Montserrat Afternoon Tour & Black Madonna Priority Access

Worth the money to visit

The view from the mountain was outstanding. Jessica was great. It would have been a little better if it was not Bi lingual. She did a great job but we had to stay in one place longer as she explained in different languages

Worth the trip from Barcelona!

Our bilingual tour was great! It was amazing to me the peace and tranquility felt up here on this mountain. It is almost tangible the sacrifice made by so many to preserve and worship at this special place. Views on the air conditioned bus up and on the cog train were amazing!

Excellent trip with a great guide. The scenery was amazing. ask for Valeria as your guide!

Excellent trip. Wonderful guide. Her name is Valeria. She was very informative. The sights were amazing. The bus ride was very comfortable and clean.

Nice tour, could use warnings/heads up in description

I went on this trip with my family. Having chosen the cable car, we had a really beautiful view going up. I think it’s important to note which no where in the listing it does, there are A LOT of steps to/from cable car. Also from the cable car to the top of the main area for shops/tours there are many steps. For us this was okay, but it should be noted for people who can’t use steps or have a hard time, choose the cog train OR find a different tour that will have the bus drop you off at the top park. Another important thing to note is what time of day and day you are picking. On our way back into the city on a Friday at rush hour we were crawling back to Barcelona. I had anticipated that could happen, but if you want to avoid that book the earlier in the day tour. Lastly, when you are looking for the front desk, if you are coming from street level go into the bus station (“Nord” is on the front of it), go to level “-1”, walk to the end of platform 19/20 the Julia tour company sign and office area will be there! The tour was alright, the guide was nice, the liquor included was delicious! On our bus ride home they played the Jungle Book 2, which felt really purposeful but also completely random. As someone who is fairly able-bodied and a little out of shape I was able to do the steps. We had many people on our tour who I noticed struggled and didn’t do as much as they could because they were tired and sore from the steps. I hope this helps someone!

Montserrat Afternoon Tour

very interesting and beautiful place. The ride on the train was a great opportunity to take full advantage of the views. I wouldn't worry paying the extra for the liqueur tasting it was very quick and there was no explanation really on what each one was it took less than 3 mi utes to taste 4 liquers. The blackadonna and Basilica were impressive as was the rocky surrounds, definately worth a visit. The 45 mins of free time.did not really allow for anything other than taking photos of the views which was nice to get but a more comprehensive guided.experience would have been appreciated both of the surrounds and Basillica. The group was large I would opt for a smaller.group if going again. Def a highlight of Barcelona.

Monserrat Tour was Great

A great tour. The tour guide Sandra was full of knowledge and was a great storyteller. Monserrat is a beautiful shrine and the tram ride up the mountain was cool.

Unmissable!

Absolutely stunning views , quite a few steps to climb but unmissable sights . It’s a mystical experience, the serrated mountains (Montserrat) , the clouds on the top, the serene beauty of it all, and the quietitude speak volumes ! You should climb up to touch the black Madonna, in the basilica. She’s beautiful! Also have a look at the funiculars crossing each other close to the top ! Fabulous!

Great tour!

Everything was great, on time, our tour guide Danial was very informative, knowledgeable and clear with all the instructions. Even with all the rains we still enjoyed it.

Well. Planned visit

Incredible opportunity to visit a famous monastery That inspired Antonio Gaudi . Beautiful, hard to reach place. Excellent 1/2 day tour.

Absolutely beautiful...

Absolutely beautiful place and views. The tour was very well organised, really impressed with Julia Travel.

Beautiful but not enough time

1 hour of free time was not enough time to experience what was spoken about on the tour. 2 hours of free-time would be much better. For us to see the audiovisual tour, we chose not to eat and not to spend any money in the gift shops which I know is important for the local economy. We also weren't able to fully commit to the audiovisual tour and rushed through the cathedral in order to see as much as possible

Great visit, not enough time though

Anna was a great tour guide. There was very limited time at Montserrat though. It would have been nice to hike to the cross and take the funicular to the top.

