Barcelona Day Trip: Montserrat

Follow in the footsteps of medieval pilgrims – seek the Black Virgin Mary on her sacred hilltop.

The Sawed-Mountain Monastery

Long ago, this strange mountain, located an hour inland from Barcelona, with its massive jagged, rock formations, was deemed ‘Montserrat’, or “sawed mountain”. It was there that an image of the ‘Moroneta’ (Black Virgin) miraculously appeared over 1000 years ago. A monastery was then built atop this revered mountain, which soon became a destination for devout Catholics from all over Europe, who traversed hundreds of miles on foot, to ask the Moroneta for miracles.

With us, you’ll have the chance to explore the ancient monastery and the surrounding flora and fauna, while taking in the magnificent 360-degree views from atop the highest peak, accessible by ‘Sant Joan’s’ cable car. You’ll also have the opportunity to visit the ‘Santa Cova’ (the “Holy Cave”, where the Virgin appeared), which you’ll also reach by cable car, or via a charming footpath, as you stroll amidst the scents and peaceful sounds of nature. Depending on the day, you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy the renowned Montserrat boys’ choir, whose sweet voices will whisk you away for a few brief minutes.

After visiting the sacred mountain, you’ll be our guests for lunch in a 14th Century, stone ‘masia’ along the ancient Royal Road, where the married couple who runs the establishment will serve you an upscale Catalan feast fit for kings, in your own private dining room.

The Sawed-Mountain Monastery excursion is a full-day experience, which includes 5-6 hours for touring and lunch, plus 2-3 hours of travel time.

As with all of our day trips and excursions, there are various ways to enjoy this experience – please let us know what you’re looking for, and I’m sure we can find a way to accommodate you… Ask us about the “Bare Bones”, “Deluxe”, and “Bells n’ Whistles” options…

This experience depends greatly on you and your interests.

Please let us know what you’re looking for…

We highly recommend you read our General Touring Guidelines before booking. We want you know exactly what to expect. Please feel free to propose your own personal twist on any existing route or guideline!

In general, our Montserrat excursion will neither include the small museum nor the audio-visual experience, as we feel the day is more than complete without those two add-ons. If you’d like to include either of these extras, however, this can easily be arranged.