Barcelona: Explore Montserrat with Optional Wine Tasting & Lunch

Montserrat with Evan the tour guide

The guide- Evan was knowledgeable and very accommodating. He was receptive to questions and provided a of wealth knowledge. His personality was very warm and personable and contributed to a wonderful experience.

Great tour and guide

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable in the history at Montserrant. But it didn’t stop just at the tour but in general all round were very pleased!

Montserrrat uniquely!

Lana led us thru a wonderful tour of a small group of 8. Horrible weather which was very unusual, but she gave great advisement for alternative plans until the fog burned off! The museum at Montserrat is free and has many treasures of Dali, Miró, Monet and Picasso. What a find! The winery tour was a comprehensive process tour and then a lovely Catalan lunch- plenty of food! 3 tastings. It was a lovely 7h that went by so quickly with Lana narrating much more and teaching much more than expected!

The bus leaves 30 min...

The bus leaves 30 min late.....WITHOUT the tourguide!! We have to arrange everything on our one. Never never book with City Wonders again.

Organise the online booking people was confuse because our names where not on the list.

Where not on the list during the trip even other people driver was confuse or have the wrong list of people, But the driver was nice and the trip was ok

Incredible insightful experience

Robert the tour guide was INCREDIBLE! So knowledgeable (about the landscape, the history and the monastery) he made our visit the highlight of our Barcelona trip. The monastery itself was wonderful, and it felt very special to see see and touch the Black Madonna. We chose with our freetime to visit the gallery and were blown away by the quality of the exhibits - great value for money

Great trip outside Barcelona

This half day trip to Montserrat was really nice. It's a great way to escape the city. Seamless organization. Highly recommend.

No show host

Host did not show up we waited for nothing and lost valuable time on our vacation, and missed out on a wonderful opportunity. We complained to the tour operator , they gave us a refund that’s it. No compensation for our waisted time etc.

Montserrat Experience

As a Roman Catholic, this trip is a must see. I suggest that they provide a Label or something to let the travelers know that it was the tour. (Viator told me it was a bus), well it was not it was a tourist van (a nice one) and so we had to spend around 10 minutes looking for a “bus” . We missed the wine tasting and food tasting because of the lack of time. I just hope that the price wenpaid included a Basilica entrance. Tour guide is very much knowledgeable… Over all, a bit pricey but this was the only tour left for me to choose. Seeing God’s wonderful creation is priceless anyway.

Fantastic experience!

This was such a beautiful place and Marc, our tour guide, was exceptional. He shared a lot of knowlede with us, which made the trip even better. I would highly recommend this!

Bad service

Guide cancelled at the last minute Viator has yet to refund my money. Give me back my money! On a cruise ship so I can’t call them but the guide said they would book for another day we are only in port for one day so that will not work. Please do the right thing and return my money!!!

Great half day trip outside Barcelona

The tour was very well organized. It has a good balance of traveling time, clean bus, professional tour guide, free time to explore the site on your own, planned activities, etc. Highly recommending this tour! Our guide Marc was very knowledgeable and helpful. On the way to the monastery he was talking for over an hour pointing out to interesting places we are passing by, telling us the history of the monastery, pointing us at possible ways for us to spend our free time.

Day Trip to Montserrat

The trip from Barcelona was a good day trip and worth the €€! Educational, beautiful, and pure. The hike was worth every step to see the view.

Marc the guide was...

Marc the guide was absolutely superb. He is one of the best English guides I’ve met in Spain.. However the time was a bit short. You need one hour more to comfortably cover all the attractions. Many thanks

The Monestery was...

The Monestery was amazing. Our guide Marc was fun and informative explaining the history and culture. Our driver did a great job.

Confusing pick up instructions, or ghost bus never showed up.

There was no story for this tour to Monserrat. The instructions indicated departure time under Venetian Towers in Barcelona and bus was to depart at 9:15. When we arrivef at 9:05 when we arrived , there was NO bus or Tour represenatative to be found. I am NOT sure exactly what happened but when I called , they said that the bus had 8 passengers who had arrived and left. Not sure where the fail was. Is the map incorrect or the bus left earlier? This was disappointing experience to say the least. Option provided was to rebook for another day, but I could not rebook because that was the last full day in Barcelona.

We were privileged to...

We were privileged to have such a knowledgeable guide as Roberto. He truly knows history in-depth but also has a very broad and deep knowledge of related subjects such as art and music and philosophy. The half day tour is short but good if you are short of time. The mountain is imposing, the black Madonna beautiful, the mosaic work so inspiring.

Amazing

To see the Black Madonna and the view was amazing. How the structures where build in those days when there was less equipment to use.