Beeindruckender Besuch von Montserrat

I was here with Tourguide Anna She told us a lot. She had a very positive energy. At the end, 4,5 hours were not enough to get all booked activities 😪 After her guide,we went into Basilica very fast,we had luck,not to wait too long. BUT afterwards there was only 30 minutes for audiovisual AND tasting of licors. Unfortunately audiovisual is taking 20 min. And it's grouped by languages. So it could be that you have to wait a longer time for your language. And tasting of licors could take also a longer time for waiting. At the end I took the taste,but not the audiovisual. Thanks for this Tour Greetings from Germany, Berlin Carsten

Great venue, needed more time.

The area was amazing and the monastery was incredible. The guide was very engaging and friendly, but it felt that she was rushed. The tour need another hour or 1.5 hours to be able to see the rest of the monastery, do the activities and hear MUCH more about the details of how it was built, the architecture and the symbolism of the cathedral and the Order of Benedictine Monks.

Thank you for the nice tour Anna, although we didn’t have much time to explore

Thank you for the nice tour Anna, although we didn’t have much time to explore , wish you all the best and may be see you some day :)

Montserrat tour

Sandra lead the tour. It was a great tour, wonderful guide and bilingual. Funny, thorough and knowledgeable. Suggestion, check that the audio guides are all functional prior to the start of the tour

Best experience in Barcelona

Excellent tour and excellent guide 👏👏👏 ıt was very exiting that we have started with aero and them continued with an excellent tour.

Tour of the Montserrat

Sandra was amazing tour guide! So funny and informative. Highly recommend this as it was timely and organized. We had a great time

Would recommend going up but not with a tour

The view was amazing but we only had 30 minutes to look around and go the store. The lady serving the liquor was very rude.

Good tour but got denied a refund for my sick wife.

Great trip but got the run around from Julia Travel and Viator on getting a refund for my wife’s ticket because she could not attend because of a bad cold. After multiple texts and back and forth with Julia Travel and Viator, my refund was denied. The tour was great but the refund run around and denial left a bad taste.

Disappointing experience

Half day tour started at 3pm and returned to the bus depot after 7pm--creeping through rush hour traffic. Whole experience felt rushed. Upon arrival to the train station after a 45min-60 min bus ride, there was no time to use the bathrooms prior to train boarding "in four minutes." Pleasant ride up the mountain in the train. At the top, we were allowed to use the bathrooms in the restaurant which were uphill, a few minutes walk away. (We later discovered bathrooms around the corner from where the train lets out). Our guide stated we'd have about two hours to explore the area. First, he led us on a walking tour, pointing out two stops we all paid extra for: liquor tasting and AV guide. This tour advertises "skip the line" access to see the Madonna; yet also mentions that ques do occur. This is where we were technically on our own as the tour guide retrieved all our audio equipment, and said to meet him at the bus at 6:10pm. Well, we had to wait behind another tour group to see the Madonna. We slowly advanced through the line. After 45 minutes or so, we arrived at the Madonna. We wanted to pray in the chapel afterwards, but it was roped off/closed even though there were people inside. We next attempted to visit the Museum, however it closed at 5:15pm--we arrived at 5:20pm after the Madonna line, lit candle, bathroom break. We next went to the gift store for the liquor tasting substitute--cookies. We did not know what to do with the audio visual coupon we paid for--those instructions were not clearly explained and we had 30 minutes left before we needed to be at the bus parking lot. Separately from the rush of the tour, we were disappointed in the guide's presentations. First, the audio equipment kept silencing out, so we missed a few important things that were said. Secondly, his attempts at humor left us confused--asking if we knew who the statue was, "the guy in charge..."; asking if we were ready to walk almost 2 hours to the top of the mountain, "get started..." and the explanation of the significance of the center of the tile floor inside the courtyard of the church--"center of energy"... As practicing Catholics, we took offense to the "vortex" exercise in the center of the tile floor. We did not hear whom he said stated that happens but we can assure everyone reading this that Catholics do not believe in spiritual vortexes generating from/through a floor/sky. If he insinuated an Abbott or Monk said that, we respectfully ask that that individual be reported to his Superior or Bishop. A Monk did walk by, talking on his phone, and the guide made a comment about the Monks' attitude/deportment, insinuating that they are not friendly and we need to get out of their way. Since the guide left us at the start of the line for the Madonna, we had zero commentary on the beautiful artwork and inscriptions along the walls of the courtyard. There would have been plenty of time to listen to someone explain all that was there. Furthermore, the Church is full of paintings, and statues made from materials we are not familiar with, along with gold leaf (?) mosaics, floor to ceiling--where did that come from, who made it, how long did it take? We purchased a book about the Abbey in the gift shop to get information about what we missed. We discovered in it that there are short hikes that can be done, including a Way of the Cross. It appears one could see the cave where the apparition occurred. Plus more. This is not what we expected from Viator. We have always had fantastic experiences with the company and guides. This felt like we paid for transportation only--got there, saw it, got back. If that is all you have time for--this is the tour for you. If you want to fully immerse yourself in what is offered there, you're better off choosing your own transportation up/down and creating your own itinerary to spend more time. Be mindful, the Church is open/closed for prayers related to the lives of the Monks--check those out prior to planning your activities there.

Stunning

Our tour guide Danny was awesome. The views were stunning. We really enjoyed this trip highly recommend!

Incredible views from the top of the mountain

The stairs and the walk to see the Madonna were a bit more than expected, a couple of us could not do that, but the views, the train ride, the bus were all fabulous and I would recommend anyone who can go, do it. Those that went took pictures of the Madonna for those that waited.

Excellent trip to the mountains at Montserrat

Very well coordinated tour of Montserrat. The train ride to the top has exquisite views and the monastery is amazing. The liquor tasting was also a very nice experience and to top it off the souvenir at the end was something apraxia’s to remember the trip. Sarah was an amazing guide and really really helpful

Special

Great views and cool experience! The mix of Spanish and English language was confusing. I would recommend that anyone who has the chance to see it should go. Very nice tour guide, Anna.

Nice trip

Anna our tour guide was great. Very energetic. A fun excursion out of Barcelona if you the have time. The bus ride was comfy.

Efficient tour

Well organised and convenient. 50 people in the group with Anna. She was enthusiastic. The bus trip then cog wheel train were clean & fast. There is a lot to explore so we wished we had more time up at Montserrat ( only 2 hours and 1 was spent seeing the tanned virgin)

Must see!

It was well organized and very pleasant visit with our guide Valeria. She was there for any douts or questions we had.Gracias! 🙂

Loved this tour. What an...

Loved this tour. What an amazing place. A bit disappointed we paid for the cogwheel train but went up by cable car instead.

Lovely tour not to be missed

Lovely tour, great, helpful and friendly guides and amazing views (could stay up there all day). Monserat reminds me a bit of Cappadocia, and if you get a chance- both places are not to be missed! Every recommendation to Julia travel and amazing guides Violeta and Sasha.

Disappointment that could have been easily avoided

Had high hopes but disappointed in the tour operator. Site (Montserrat) is beautiful and would definitely recommend but would not use this tour operator. A number of problems, both with the operator and the guide we had. The tour mentions "Priority Access". This is simply not true. There is no priority access. What the tour description claims to offer is false. All visitors wait in the same long line to see the Black Madonna. When we arrived that line was unusually long, which our guide later mentioned. But she made no attempt to move us from the general areas of the courtyard to that line to make sure we got to see the Black Madonna. Instead she wasted time letting us mill about before she said "Oh, that line is really long today. I think we may not be able to see the Black Madonna". To which many of our fellow tourists said, then the bus must wait, which she said it wouldn't. Many of our tour group did not see the Black Madonna as a result. The tour guide should have realized the line was unusually long at moved us there from the onset, but she never did. This was very disappointing and could have been easily solved by the guide. And the lack of "Priority Access" despite that being clearly in the title of the tour is simply false advertising. I would not use this tour operator and myself will never again.

Highly Recommend!

Our tour guide, Sarah, was excellent. She gave us great information and enough time to tour on our own!!

