Montserrat Tour from Barcelona: Our Experience & Honest Review

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Considering a Montserrat tour from Barcelona and wondering which one to book? We took this day tour combining Montserrat Monastery with lunch and wine tasting at Oller del Mas winery. In this review, we share what the day was like, what we enjoyed, and what we would do differently.

Our verdict: We really enjoyed the guided visit, lunch, and wine tasting, but would have liked more free time at Montserrat. This tour is a good choice if you want to combine sightseeing with local food and wine. If your priority is hiking or spending longer on the mountain, we would choose a different option.

Below, you’ll find our firsthand review, practical booking tips, and a few alternatives for different interests.

Good to know: For information about getting there independently and what to see, read our complete guide to visiting Montserrat from Barcelona.

Montserrat Monastery excursion from Barcelona — Montserrat Monastery

Why We Chose a Montserrat Tour

First, let me tell you that we hardly ever book tours to places that are easy enough to visit on your own. However, on this trip to Barcelona, we did two guided tours: a Gaudi tour and a day excursion to Montserrat.

Why? Several reasons. First, we wanted to visit all these places with a local and learn more about them. Second, we didn’t have the time or desire to deal with the practical aspects of figuring out how to avoid the crowds (Barcelona is as busy as it gets anywhere in Europe)… And finally, we just wanted to have a relaxing vacation and let someone else do the planning for us. Basically, we wanted to get the most of our visit in a short time. In both cases, it was a great choice.

For us, the biggest advantage was having a guide who helped us make the most of our time. He explained Montserrat’s history, pointed out good photo spots, and recommended local specialties to try. We could spend our time exploring instead of figuring out where to go next.

Furthermore, our Montserrat tour also included a visit to a winery. So we got to see some of the stunning scenery of the surrounding area on our way there. We also had an excellent lunch followed by wine tasting. All these local experiences made our day trip to Montserrat even more special.

Further below, you can read about the tour we chose and our personal experience. But first – take a look at our hand-picked selection of the best Montserrat tours that will help you decide which tour is right for you.

Sunset overlooking Montserrat mountains as seen from Oller del Mas winery — Sunset overlooking Montserrat mountains as seen from a local winery that we visited as part of our Montserrat tour

Which Montserrat Tour Should You Choose?

The main question is how you want to spend your day: sightseeing at Montserrat, hiking, or combining the monastery with food and wine.

These are the options we would compare:

Montserrat, Cogwheel, Black Madonna & Winery Tour. This is the tour we booked, choosing the full-day option with lunch and wine tasting. We enjoyed the combination, but the winery was a substantial part of the day. There are also shorter options, including a monastery-only visit or a visit with tapas and wine tasting. Select your group size and travel date to compare the available options.

Montserrat with Hiking. This tour combines a monastery visit with a choice of three hiking difficulty levels. It’s a great option if you want to explore Montserrat’s mountain scenery on foot.

Half-Day Montserrat Small Group Guided Tour. A good option if you want to visit the monastery without dedicating a full day to the excursion.

Barcelona highlights & Montserrat in one day. Consider this tour if you’re short on time and want to combine Montserrat with Sagrada Familia, the Gothic Quarter, and other Barcelona sights. Check whether Sagrada Familia admission is included in your selected option.

Montserrat with kids - great day trip from Barcelona — St. Michael’s Path, Montserrat

Our Montserrat Tour Review

We chose this highly-rated day tour from Barcelona to Montserrat and a local winery. Below, you can read about our experience.

TIP: The booking page offers several versions of this trip. Before reserving, check the meal, winery visit, train ride, admission tickets, and free time included in your selected option. Below, we describe the lunch-and-wine itinerary we took.

Transport & Guides

Advertised as a small-group tour, I was expecting to travel in a minibus, but our transportation from Barcelona to Montserrat was actually with a big bus that transported three small groups together.

