Montserrat Half Day & Optional Sagrada Familia Small Group Tour

Exciting views

Our tour guide, Rod, was so knowledgeable, funny, and enthusiastic that made this trip to Monserrat so enjoyable. We lucked out on a beautiful day as well. Definitely recommend adding on the Basilica entrance. Also go early!

A pleasantly surprising adventure.

Our personable guide David, made this tour an adventure through the Country side to Montserrat, then lunch & wine tasting. He was very informative of the Catalán and Spanish history! He was patient with our numerous, sometimes repetitive questions. Lunch was tasty and scenic in the restaurant patio overlooking the vineyard. I was pleasantly surprised by the extent of the wine tour...only expected a tasting. Loved the small size of our group , 8 of us. Would definitely encourage booking this outing.

Terrific solo birthday trip 😁

This was an amazing trip. This was my second time with David as a tour guide and he is gracious, charming, and fun. Monserrat is incredible. Allot yourself enough time if you plan to walk to Santa Cova--it is a tough uphill walk back but absolutely worth it. We stopped for lunch at Cal Casseles, which was traditional Català/Penedes style. Wine and food paired very well . The winery was Pares Balta and Carlos was great! Very informative and friendly. All in all, this was a great way to spend my birthday and I highly recommend this tour!!

Montserrat Tour

Sergi, Rodrigo and Crystal from Explore Catalunya were phenomenal... Sergi and Rodrigo were both so knowledgeable and provided us with lots of interesting facts about Montserrat and Barcelona.

Wonderful trip to Montserrat

A fantastic trip to visit the monastery at Montserrat was made even more special by our excellent guide Rod. His knowledge, not just of Montserrat but the whole of the region, was immense and really helped make the trip special. Rod was very engaging and talked with knowledge on a wide range of subjects as we travelled to Montserrat. The tour there was amazing and not to be missed by anyone in the Barcelona area. Even the inclement weather couldn't dampen our spirits as we walked around Montserrat and visited the Basilica, the high point of our trip. I can't recommend this trip highly enough and really thank Rod for sharing his knowledge with us.

Chugugu Montserrat tour

We had Rod as our tour guide. Magaling, nakakatawa at maraming alam. :) madami kaming natutunan sakanya na hindi mo basta basta malalaman kung walang mag kwento. We Highly recommend this memorable tour experience!

Amazing day of religious history

This was an amazing tour and Gaspar (our tour guide) made it so special. He is a native and knows so much about both places and everything in between. The trip to Montessat was a 1 hour comfortable ride in which he gave us the history of how this mountain came to be and it’s evolution over time both geologically and religiously. I highly recommend this tour and if you can get Gaspar do it.

Great tour of Montserrat

Robert did an amazing job supplying the history and notable sights of Montserrat and made the journey there and back enjoyable. Would highly recommend any of the explore catalunya tours.

MontSerrat Tour

Robert was our tour guide. He made our experience excellent. He was personable and very informative. We enjoyed our tour immensely.

Excellent tour , Montserrat is a must see symbol for Catalan Culture !

We travelled Oct 2022 , and we had a wonderful time .Our guide Robert explained to us the importance of the Montserrat in the Catalan culture . He is an excellent driver, thanks to him we got to enjoy the mountain ride. We took the cable train for the top of the mountain and walked around to take in amazing views on all sides of the mountains. It's definitely a " must see " ! The girls at the front desk were very helpful , they bought is the tickets for Sagrada Familia and took the time to explain to us how to get there .

Disappointed

Montserrat itself is beautiful. In retrospect, it was no worth wasting 5 hours of a 4 day trip to Barcelona. Our hope was to see the Black Madonna. Unfortunately that never happened. On arrival our tour van was parked quite far from the entrance so it was quite a walk, up hill. Then we wasted quite a bit of time being taken to taste cheese from local vendors. By the time we had reached the church, the doors had been closed in preparation for Mass. I wish we could have made better use of our time on arrival, being dropped at the entrance and instructed where to go. In the end we were left with a little over an hour to roam around. We attempted the incline, however the line was over an hour. In the end we only could go to a gift shop and get a beverage and go. Definitely not worth it. This was a huge letdown. Not sure about the Segrada Familia part, it was never mentioned, not even sure if it was included.