Amazing time in the mountains

My rating is actually a 4.5 Roberto was an awesome tour guide. He was very informative and cheery which I very much appreciated. The tour consists of driving 1 hour from Barcelona, up to Montserrat mountain. You have some free time to look around before choosing to view the Black Madonna statue. There was a bit of a queue (probably 15mins) and then it's just a quick look at the figurine before walking past. I was able to take a video of the ordeal. There is also an option to do liquor tasting and have some sweet bread, which was very delicious! The reason for my rating (not 5 stars) is because of the minor fact that it's not much of a "guided tour". The tour guide gives a nice history lesson during the ride and when you get to the mountain, he does point out the significance of some of the statues around. But apart from that, it is very much a "self-guided" tour. You go inside the Benedictine monastery and see the Black Madonna statue by yourself because the guide isn't allowed entry. Overall, it's a great way to spend the morning/early afternoon and this tour gives way for a lot of flexibility so great if people decide to change their plans when they get there.

You need a tour guide!

Montserrat is beautiful but has become very commercialised since we first visited 15 years ago. Extremely busy in August and too hot to enjoy the surroundings. Took the cogwheel train to the top which was very expensive for a family of 4. Unfortunately our tour guide failed to turn up which spoiled the whole experience as we had to find our own way around and we wasted a lot of time wondering around unsure of what was included in our ticket. Driver no help at all as he couldn’t speak English and we had to contact the tour company ourselves to find out what was going on!

Disappointed

The guide didn’t turn up!! Ended up heading to Montserrat with just the Spanish speaking driver. Had to try and organise ourselves which wasted valuable time. Missed seeing a lot due to having zero direction.

Great 1/2 day trip.

Spectacular! Views. Beautiful surroundings. Tour Guide very informative en route to site and during tour of church. We Had free time to explore/hike the trails. Surprising how “commercialized” and bustling with local and non local tourism.

Must do!

Roberto was PHENOMENAL!! He was very friendly, engaging, and made everyone feel comfortable the entire time. He went above and beyond to answer questions and direct us to the best spots. Have already recommended to multiple people!

Good

Roberto was very informative and very knowledgeable, its a great tour if you dont have a lot of time to explore but I wish I did the whole day your as there us so much to see and do

Montserrat Monastery is a must visit

If you are in Barcelona for a few days Montserrat is a must see. Our guide Rober made our trip special as he explained a number of sites along our trip and at the monastery. There are plenty of hiking trails once you get up to the monastery. The church is a spectacular one. The side chapels are amazing. Take the time to visit the Black Madonna. There are so many beautiful things to see on the way up. Being in the presence of the Madonna is also a joyful experience.

Good day trip, but need a better guide.

I’m sorry but the guide was not fluent in English. Sometimes I couldn’t hear her and sometimes it just was not understandable.

Wonderful Trip

Our guide was wonderful! He was friendly and very knowledgeable through the tour. I would highly recommend this trip!

Amazing Montserrat

The trip to Montserrat Monastery is one you should put on your to see list if travelling to Barcelona, our guide Roberto was amazing. Definitely worth doing

Lots of wasted time

The guide was 50 minutes late, Gave too much free time and wanted to abandon us at the liquor tasting. Seemed very unsure about the procedure to enter the Black Madonna area

Trip cancelled

The trip was cancelled the night before. Received a call late in night, and with no option to move the trip to other day. Hopefully will receive the refund.

The place is a must to see.

This place is a must to see,dont forget to go to the top the view is fantastic!Thanks to our guide of City Wonders ,Mario or Roberto forgot his name sorry!

Beautiful Montserrat

Beautiful views and very interesting monastery. Our guide Teo was very friendly and had a good sense of humor. Half day timing was very efficient to see the sites and get back in time to explore Barcelona.

Tour Guide conducted the entire day trip by herself. She was great, but a second person would be helpful during Tapas and wine t

Tour was great. Group was surprised to see tour guide facilitate all aspects of the trip. She provided local historical information during bus ride, walking tour of Monserat and server during Tapas/wine tasting.

Cancelled

Sadly the company cancelled the trip 6 days before the booking. A refund was requested but I've still not have this reach my account, which is now past the date that the tour was meant to take place. I'm massively out of pocket considering I paid for an alternative tour and still don't have my refund, meaning I had less money to spend on holiday.

Very knowledgeable and...

Very knowledgeable and friendly guide. We greatly appreciate that he waited for us and didn’t leave us at Monserrat (our cable car ride caused us to be a few minutes late). 5 stars for our guide!