Once in Montserrat, all the groups split up. From then on, there were just 12 people in our group, with a dedicated guide just for us. Transport to the winery was also done on a big bus, just as our return to Barcelona. On the bus, all the three guides took turns in telling us stories about the region, places we visited, and some funny local anecdotes that made the long ride shorter.

Good to know: A small-group tour doesn’t necessarily mean small-group transportation. On our trip, several groups shared the coach, then explored Montserrat separately with their own guides.

Our guide, Mr. X, as he called himself, was a local Catalonian who clearly knew his job well. He was knowledgeable, helpful, and entertaining, but without being too much. He was also quite honest about the places that we visited and told us what was worth our time or what could better be skipped.

Thanks to his tips, we quickly found the best photo spots in Montserrat and visited the church of the Abbey without having to spend our time standing in a long line. He also guided us to a local shop and a farmers’ market where we could taste some local specialties…

In Montserrat, we also learned the history of the place and its significance to the Catalan people. We learned more from our guide in a few minutes than I read in any travel guide before. This alone was worth visiting Montserrat with a tour.

Montserrat mountains scenery — Beautiful scenery of Montserrat mountains as seen from the train going up to the Monastery

Montserrat day trip from Barcelona — Entrance to Montserrat Abbey

Our Montserrat Wine Tour Itinerary

We traveled by bus from Barcelona to Monistrol de Montserrat, then took the cogwheel train up to the monastery. Check your booking confirmation for the meeting point and arrival time.

Montserrat Monastery

Once on the mountain, our guide took us to visit Montserrat Monastery and its impressive church. We didn’t queue to see Our Lady of Montserrat, aka the Black Madonna, but simply visited the church, from where we could see the holy statue from a distance.

Good to know: We were happy to see the Black Madonna from inside the basilica and use our remaining time to explore outside. If seeing the statue up close is important to you, check whether access is included in your tour option. Before booking any additional tickets, confirm that the time slot fits your tour schedule. You can check the available visits on the official Montserrat website.

Abbey of Montserrat in Spain — Montserrat Monastery

Montserrat church is must see in Montserrat Monastery — Montserrat Church Interior

Montserrat Basilica - Montserrat Monastery Church — Montserrat Monastery Church

After a visit to Montserrat Monastery, we had almost an hour of free time. Some people chose to go and listen to the Montserrat Boys Choir (nowadays, you need a ticket for this). Some others opted for a short visit to the Montserrat Museum.

We decided to visit a local shop where we could taste some local Montserrat Liquor and pastry. This degustation was included with our tour, but you could also get it for a small fee if you visited individually. It’s a unique opportunity to try some drinks that are produced here and would be hard to find anywhere else.

Afterward, we walked to St. Michael’s Cross for the best views of Montserrat Monastery. It was so worth it! The views from there are amazing!

We also quickly visited a local market where we got some local Mató cheese with honey, as recommended by our guide. It was excellent and highly recommended!

Our tip: Decide what you most want to do during your free time. We were glad we walked to St. Michael’s Cross, but fitting that in with the tasting and market visit felt rushed. If you also want to visit the museum or hear the Boys’ Choir, check the tour description to see if you’ll have enough time for that.

St Michael's Cross - best view of Montserrat Monastery — St Michael’s Cross – best view of Montserrat Monastery

Honey and cakes for sale at the Montserrat Farmers Market

Local cheese for sale at the Montserrat market

Winery Visit, Lunch, and Wine Tasting

After a short walk to a big parking area on top of Montserrat mountain (so no need to take a train down), we were picked up by a bus that brought us to a local winery. We visited Oller del Mas winery, about 30 minutes drive from Montserrat.

The ride was so scenic that I really regretted that we didn’t come here by car (so that we could stop and take pictures behind every corner). On the other hand, I realized that most people who visit Montserrat by train from Barcelona never even see this area at all…

So all in all, I’m glad we saw these stunning landscapes, even though it meant that I couldn’t take proper pictures of them to share with you…

Scenic road near Montserrat in Spain — Scenic road near Montserrat on the way to the winery

Upon arrival at the winery, we were guided to a big dining room where we had a 3-course lunch. Our Montserrat tour had two options – lunch, wine, and wine tasting OR tapas and wine.