First class tour

Nordic was an excellent guide provided background and history to every aspect of what we were seeing. Toured wth Canadian couple and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Nice half day trip to...

Nice half day trip to Montserrat. Well worth the trip. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and accommodating. Would definitely recommend!

Great guide, being at...

Great guide, being at mint serrat on a Sunday was lovely with the bells and activity. Morning is best, not so crowded!

Wonderful Company!

I had done other tours with Explore Catalunya years ago and was so happy with them that we decided on this trip to do the Montserrat tour. From start to finish everyone was so incredible. The office staff provided regular communication and our tour guide Rod was awesome. I can not recommend this company more strongly and with many tours taken across many years I can confidently say that booking with this company is an absolute pleasure and you will not be disappointed.

A great trip

We traveled to Montserrat with our grandson, leaving with Explore Catalunya. Our guide Robert was great or should I say fabulous. He was very knowledgeable about the history and the area in general. They were well organized and allowed us some free time. If you’ve never been to Montserrat(we actually had) it is really quite incredible. We took the funicular to the top of the mountain as well as walked to the Cross of Saint Michael. It was very well done; the small group is an excellent way to visit; views are spectaculare. On a clear day you can see all the way to Barcelona and the sea beyond.

The best tour guide and tour!!!

Excellent tour and guide! We adore this amazing place 🤩 Our great guide told a lot of stories and facts about Monserrat and also about Barselona. We will definetely come back to Barselona and enjoy different parts of town during tours❤️

Great day with our new friend Steven from Ireland

This is a fantastic tour! We had a great time With our tour guide Steven. Going up the mountain is a tour in itself, the history of this place is mind blowing. The Sagrada Família is a must see, I think this is the best tour in Barcelona.

Small private tour with in out Barcelona. Our guide Arnold

We had an amazing tour with our delightful guide informative flexible and full of information. 5 star all the way.. definitely recommend you ask for Arnold you will not be disappointed. Thank you for carrying my bags 😜 Greg & Michelle

Stunning and serene with a great guide

Our family of 5 and a young couple from TN had Pablo as our tour guide for the 1/2 day Montserrat tour. Pablo drove all of us in a 9 passenger van, the ride was enjoyable as a Pablo pointed out many sights and facts along the way. When we reached Montserrat, Pablo explained much of the history and lead us around the grounds, pointing out many important things. He was very knowledgeable and passionate about Montserrat. Our family took the cable car up to the top for some walking & even better views (we had a windy but sunny day and the views were amazing). We wish we had a whole day to spend here! Pablo’s enthusiasm, sense of humor and knowledge made a great trip for our family. He also took some memorable family photos for us.

Nice Day in Montserrat

Our tour guide was Pablo and it was a small tour. My husband and I, plus three other friends traveling together. Montserrat is gorgeous and should definitely not be missed. Our tour guide took the long way up the mountain, for our benefit, and we stopped along the way for more scenic lookouts. Pablo helped us curate our day and we abandoned the schedule in order to help us see the view from the top of the cable car and see the boy's choir (which he extended our tour, free of charge to see). Overall, it was a pleasant day. I wish that we had more time to explore the Basilica, as a religious person that was what I were most excited to see, and that our guide had more "facts" rather than antidote and experience. Our day was filled with laughs, talking, and personality- but I would have liked more of the history and facts of the place. While we liked our guide and thought he was friendly, I learned more "fact" from reading the Wikipedia page than I did in the entire tour. However, we felt like we got to the spend the day with someone who was a great ambassador for Catalan culture and hospitality. It wasn't "bad", it was just different than what we were hoping for. I think if you're looking for a tour that is heavy on history, look elsewhere. If you want a more casual experience with someone who genuinely wants to know you and show you a bit of Catalan culture, this is the place for you.

