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Day Trip Montserrat, Girona & Costa Brava from Barcelona

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1/10

Duration11h 30m

GroupUp to 30

LanguagesEN · ES

Mobile ticketAccepted

Three Catalan landmarks in one day: rocky peaks, medieval walls, and Mediterranean coves

You travel by air-conditioned bus from Barcelona to three sites: the rocky Montserrat monastery with its Black Madonna statue, the medieval walled city of Girona with its Jewish quarter and cathedral, and the Costa Brava fishing village of Tossa de Mar with its seaside castle. A professional multilingual guide leads you through each stop, entry fees are included, and you have free time in Girona for lunch. The full day runs about 10 hours, and you return to Barcelona by evening.

11h 30m

Step-by-step itinerary

Depart from Barcelona to Montserrat
Guided tour of Montserrat Monastery
Bus ride to Girona
Explore Girona Old Town and Jewish quarter
Visit Girona Cathedral and Eiffel Bridge
Walk Girona medieval walls and Game of Thrones sites
Leisure time for lunch in Girona
Bus ride to Costa Brava
Explore Costa Brava village and coves
Visit Tossa de Mar Castle and old town
Return to Barcelona by bus

The Experience

The bus pulls away from Barcelona while the city is still waking up, and within an hour the landscape shifts — flat streets give way to the jagged silhouette of Montserrat Mountain rising ahead like a fortress made of stone needles. The massif is unmistakable once you see it: hundreds of rock formations stacked and tilted at angles that look almost impossible, each one a different shape. Your guide meets you at the base and leads the group up to the monastery, where the main basilica sits tucked into the rock face. Inside, there's the Black Madonna statue — the one that's been here since the 12th century and draws pilgrims from all over — and you walk through the cloister and atrium at your own pace, taking in the quiet weight of the place. It's the spiritual heart of Catalonia, and even if you're not religious, the setting makes that clear.

After Montserrat, the bus carries you north to Girona, a medieval city that feels like it's been left mostly untouched. The guide walks you through the Jewish quarter first — narrow lanes where the buildings lean in close and the light comes down in strips — and then along the city walls, which you can actually climb and walk on top of. From up there you see the Onyar River cutting through the old town, and the houses on both sides are painted in colors that look almost unreal reflected in the water. The Girona Cathedral sits at the top of a long staircase, and your guide points out that it has the broadest Gothic nave in the world, which is the kind of detail that makes you look up and actually notice the space around you. If you're a Game of Thrones fan, the guide will show you where they filmed scenes from season six — the medieval streets and walls doubled as King's Landing — but the city is interesting enough on its own that it doesn't feel like a gimmick. You get free time here to grab lunch and wander, which most people need after the morning's walking.

The final stop is Tossa de Mar on the Costa Brava, a small fishing village with a walled castle perched on a rocky point above the beach. The water is clear enough that you can see the bottom, and there are little coves tucked between the rocks where you can sit and just be quiet for a while. The medieval streets inside the castle walls are steep and narrow, and the viewpoints at the top give you the kind of panoramic coast view that makes the drive worth it. By the time you're heading back to Barcelona — about an hour and a half on the bus — you've moved through three completely different landscapes and time periods in a single day. The group stays together on the bus, but once you arrive at each site, you're split into smaller groups of up to 25 people with your guide, so it never feels crowded.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel or city center pickup in Barcelona, round-trip bus transport to all three sites, entrance to Montserrat Abbey, a professional multilingual guide for the full day, and guided visits to the monastery, Girona's old town and cathedral, and Tossa de Mar on the Costa Brava.
Free time in Girona allows you to find lunch independently.
The bus is air-conditioned and the entire group travels together, splitting into smaller guided groups at each destination.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by World Experience

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see three major Catalan landmarks in one day without arranging separate transport, tickets, and timing — the fixed itinerary and included guide handle all of that, leaving you to focus on the sites themselves.