The tour with lunch was longer and more expensive, but since we decided to dedicate the whole day to visiting Montserrat anyway, we went all-in.

Our three-course lunch was excellent, with plenty of wine to accompany the food and soft drinks for the children.

Lunch at Oller del Mas winery as part of our Montserrat day tour — Lunch at Oller del Mas winery

Montserrat food and drink tour review — Local liquor degustation after lunch

After a long relaxing lunch, we took a short walk through the beautiful grounds of the winery.

We saw where the wine barrels are stored, met some local donkeys, and witnessed a beautiful sunset over the vineyards with Montserrat mountains in the distance (the sun goes down quite early in autumn).

Oller del Mas winery Montserrat — Oller del Mas winery near Montserrat

Oller del Mas winery Montserrat Spain — Wine barrels and bottles storage at Oller del Mas winery

Montserrat mountains as seen from Oller del Mas winery

Review of a Montserrat tour with a winery visit — Beautiful vineyards at a local winery – part of our Montserrat tour

We then walked to another part of the winery for wine tasting… I didn’t realize this before booking, but this tour was just as much about the wine as it was about the Montserrat Monastery…

We enjoyed this, but if wine tasting doesn’t interest you, we would choose a tour without a winery stop. The tapas option still includes wine tasting, so it isn’t a wine-free alternative.

We tried several different wines and with all the explanation, we learned so much about wine during this wine tasting that that in itself was worth it. It was a really educational visit.

Wine tasting at Oller del Mas winery as part of Montserrat tour — Wine tasting

Wine tasting at Oller del Mas winery near Montserrat — Wine tasting

Was Our Montserrat Wine Tour Worth It?

We really enjoyed our day tour to Montserrat, the lunch, and the winery visit. It was great to learn more about Montserrat from our guide and to be able to take advantage of all the insider tips he gave us.

I would have liked to have a bit more time in Montserrat. Because we decided to walk to St. Michael’s Cross, our free time was very rushed. Having just half an hour extra would have made it more relaxing.

But we were the only people in our group who even wanted to walk and experience some of the surroundings. The majority were perfectly happy with the Montserrat tour, local delicacies at a store, and a market visit during free time.

TIP: If you want to explore the area a bit more and go hiking in Montserrat, then this tour isn’t for you. In that case, you better check out these tours that include hiking.

Would we recommend it with kids? Our children kept themselves busy with games and e-readers during the wine tasting, but that part of the day was mainly for us. For a family trip focused on Montserrat, we would choose a tour without a winery stop. If you want to include wine tasting, bring something to keep the children occupied.

For us, the Montserrat tour with lunch and wine tasting was worth it for the combination of a knowledgeable guide, good food, and a winery visit. Just be sure that’s the kind of day you want.

If you would rather spend more time exploring the mountain, see our Montserrat visiting guide to plan an independent trip.

If you prefer a shorter trip, more hiking, or a tour without wine tasting, see the Montserrat tour options above to find one that better suits your plans.

READ ALSO: Best Things to Do in Barcelona

Cozy relaxation area at Oller del Mas winery near Montserrat — Cozy relaxation area at Oller del Mas winery – perfect for our kids to read a book while we were tasting wine

More tips for your trip to Spain:

TIP: Save this guide for later, share it with your friends, or pin it to Pinterest so you can easily come back to it when planning your trip.

Montserrat tour from Barcelona. Our experience and review

Montserrat from Barcelona - which tour should you choose and our honest review

Jurga Rubinovaite

Jurga is the founder of Full Suitcase, one of the world’s leading family travel blogs with millions of readers. Her travel advice has been featured on CNN, BBC, and Lonely Planet. Since 2015, she has shared experience-based tips, destination guides, and trip advice to help travelers plan unforgettable trips with family and friends.
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