Home > Barcelona > Montserrat Land of Shrines - One Day Small Group Hiking Tour from Barcelona
USD $96.00
Montserrat Land of Shrines - One Day Small Group Hiking Tour from Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain
A one day 'hiking lovers' 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)
Fermi and Ivan are great guides and began by showing us some areas of the monastery that we wouldn't have seen if we were on our own - don't miss the second side chapel from the front behind the glass doors on the north side! The weather was gorgeous and hot, but they brought plenty of water and a nice lunch that we ate in a shady park accompanied by a cello player near the Pablo Casals statue.
Review by: Olga G, January 2018
I booked this hike at the last second based on other reviews. We knew we wanted to walk, hike and move a lot during our 2 week vacation in Spain. Little did I know that this hike would be the absolute highlight of our trip! Fermi, our guide, came prepared and showed us the hidden wonders of the mountain around Monserrat. He took us to see the Black Madonna before the crowd, first thing in the morning, and we later watched the very long line of tourists from up above! He took us on the full circle of the mountains, showing shrines, hermit hidden places, and just the astonishing natural beauty. He carried all the water and our lunch by himself all the way to the top. Without him, we would never discover those off the main tourist path places. I would absolutely recommend this hike. I am certain, they would modify the difficulty of the trails based on a group level, so depending on a trail, you might see different things. It was truly a highlight of our entire trip to Spain!
Review by: icee258, October 2017
If you are looking for a real hiking experience, this a great tour.
Review by: Anders K, September 2017
Lifetime memories. Our guide was outstanding, he gave us options, ensured our safety and comfort, and guided us to incredible peaks and shrines. Fantastic lunch spot. If you want a brief visit to the Monastery and a full day of hiking I cannot recommend this highly enough.
Review by: Matthew F, April 2017
We did this hiking tour with our family 2 teenage sons and it was amazing. Our guide, Fermin, was extremely knowledgeable about the history of the monastery and the surrounding area and knew the mountains like the back of his hand he climbs the areas regularly. We had a tour of the monastery, and then a great hike past ancient hermit caves and to the top of peaks that gave us panoramic views. We saw mountain goats on nearby ridges. Fermin matched the hike to our ability and gave us history and nature lessons as we walked. This hike was the highlight of our trip to Spain and well worth it!
Review by: Nancy T, April 2017
Fermi was such a wonderful guide! He was so knowledgeable about the area. My boyfriend and I have never rock climbed before and had helped us see the most beautiful views! He made sure we avoided the crowd by visiting the black madonna first thing in the morning. Thanks, Trescant!
Review by: Peter A, October 2016
We did the Land of Shrines day trip in September 2016. It was a great experience. Our guide, Fermi, was friendly and knowledgeable. We enjoyed the cable car ride, but the highlight was the hiking. We were able to explore a number of different trails with varying levels of difficulty. The lookout points from some of the peaks were stunning. Fermi also provided interesting information about the shrines that we saw along the trails. He was able to give us several options for the length and steepness of the hiking trails, rather than sticking to a fixed itinerary, which allowed us to change what we were seeing. It was the perfect way to end our three weeks in Spain.
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