Great tour but would have liked more free time

This tour was pretty good and well worth the money. Our tour guide Maria was very friendly and provided great explanations of the sights and their history. The only downside is that, after the guided part is over, there is really almost no time to explore Monserrat… at most, you get about 30 minutes of free time to explore and take pictures on your own. It really should have lasted longer. The place itself is, of course, absolutely breathtaking. I would also add that the tour was given in both English and Spanish (at the same time). One single language would have been preferable.

Viva Montserrat!

Maria was a great tour guide and explained it all in both English and Spanish! She was very knowledgeable about the history and explained it all clearly! The best part of the trip was to be able to witness and touch the Black Madonna! Wine tasting was excellent before the trip back ! Highly recommended!

Breathtaking - you have to experience it to believe it.

An amazing place to visit for so many reasons. It should not be missed! The guide explained everything perfectly. The scenery on the Cog was stunning.

A must do in Barcelona!

Wonderful experience! Pick up location was easy to locate. Very organized operation. EXCELLENT TOUR GUIDE Valerie. She was so kind and friendly. Very informative with excellent story telling along the ride. A memorable experience.

Breathtaking experience

We Loved the tour! Sandra the guide was amazing, so knowledgeable and helpful! The religious aspect was so beautiful! We were able to learn about the culture and history

Fun tour, great guide!

Valeria was a fun and knowledgable guide and made our trip interesting and fun. Montserrat is amazing, and the cable car ride was thrilling. The scenery and basilica are surreal and the history is fascinating. Highly recommend.

Brutal Tour...

The only thing we remember were the delays and the chaos. Poorly organized, bus was late arriving at pick up point then bus could not take all passengers, tour was delayed by 1 hour. Tour was not extended and ended at the scheduled time so at least one hour was cut. Then bus brokedown and we waited 1 at least one hour for a new bus. Got back to Barcelona after 9 pm. Tour was not worth the money and the delays ruined the entire experience. We deel ripped off and have requested a full refund

Amazing experience!!!!

Valeria was our tour guide and she made the experience even more enjoyable!!! If you’re looking to add to your vacation experience and book a tour that doesn’t put you to sleep, this is the one! P.S. Thank you Freddy (our bus driver)

Horrid

HORRIBLE guide very hard to understand Directions poorly done Unclear where to meet to return Few in group understood any thing

Very interesting as well as spiritual.

Very interesting tour. Fantastic scenery, beautiful old buildings & of course, the amazing Black Madonna. The cog train ride was also an adventure.

EXCELLENT EXCURSION TO MONTSERRAT

Excellent trip. Enjoyed the opportunity to visit the Cathedral and touch the hand of Our Lady of Montserrat. The cable car ride from the highway to the top of the mountain was spectacular.

Montserrat tour + Black Madonna and cable car

Amazing views, beautiful monastery and interesting history of the place. Tour wouldn't be the same without our great guides Jonatan and Gloria. Highly recommend this experience!

Monserat Tour

Gloria was really enthusiastic and made the trip a memorable experience with all her facts and jokes !! She was so wonderful and the overall besttttt

Don’t miss the black Madonna

Liked that the your guide gave us the history as we drive and then we could tour at our own pace. The train ride let you enjoy the beautiful landscape. The Madonna was beautiful. The trip was well worth the money and time.

Very good

The ride on the cable car and the church. You guide us hard to hear because she did not talk into the microphone.

Disappointed

Views are beautiful. Basilica was interesting. A bilingual tour was very distracting. The guide tried her best but the group was too big. We kept losing her commentary. Every time she started speaking the volume was too loud and we jumped. It was very rushed as traffic was an issue. It was Friday afternoon, traffic to be expected. Enjoyed our ride down on the funicular but it was advertised as a cog train.

Great experience

This tour was very informative and Anna was very nice. My family enjoyed it and wouldnt forget this experience. I would book again with this agency.

Monserrat in a rush

It was beautiful but the trip was very rushed. The tour guide was knowledgeable but short tempered. The bus driver was excellent and careful his name was Sergio.