Montserrat Land of Shrines - One Day Small Group Hiking Tour from Barcelona

Montserrat Land of Shrines - One Day Small Group Hiking Tour from Barcelona

A one day hiking trip to admire and explore the historical and natural terrain of the iconic peaks of Montserrat. Starting with a visit to the 16th century Basilica, to admire its 12th century “Black Madonna" and then, as an option, climb to one of the most famous and iconic peaks of the Montserrat mountain range. Energy snack, lunch and water are included.

The journey starts at 8:05am at your meeting point in Barcelona, where your guide will take you to Montserrat in an air-conditioned vehicle. Enjoy the ride throughout the countryside.

Once at your destination, you will visit Santa Maria de Montserrat, the mountain’s Benedictine monastery, and see the 'Black Madonna', a wooden carving from the 12th-century, known as La Moreneta (the Dark One).

Then, start an ascent to the middle of the Montserrat range, taking the St. Joan funicular railway. With its glass roof, it offers spectacular sights of the monastery and the mountain. On a clear day, ravishing views of the landscape make it a truly great experience.

At this point, the hiking part of the tour begins, your guide will decide which summit and route will hike, depending on the skills of the group and on how you feel at that moment. A genuine shrine is where you will stop for a break, this is a very unique and picturesque place to enjoy lunch (picnic) in the company of the wonderful views. After lunch, explore a very natural and little-known area of Montserrat. If you are lucky, you might even see Spanish Ibex in their natural environment.

On your way down, you will see more shrines, before heading back to the monastery and returning to your meeting point in Barcelona at around 5:30pm.

Elevation Gain/Loss: +450 m (+1.500 ft)/ -740 m (-2.400 ft)

Duration: 9.5 hours

Active Hiking Time: 4 hours

Total distance hiked: 11 km (7 mi)