Nice tour to Montserrat

I had a very nice tour to Montserrat with a small group and our driver / guide Jordi. The weather was great for February and there were only a few people around in the afternoon. Unfortunately the Funicular railway to the top of the mountain closed quite early.

Perfection

Anna was very helpful as she explained everything about the place in such an interesting way. Definitely recommend it! Was such a great day honestly.

Journey to Montserrat

The tour guide, Jordi, was wonderful. He provided information about history, geology, and culture. He also gave us insights into events happening in the city. The tour was well organized, the group was small and everything went smoothly. Montserrat is a very special location, the views from the mountains are spectacular. I loved the experience.

Monserrat Hal-Day Small Group Tour

Thouroghly enjoyed the experience and the details of the Monserrat Half-Day Tour. From hindsight, we could have used a full day, so as not to be hurried with the various aspects of Monserrat, and in order to have the opportunity to visit the Basilica either during one of the services, or after the religious services when the doors are reopened to all visitors. Pablo, our guide, was excellent and added so much to the experience with his deep knowledge, his observations of local, historical, and cultural aspects, and his wit and humor that added fantastic value to the overall experience!

A fantastic experience

This was our first trip to Barcelona and we read the reviews on TripAdvisor of what to do during our stay. This trip to Montserrat is something that has to be experienced in person, pictures do not do it justice. We went up as a small group of four with a very experienced and friendly guide (Martha). She gave the visit that extra something special. Martha guided us around Montserrat and gave an in depth knowledge of the history of the mountain and it’s surroundings. We were also very lucky to find a small queue to see the Black Madonna, which we got to see up close. During the visit we had some time to explore the area without the guide and this gave the opportunity to explore the small shops/market and have a bite to eat. During our journey back to Barcelona, Martha answered our questions and gave us a fantastic history of Barcelona/Spain/Catalonia, which was very fascinating. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip and would like to say a huge thank you to Martha for making our experience a memorable one. We would definitely recommend this trip to others.

Exhausting but exhilarating!

My partner and I were the only ones on the tour. The van was quite comfortable. Nicholas, the guide, was quite personable, and offered a wealth of information about Catelonian history as well as the geological factors that led to the serrated appearance of the mountain - and its connection to Sagrada Familia cathedral, which was designed with Montserrat in mind. Due to the guide's accent, I missed some bits and pieces on the way there (and slept a bit on the return trip), but got most of it. Montserrat was beautiful, with its Cathedral and shrine to the Black Madonna. We were given free time to explore the site, ride the St Joan funicular (rail car) to the top and take photos. We arrived at Sagrada Familia around 3 - 3:30 pm, and were given an entrance ticket including audio guide. With the afternoon sun passing through the stained glass, the interior was radiant. I highly recommend the tour, with the caveat that it may be a challenge for people with mobility limitations - with my cane and bad knee, I struggled a bit to keep up with the guided part of the walking tour.

Nothing special about tour

Montserrat is a must see but the tour was average. Left on time and returned on time. Guide was able to answer questions. The tour for Sagrada was cancelled for unknown reason. Offered another time and date. Showed up for tour but couldn't find tour guide. Asked and received a partial refund.

Montserrat half day tour

The guide was very cheerful and had a good sense of humor. He was very helpful in answering any questions we had. He even helped us make a lunch reservation when we got back to Barcelona. We did wish we had had a half hour longer at Montserrat.

guided tour is a must

There is so much to learn about this magnificent church and it's history, that you will not appreciate all of the details and hidden meanings without a guide to share it all with you.

5 star tour

This is a great tour for a small group. There were only 4 of our immediate family who were in the tour.. The min van was a perfect size. Our tour guide, Pablo, was the best. He was very knowledgeable, professional and went the extra mile to make our trip memorable. He made us appreciate Montserrat even more after knowing the history of the place. Pablo made the tour very very interesting. 5 stars for Pablo.

Fantastic Trip

Our tour guide Alex was amazing, very informative and friendly and we really enjoyed the trip. Recommend the walk up to the cross to catch a wonderful view of the monastery embedded in Montserrat

montserrat with tour guide extraordinaire

We are from the US and went with Explore Catalunya He was great mixed knowledge with humor took my 21 year old son and 19 year old daughter and had a blast highly recommended

Great but needed more time

We had a great tour The tour guide was very knowledgeable and made the tour somewhat interesting. The tour started 10 min late then got stuck in traffic jam for some time. To be honest, if you want to enjoy the full experience you will definitely need the whole day. You get approx 1.5 hrs to actually see the views which we felt was not enough as there was so much to see. We were rushed for time

Montserrat

Arnold was an amazing tour guide! He made it exciting and very informative. We enjoyed it so much and would definitely do it again. The transportation and time allotment was well organized. Great time!

5 Star Visit to Montserrat!

This was certainly a great tour for us! We were 2 couples from Sugar Land TX visiting Barcelona and wanted this tour to be how we ended our Barcelona visit. What a great way to end our trip! The small group included the four of us and 3 others who also happened to be from nearby Katy TX which made this tour even more special. Our driver/ tour guide was Anna, who was wonderful. She really knows Montserrat and provided us with so many interesting facts. We were fortunate to choose to visit during a weekday before busy season so the weather was beautiful and not hot at all and there were no lines inside of the basilica for visiting the Black Madonna. The departure point was easy to locate and walking distance from our hotel which was on La Rambla. The drive to Montserrat was in a very nice, clean, comfortable and reliable mini van. And the views of Montserrat both going and returning are absolutely stunning and phenomenal. We didn’t choose the add on skip the line visit to La Sagrada Família as we already had another Gaudi tour that included a visit here. I would certainly recommend this 1/2 day small group tour to Montserrat using Explore Catalunya. If you do, ask for Anna! :)

Best way to see Montserrat

This is a great tour if you want to visit Montserrat in a small (in our case, just our family!) group. We departed in a mini van on time and enjoyed the lack of crowds and large buses on this tour. Marta was both our driver and guide, and she was very informative and entertaining. She not only provided excellent details about Montserrat, but also provided insight into Catalunya's history, traditions and customs. She was was very personable, and we truly enjoyed this experience.

Great Service BUT Deceiving

I am going to write this review in two parts; one for the half-day trip and the second for La Sagrada Familia. Half-Day Trip to Montserrat - This trip was phenomenal! The driver was extremely kind and knowledgeable and made the experience so much better. The drive to Montserrat takes about an hour but the views on the way make it seem shorter. This option is better than taking the train that drops you off since you won't have the opportunity to see the mountain from all sides. I definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to see this unique and beautiful site. La Sagrada Familia - This was the worst part of the trip!! The company scheduled us with tickets to enter the basilica at 7:15 with a false skip the line promotion. THE SKIP THE LINE IS A SCAM! IT DOES NOT EXIST! There is no such thing as skip the line tickets at this location. We paid more than actual cost of the tickets for a skip the line that was a complete lie. We were forced to wait 45 minutes to come in and have to run through the inside of the basilica that closed at 8:00. To make matters worse, they do not even leave you at the church instead drop you off at their pickup location and tell you to find your own way there!

When the fog lifted...wow!

It was very foggy when we first got to Montserrat so we spent the first half hour or so viewing the buildings and listening to our tour guide, Marta, explain some of the history. Marta was great, as she was throughout the tour, but then the fog began to lift and all we could do was just stare at the breathtaking views. It is no wonder this place has attracted people for centuries.

Quite enjoyable

Our guide, Nicolas, was as enthusiastic and knowledgeable as could possibly be. He was passionate about Montserrat and made sure we saw and heard everything was to see and know about.

