Barcelona, and the Palma Cathedral in Mallorca. I can officially say I’ve seen all three!
For the most part, though, everyone did sleep on the way back to Barcelona.
3pm: Arrival in Barcelona at Estació Nord
Right on time, we arrived back where our day had started six hours earlier. There are plenty of bus routes near the station, or you can walk to wherever you’re headed next!
Overall, I had such an amazing day on this Barcelona to Montserrat tour, especially with the wine and tapas! It was so much easier than trying to figure out how to get to Montserrat on our own. And while I’m not always a tour person, I think having Thaís as our guide really enhanced the experience. I would 100% recommend this Barcelona to Montserrat tour!
Have you ever thought about visiting Montserrat? Would you go for the wine and tapas version, or just Montserrat itself? Let me know in the comments!
-Cathy
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