Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Monistrol de Montserrat, Monistrol de Montserrat, Bages, Catalonia
The Montserrat rack railway covers the five kilometers between Monistrol de Montserrat and Montserrat. It is a route that takes you to the top of Catalonia’s most emblematic mountain, which is visible from all angles thanks to the panoramic view offered by the train’s large windows. Its history dates back to 1891, when Joaquim Carrera, an engineer who was passionate about Montserrat and Swiss mountain trains, convinced an entrepreneur to build a train between the recently-opened Monistrol de Montserrat station and the monastery.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Montserrat, Montserrat, Catalonia
Montserrat Natural Park is a natural space dominated by the characteristic silhouette of its eponymous mountain, a rocky massif of sandstone and extremely hard calcareous cement that over millions of years has adopted its peculiar and recognisable form. The Holy Cave, the Sant Joan and Sant Miquel chapels, and above all, Montserrat Abbey, make this place, which is just a short distance from Barcelona, an unmissable destination. Montserrat is nicknamed the ‘magic mountain’ due to the numerous legends it has generated. The first of them is the discovery of the wooden statue of the Virgin Mary, which is reputed to have been found in the so-called Santa Cova or Holy Cave in 880. Another legend tells of a woodcutter who made a pact with the Devil to receive a fast horse to carry his wood.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Abadia de Montserrat, Carretera BP-1121 S/N, 08199 Montserrat Spain
The legend, of which there is written testimony from 1239, says that one afternoon in the year 880 some shepherds received a visit from the Virgin Mary in the form of light and music. The vision was repeated several times and it was then when the first image of the Mother of God was found in a cave in the mountain. Even though the mountain had already been home to a number of chapels inhabited by hermits since the 9th century, it was not until 1025 that Abbot Oliba founded Montserrat Abbey and it became a pilgrimage destination. Now the monastery is inhabited by some eighty Benedictine monks who worship a Black Madonna popularly known as ‘La Moreneta’ (the little dark one), a 12th-century statue of Our Lady of Montserrat, the patron saint of Catalonia. The Virgin Mary is holding an orb, signifying the cosmos, in her right hand, while her left hand rests on the back of the Infant Jesus to indicate that the omnipotent king is her son.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Escolania de Montserrat, Spain
The Escolania de Montserrat is one of Europe’s oldest and most renowned choirs. Its choristers, boys aged 7 to 13 who receive full musical training and schooling, perform concerts all around the world and participate in the abbey’s liturgical rites. Hearing them is a privilege and a true pleasure for the ears.
According to the abbey’s records the choir dates back to the 14th century when a religious and musical school for boys was founded. In 1474, the boys had the honour of singing for King Ferdinand the Catholic during his visit to Barcelona, and since then they have performed for leading figures the world over and everyone who wants to hear them. The Escolania choir sings several times a day and performs pieces like "Virolai", a hymn in honour of the Virgin Mary composed by Mossèn Jacint Verdaguer in 1880; Salves and polyphonic motets.
Duration: 1 hour
See Availability.
Carrer d'Alí Bei, 80, L'Eixample, 08018 Barcelona, Spain
09:00 AM
6 hours 15 minutes(approx.)
Returns to original departure point
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Infants must sit on laps
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
Travel time is included on the total tour duration
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 50 travelers
Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Posted By : James_M
Fantastic trip. Alex our guide was very good and extremely informative. Dani was our driver and we felt safe. Montserrat is beautiful, not only the Basillica and Boys choir but the rock formations and views. The museum and Art gallery have pieces by great artists Picasso, Dali and Caravaggio.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-04-29
Posted By : Richard_B
Nice and helpful tour guide and good bus.
BUT, they didn't tell us when we reserved that the famous Boys Choir concert, which was important and we paid for it, would not take place during Easter Week. We would have booked a cheaper tour without it or just gone ourselves at much less money. Also the tour guide left us on our own for many hours without guiding.
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Posted On : 2024-04-06
Posted By : Helle_T
the tour guide's stories, his ability to answer all kinds of questions, lots of time to explore the area and hear the boys choir. The interactive video was also good. The bus ride was comfortable, and the tour guide talked about the areas as we were driving. Good value for the price of the tour.
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Posted On : 2024-03-05
Posted By : MAW523
We booked a TUI all day trip to Montserrat from La Pineda which was well worth it. Bus picked us up at 9 a.m. & the ride was around 90 mins. Teresa, TUI rep was excellent throughout the day as well as the tour guide within the Sacristy/Basilica. Also, had free time to roam/visit whatever you wanted. The price included the train up to Montserrat, audio tour, schnapps tasting & entry to the Basilica which allowed fast track entry.... Well worth visiting the Black Madonna. There are some local market stalls selling food produce which are on the way to the Restaurant & coach parking area. We had a lovely cheese & ham baguette in the cafeteria which had plenty of seating. There are couple of gift shops & there are toilets across from the Post Office & near the Restaurant. Spectacular views. Bus left at 4 pm. We would have liked more time here really to enjoy this fabulous place.
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Posted On : 2023-10-26
Posted By : Liliana_N
Experiencing the pure air in those mountains, and seeing those beautiful rock formations. The basilica was also awesome with the Moreneta virgin (black virgin).
Also the spiritual boys’s choir singing inside the church. It is an all around great experience.
Rating :
Posted On : 2023-10-24
Posted By : jordanellie41
A visit to Montserrat from Barcelona is not to be missed, but you have to leave a full day to see everything. You must get there particularly early before the crowds so you don't end up queuing everywhere to see the sights and leave the hiking and mountain views until afterwards to do at your leisure. If you're travelling from Barcelona - as I did - and you plan on doing lots of things here for the whole day - as I did - then it's worthwhile getting the 45€ Monserrat card. Firstly, this card allows you to take the metro from Barcelona to the train station, then the train to Montserrat, then either the rack railway or cable car to the main square, then unlimited rides on either funicular up and down. If you buy everything separately it will cost you more and it's a major hassle queuing for tickets. Be sure to go to see the Black Madonna firs and avoid the long queues followed by the Basilica. Everything after this can be done in whatever order you wish as there's usually no queuing involved for the other sites. The square in front of the Basilica is pretty, and a short 20 minute walk to Sant Miquel's Cross is a must see. Take the funicular to see where the story started of the Black Madonna and go to the chapel and cave of Santa Cova. I also did a bit of trekking just for glorious photos of the vistas from the mountains. There's also some nice little things to see such as the sculptures wall to the side of the Basilica on the main square and the Stairway to Heaven monument.
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Posted On : 2023-08-15