Wrong time at La Sagrada Familia

We bought Montserrat with a Sagrada Familia tour. We choose 3:30pm tickets for Sagrada Familia but when we arrived they said tickets were for 6:30. I showed them my itinerary from Aviator which said 3:30pm but our tickets said 6:30. SO MAKE SURE YOU CHECK YOUR TIME ON YOUR TICKETS, dont go by what Aviator has on your itinerary because they will not let you in early! Messed up our whole afternoon!

Montserrat small group tour

This was an exceptional gem of a tour! Our guide, Marta went way beyond what we would expect from a tour guide. She gave detailed, interesting information all the way from the tour office, at Montserrat, and on the way back to Barcelona. She was funny, informative, engaging, sweet, and genuine. We felt like we had made a new friend and would love to take another tour with her. I am sure when we return to Barcelona, we will tour with her again if at all possible. ...And by the way, Montserrat is not to be missed. The day we were there it was rainy and shrouded in clouds. The breathtaking views were not to be, but Marta made it all worthwhile nevertheless.

Foggy but great!

Marta did an amazing job! Despite the foggy and rainy day, she made it a worthwhile trip! I think the fog worked out for our small group. I was a solo traveler but joined up with an American pair. Because of the bad weather there were not a lot of tourists; it turned out to be more solemn but quite moving for me. Small blip to the tour is that my booking got mixed up... but it was through another website I booked. I was clearly upset but Marta and the person in the office tried their best to clear things up. Thank you for your patience and figuring out how to make things work. So my suggestion to anyone booking this trip, don’t go through other providers, just book straight through them! I would love to visit Montserrat again and I wouldn’t mind doing it with Marta again. Thanks!

Passionate guide

Nicholas was most passionate and knowledgeable about all things having to do with Montserrat. A touch long, but all very interesting and a beautiful spot.

Great Experience

I had a great time. Our tour was max 8 people. We met at 8:30. Our tour guide was very good at describing areas of barcelona on the way up to montserrat and he provided a great tour up at the mountain. This is good if you want a bit of time up there to explore but don't need the full day. You have around 1.5hours of free time. It was busy on a saturday.

Memorable Half Day Tour to Montserrat

Highly recommend this tour with Anna, our delightful, knowledgeable and fun guide. We prefer the small group tours which suited Anna’s very social personality to make us feel very welcome and comfortable. The Montserrat is so beautiful and unusual. Our only regret was we didn’t have more time to spend there.

Nice Trip - Anna was great

A nice trip but would do it by train next time as it gives you the opportunity to spend the day there and do some hill walking. Our host Anna was simply brilliant.

Great Half Day-ish Trip - GO!!!!

We saw a lot (A LOT) our first two days in Barcelona, and found ourselves with some time before heading to Madrid, so found this trip and it was GREAT! Some many positive things: (1) Left early, 8:30 a.m., so you get back to Barcelona around 1:30 p.m. so still have most of the afternoon to do other stuff (we went to Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar, which was wonderful, especially tour of roof!), (2) small group, just three other families, and we lucked out with large, comfortable bus, (3) expert guide, Miguel really knows his stuff, he made the trip fun and interesting, ask for Miguel!!!!, (4) perfect amount of time at Montserrat, great feeling when you see and do what you want and need, but no lingering around wasting time after, this is the "I'm done, now lets get home" trip, Miguel made sure everyone knew they had to be back on time, and small group helped so didn't have that big group waiting for people in gift shop problem, and (5) great optionality - got there in plenty of time to see church before doors close for Mass, and then everyone could decide what else they wanted to do, could get in line for up-close view of Black Madonna, or take the fenicular to top of mountain, or hike up to the Cross which is what we chose and it was simply perfect. If you want to see Montserrat and have the time, this is THE tour to take!!!

wonderful day!!

Paul was our tour guide and was exceptional. very knowledgeable in all aspects of the history or both locations. just wish we would have had more time at Montserrat. Not enough time there. enjoyed both tours!! would highly recommend

Great tour of Montserrat

We had a wonderful tour of Monstserrat with Miguel as our guide! Nice “chilly” day With lots of inside information provided! Thank you! Highly recommended!