Is a Half Day Tour Enough Time to Visit Montserrat

Disclaimer: Included in this post are links to tours I have personally taken or booked for clients on Viator. If you book these tours thru the links in this post, as a travel agent, I will receive a small commission.

One of the top sites to see outside of the city limits of Barcelona is Montserrat. Located less than 40 miles from the city of Barcelona is a monastery high on top of a mountain, the views alone are worth the journey. There are a few different ways you can get to Montserrat from Barcelona, including train, car or by tour. As a solo traveler I enjoy doing a tour on one or two days of my trip as a way to meet other people.

Based on all the things I wanted to see and do while I was in Barcelona, I opted for an afternoon half day tour to Montserrat. This post will provide my honest opinion of if that half day tour was enough time to experience everything at Montserrat. First let’s learn more about the history and everything to see and do at Montserrat.

History of Montserrat

The name Montserrat translates to serrated mountain. It’s apparent how it received this name when you see the beautiful mountain that the monastery is located on. There are many rocks and pinnacles that rise from the mountain. While the monastery is the main site to see at Montserrat, people are often amazed by the beauty of the mountain as well.

The religious history of Montserrat is thought to date back all the way to the year 880, when visions of the Virgin Mary were first reported by shepherds working on the mountain. The visions were reported in a cave on the mountain and many people made a pilgrimage there to see the Virgin Mary. This cave became known as the Holy Grotto and a chapel was built just outside of the cave.

With the area then being considered sacred, in 1025 a small group of benedictine monks opened the monastery in Montserrat. Pilgrams and now tourists have flocked to this area for centuries since then.

Things to see and do at Montserrat

Below is a list of things that you can see and do while visiting Montserrat:

• Black Madonna – The top thing that people want to see when visiting Montserrat is the Black Madonna. Named for its dark face, the statue of Our Lady of Montserrat Patron Saint of Catalonia was not always this dark, but over the years, the stone varnished and started taking on a darker color. The Black Madonna is located in a small chapel that overlooks the main church. It does involve walking up 50 steps to get to it and the line can get quite long. The majority of the statue is behind glass with the exception of her right hand which is holding a globe. It’s been said that touching this hand has healing powers and can cause miracles. You will see many people touching this hand and the globe for this reason.

• Ave Maria Path – As you walk out of the church after seeing the Black Madonna, you will be walking along the Ave Maria Path. This stone path carved into the mountain will take you past hundreds of candles. You can light a candle as a prayer for a loved one if you would like. It’s definitely a beautiful way to leave the chapel that the Black Madonna is in.

• Montserrat Basilica – To see the Black Madonna, you will go into the Montserrat Basilica. This church features gothic, renaissance and Catalonian architecture. The interior of the Basilica is stunning, but the Atrium of the Basilica is what I really fell in love with. This open-air courtyard features many sculptures, and the floor is black and white marble and was inspired by Michelangelo’s work in Rome.

• L’Escolonia Choir – Dating back to 1307, this boys’ choir is one of the oldest in Europe. Consisting of 50 members between the ages of 9 and 14, the choir is made up mostly of boys in the neighboring area to Montserrat. You can see them perform Monday thru Friday at the Montserrat Basilica at 1pm and at the evening mass at 6:45pm. On Sundays they perform at Noon and 6:45pm masses.
• Museu de Montserrat – The museum opened in 1963 and houses works of art including many pieces that were found at Montserrat over the years. The museum features an archeological section with biblical items from around the world. They also feature both modern and ancient paintings from around the world, with an emphasis of paintings from Catalonian artists.

• Interactive Exhibit – A visit to Montserrat should start with the Interactive exhibit. This exhibit features a video and then additional exhibits on the geology of the mountain, the history of the monastery and the boys’ choir as well as the daily life of the monks living in Montserrat.
• Open Air Museum – The outdoor area of the monastery is a beautiful open-air museum with many different monuments to see and you can also get photos of the beautiful landscape of the mountain and the valley below while walking thru the monastery grounds. There are audio guides as well as maps describing the monuments and art you can find in the Open-Air Museum.

• Santa Cova – Santa Cova, otherwise known as the Holy Grotto, is where the visions of the Virgin Mary were seen back in the year 880. Also located here is the Chapel of Santa Cova which was built in 1696. To get to Santa Cova, you can either take a funicular up or if you are more adventurous you can hike up to Santa Cova.

• Montserrat Nature Park – Being that Montserrat is located on the top of a mountain, many people enjoy spending some time in nature while they are here. The nature park is a must visit for outdoor lovers. It’s the perfect spot for a hike and you may also run into some wildlife in the nature park, like mountain goats.
• Gift Shop – The gift shop is worth a stop, not only does it have some typical souvenirs, it also includes some items made by the monks at the monastery.

Getting Around Montserrat

Being on the top of a mountain, getting to Montserrat from the foot of the mountain can be done by car (parking is limited), but there are a couple of other options that are an adventure in itself. One of these options is the Aeri de Montserrat which is a cable car offering stunning views for your 5-minute ride to the monastery. If you are a bit uncomfortable with heights, there is Montserrat’s Cremallera. This rack railway will get you up to the monastery in 15 minutes and features stunning views as well at a much less nerve-racking ride than the cable car. If you are looking for a challenge, you can also hike up to the monastery.

Is a half day tour enough time?

As you can see, there is definitely a lot to see and do at Montserrat. You could definitely devote an entire day for a trip here from Barcelona. I’m a firm believer in giving honest reviews on places I’ve been and tours I’ve taken. We all know not everything always goes as planned, so it’s best to be honest.

I took an afternoon tour to Montserrat and I found it to be extremely rushed. The tour was 4 1/2 hours long, and it was a Friday afternoon of a holiday weekend in Barcelona, so the traffic leaving the city was pretty bad. By the time we got to Montserrat, we didn’t have time to see much of anything. We started with the Interactive Exhibit, did a liquor tasting at the gift shop and then had less than an hour to see the Black Madonna and take a look around the grounds of the monastery. It was in no way long enough to truly enjoy Montserrat and our guide even seemed stressed out on the lack of time we had.

If you really wanted to take a tour and only had a half day available, I would recommend the morning tour to Montserrat as it is 5 1/2 hours long so that at least gives you an extra hour to explore Montserrat. The best option if you are interested in seeing Montserrat as part of a tour would be a full day tour. That way you can really experience all that you want to see at Montserrat while still doing so on a tour. There are many full day tours to Montserrat to choose from.

If you are looking for even more control over your time at Montserrat, going on your own as opposed to a tour will be your best option. Montserrat is fairly easy to get to on your own from Barcelona. If you have a car, while in Barcelona, it’s a very easy and scenic drive to Montserrat. If you are without a car, the train is a great option, leaving every hour from Barcelona, the train takes a little over an hour and will take you to both the cable car station and the rack railway station for you to continue up the mountain to the monastery by the transportation option of your choice.

In conclusion, unless you are just wanting to see the Black Madonna and check Montserrat off of your travel check list, I do not think that a half day tour is enough time to experience Montserrat. Either a full day tour that allows for more time at Montserrat or going on your own via car or train is the best way to see Montserrat.

Make sure to check out my other posts from my trip to Barcelona:

8 Great Things To Do When Visiting Barcelona

Costa Brava – The Perfect Day Trip From Barcelona

As always, Beyond The Miles Travel would love to help plan your next vacation to Barcelona or any other location in the world you are interested in seeing.

Pin For Later: