Montserrat Private Day Trip From Barcelona

Experience a beautiful day trip from Barcelona to visit Montserrat, the iconic 12th-century Benedictine monastery dramatically built into the mountainside, followed by a fascinating tour of Montserrat Museum - a treasure trove of masterpieces by some of Spain's most famous artists.

With its imposing sand-colored facade, it looks as though the monastery and mountain were one. Montserrat means 'the Serrated Mountain' and is so called because of its stark rock formations. It is still a working monastery - a place of sanctuary and pilgrimage, where 80 monks live according to the life and rules of Saint Benedict. It is also a choir school - with the oldest boy's choir in Europe.

The monastery is famous for housing the Black Madonna statue, a local icon carved in the 12th century and known as 'The Dark One' or Our Lady of Montserrat. She has become of symbol and focal point of Catalan identity - especially during the Spanish Civil War, during which 22 monks of the abbey were killed.

The monastery has survived many invasions and attacks. In 1811 and 1812 it was burned down by Napoleon's forces and later restored.  The Abbey has been a place of sanctuary, sheltering clandestine political activists, intellectuals, artists, writers, and poets - as well as publishing books, and saying mass in the forbidden Catalan language.

As well as boasting unbeatable views of the city of Barcelona from its many vantage points, Montserrat is also home to a great museum bringing together the work of some of the most famous Spanish painters, including the gifted El Greco, Picasso, and Dalí. Finally. Explore some of the amazing viewing points of the mountain, and enjoy a leisurely drive back to Barcelona.