Amazing tour - but not enough time

Great trip for a group of friends - excellent English speaking tour guide. Meeting the bus was easy, and access to the abbey and mountain was stress free and fun! If possible I would have opted to spend a whole day here - I don't think the half day offered in this tour is enough to look around. By the time the short tour was given by the guide - which was excellent! - and we had quickly got food from the cafeteria, we only had about 1hr of free time remaining. Using the tram to the top of the mountain takes approx. 10 mins each way and only runs every 15 mins - also 15eur (seems a little expensive for what it is!) - meaning, a lot of time was spent waiting. However, I would definitely recommend this tour if you're visiting Barcelona and want to explore the local history as well!

Objective

Guide was excellent. Pleasant trip. Timing was perfect. Very objective. Weather was nice. Easy subway access to meeting point.

Prayerful and beautiful.

I just loved the feeling of the place. It was prayerful and not too crowded. The guide was knowledgeable and helpful. I liked having an hour and a half to myself.

Great tour and tour guide

We went on a 3 week tour of Europe and by far this was the best paid tour along the way. Our guide Mark was very knowledgeable about the history of Barcelona, the monastery, and the mountain. He began from the moment the bus departed from the city until we arrived in Montserrat, and allowed for individual exploration once there. The only disappointment was that due to the risk of forest fires, the optional trails were closed for the day (not a fault of the tour) If I had an opportunity, I will definitely go back to Montesratt and possibly spend a whole day instead of a half day. Its truly a spiritual and natural beauty.

Guide was fantastic...show was great too.

Really enjoyed this tour. Was a great blend of history. sites, walking, eating and ended with a fun show. The tapas and drinks were yummy....I recommend paying for a couple extra tapas as the first bar (tour price includes 2 tapas and 1 drink at first location. And then sit down "dinner & drink" tapas at the 2nd place. ) While both locations were good, I enjoyed the tapas at the first place more (regret not eating a couple extra crab tapas!). But was lots of food overall. And 3 drinks in total included....which was plenty. My least positive feedback was that our seats were in the back of the Flamenco show....and while you could still see expressions and movements of the dancers....I really, really wanted to see their feet! And unless you were in the first couple rows...that is not gong to happen. But I think that will be true for any show that you book. Our guide was really great too.....full of historical information and stories and we ended up seeing places I would have just walked by on my own. Overall, a really enjoyable experience.

Fantastic trip

The site is incredible! I wish I had more time but it was fun, you can visit the Black virgin statue in the catedral or take the telepheric to go up to the mountains top during your free time. The guide provided us with informations about the history of Montserrat which was insightful and interesting Great guide and agency.

Best day of Barcelona

Really enjoyed this half day trip to Montserrat. We’re not real big tour people so we did the half day. It was a nice length but would recommend longer if you want to hike a bit or have time for more than one attraction. The tour is worth it and very informative so I wouldn’t miss it but would probably stay longer next time and take the train home. Driver and guide were awesome!

Disappointing

The bus was 45 minutes late and the tour guide did not show up! We were not able to go into the church or see the Black Madonna. Have not heard from Viator.

Good value and well organised

After a bit of a late start due to change in tour guide, we really enjoyed the tour. Our guide was fantastic really helpful, friendly and knowledgeable. Montserrat is definitely worth a visit, we went on a Sunday which was very busy. The half day was enough for us but it does go quickly. Good value and well organised.

The guide didn't show up....

The guide didn't show up. And after some waiting the company decided that the driver takes us up there anyway. We were very disappointed because we had expected to get the most of it with a guide tour. We didn't know where to go or what to do to get the most out of it, and we did not have much time there. But the place wonderful.

Guide was informative and...

Guide was informative and accommodating, but wasn’t clear about where to meet to return to Barcelona, so our party missed the bus and had to take the train back (1.5hrs instead of 1hr).

Great - but too short

Marie was a very helpful guide but the tour was too short - we barely got 1.5 hours to explore. Another hour would have made this 5*.

Logistics frustration

This was a great site to visit, and our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. However, the logistics regarding tickets into the cathedral with timed entrances was unacceptable. The time on our entrance ticket was 2:30pm. Our bus was scheduled to leave at 1:15pm. The entire group was held up while the guide talked to Wonder tours office. We finally received tickets that had a workable entrance time. I recommend the tour but the logistics need to be improved.

Great trip with Robert!

We had a wonderful time on this tour! Our coach arrived right on time and our guide Robert was really friendly and knowledgeable about both Barcelona and Montserrat. When we arrived at Montserrat he showed us the most important sights and then recommended some activities for us. My sister and I decided on the hike to the cross, which we really enjoyed! The view was spectacular. We are glad we decided to take an early trip as we got there before the masses and before it got too hot. When we were leaving (at 13) it was a lot more crowded. All in all we had a great time and would really recommend it:)

Very Good experience

Worth the trip and very Good experience. The tour guide helpful and knows her stuff well and Driver very Good and confident in driving around Hills