Montserrat Guided Tour with The Black Madonna & The Boys Choir
4.5
6 Ratings
Barcelona

A route from Barcelona to discover Catalonia’s most emblematic mountain, where the sanctuary and the abbey that houses the popular Black Madonna, known as the Moreneta, are located. A route on which you get to enjoy a performance by the Escolania de Montserrat choir, as well as guaranteed access to visit the Moreneta.

Duration: 6 hours, 15 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Monistrol de Montserrat - The Montserrat rack railway spans five kilometers from Monistrol de Montserrat to Montserrat. This route ascends Catalonia’s iconic mountain, offering panoramic views through the train’s large windows. Its origins trace back to 1891 when engineer Joaquim Carrera, inspired by Montserrat and Swiss mountain trains, persuaded an entrepreneur to construct a train linking the newly opened Monistrol de Montserrat station with the monastery.
  • Montserrat - Montserrat Natural Park features the distinctive silhouette of its namesake mountain, a sandstone and hard calcareous cement massif that has taken on its unique shape over millions of years. The Holy Cave, the Sant Joan and Sant Miquel chapels, and especially Montserrat Abbey, make this area near Barcelona a must-visit. Known as the ‘magic mountain’ due to its many legends, one tale recounts the discovery of a wooden Virgin Mary statue in the Holy Cave in 880. Another legend speaks of a woodcutter who made a pact with the Devil for a swift horse to transport his wood.
  • Abadia de Montserrat - According to a legend documented in 1239, shepherds in 880 experienced visits from the Virgin Mary in the form of light and music. This vision recurred, leading to the discovery of the first image of the Mother of God in a mountain cave. Although the mountain had housed chapels inhabited by hermits since the 9th century, it wasn’t until 1025 that Abbot Oliba established Montserrat Abbey, turning it into a pilgrimage site. Today, around eighty Benedictine monks reside in the monastery, venerating a Black Madonna known as ‘La Moreneta’ (the little dark one), a 12th-century statue of Our Lady of Montserrat, Catalonia’s patron saint. The Virgin Mary holds an orb in her right hand, symbolizing the cosmos, while her left hand rests on the Infant Jesus, indicating that the omnipotent king is her son.
  • Escolania de Montserrat - The Escolania de Montserrat is one of Europe’s oldest and most esteemed choirs. Boys aged 7 to 13 receive comprehensive musical training and education, performing globally and participating in the abbey’s liturgical services. Listening to them is a privilege and a true auditory delight.

Abbey records trace the choir’s history to the 14th century when a religious and musical school for boys was established. In 1474, the choir sang for King Ferdinand the Catholic during his visit to Barcelona, and since then, they have performed for prominent figures worldwide and anyone wishing to hear them. The Escolania choir sings multiple times daily, performing pieces like “Virolai,” a hymn honoring the Virgin Mary composed by Mossèn Jacint Verdaguer in 1880, along with Salves and polyphonic motets.

What's Included
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Rack Railway ticket
  • Visit of the Moreneta (The Black Statue of Mary)
  • The Choir of Montserrat
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Snacks
Additional Information
  • Travel time is included on the total tour duration
Location
Carrer d'Alí Bei, 80
Carrer d'Alí Bei
You need to get into the "Estació del Nord" bus station and look for platforms no. 17 or 18. De departures are always at these two platforms of the bus station. The bus will be branded with our logo and brand name: Catalunya Bus Turístic. The guide will be waiting for in front of the bus.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.5
(6 Ratings)
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1 star
James_m
Apr 29, 2024
Like being on the Top of the World - Fantastic trip. Alex our guide was very good and extremely informative. Dani was our driver and we felt safe. Montserrat is beautiful, not only the Basillica and Boys choir but the rock formations and views. The museum and Art gallery have pieces by great artists Picasso, Dali and Caravaggio.
Review provided by Viator
Helle_t
Mar 5, 2024
excellent and informative tour of the monastery with beautiful boys choir - the tour guide's stories, his ability to answer all kinds of questions, lots of time to explore the area and hear the boys choir. The interactive video was also good. The bus ride was comfortable, and the tour guide talked about the areas as we were driving. Good value for the price of the tour.
Review provided by Viator
Maw523
Oct 26, 2023
Beautiful - We booked a TUI all day trip to Montserrat from La Pineda which was well worth it. Bus picked us up at 9 a.m. & the ride was around 90 mins. Teresa, TUI rep was excellent throughout the day as well as the tour guide within the Sacristy/Basilica. Also, had free time to roam/visit whatever you wanted. The price included the train up to Montserrat, audio tour, schnapps tasting & entry to the Basilica which allowed fast track entry.... Well worth visiting the Black Madonna. There are some local market stalls selling food produce which are on the way to the Restaurant & coach parking area. We had a lovely cheese & ham baguette in the cafeteria which had plenty of seating. There are couple of gift shops & there are toilets across from the Post Office & near the Restaurant. Spectacular views. Bus left at 4 pm. We would have liked more time here really to enjoy this fabulous place.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Liliana_n
Oct 24, 2023
Montserrat- serrated mountains - Experiencing the pure air in those mountains, and seeing those beautiful rock formations. The basilica was also awesome with the Moreneta virgin (black virgin). Also the spiritual boys’s choir singing inside the church. It is an all around great experience.
Review provided by Viator
Jordanellie41
Aug 15, 2023
NOT TO BE MISSED - A visit to Montserrat from Barcelona is not to be missed, but you have to leave a full day to see everything. You must get there particularly early before the crowds so you don't end up queuing everywhere to see the sights and leave the hiking and mountain views until afterwards to do at your leisure. If you're travelling from Barcelona - as I did - and you plan on doing lots of things here for the whole day - as I did - then it's worthwhile getting the 45€ Monserrat card. Firstly, this card allows you to take the metro from Barcelona to the train station, then the train to Montserrat, then either the rack railway or cable car to the main square, then unlimited rides on either funicular up and down. If you buy everything separately it will cost you more and it's a major hassle queuing for tickets. Be sure to go to see the Black Madonna firs and avoid the long queues followed by the Basilica. Everything after this can be done in whatever order you wish as there's usually no queuing involved for the other sites. The square in front of the Basilica is pretty, and a short 20 minute walk to Sant Miquel's Cross is a must see. Take the funicular to see where the story started of the Black Madonna and go to the chapel and cave of Santa Cova. I also did a bit of trekking just for glorious photos of the vistas from the mountains. There's also some nice little things to see such as the sculptures wall to the side of the Basilica on the main square and the Stairway to Heaven monument.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Richard_b
Apr 6, 2024
Paid for a major portion that did not take place. - Nice and helpful tour guide and good bus. BUT, they didn't tell us when we reserved that the famous Boys Choir concert, which was important and we paid for it, would not take place during Easter Week. We would have booked a cheaper tour without it or just gone ourselves at much less money. Also the tour guide left us on our own for many hours without guiding.
Review provided by Viator
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up to 8 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
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