Montserrat & Cava tour from Barcelona: small group with guide

Montserrat's peaks and a cava cellar in one day, with a guide who knows both

A guided small group tour from Barcelona to Montserrat Mountain and its Benedictine monastery, plus a walking tour of Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, the cava capital, with hotel pickup and monastery entrance included. The group stays under 8 people, and you choose between a Spanish-language tour, English-language tour, or private option. The 10-hour day covers Barcelona's highlights on the drive out, a walk through Montserrat's natural park, and a tour of the town where cava production has thrived for five centuries.

Step-by-step itinerary

Montserrat and Wine Tasting Tour

• Hotel pickup in Barcelona
• Overview of Barcelona city highlights
• Drive to Montserrat Mountain
• Listen to Catalonia and Montserrat stories
• Walk to viewpoint in Montserrat Natural Park
• Visit Montserrat Basilica and see Virgin statue
• Optional rack railway ride to mountain top
• Enjoy views from Montserrat peak
• Optional visit to Montserrat museum
• Drive to Penedès wine region
• Learn about Penedès vineyards and wines
• Visit Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, Cava capital
• Walking tour of Sant Sadurní town center

The Experience

The minivan picks you up from your Barcelona hotel between 8 and 9 a.m. and heads toward Montserrat, 60 km away. On the drive, you pass Passeig de Gràcia, the Cathedral, and Gaudí's houses—Batlló and Pedrera among them—while your guide explains Catalan history and the spiritual pull of the mountain ahead. The route itself is part of the tour: your guide shares stories about why pilgrims have traveled to Montserrat for nearly a thousand years, and how the mountain sits on the old path to Santiago de Compostela.

At Montserrat, the monastery sits inside a natural park declared protected in 1987, ringed by the serrated peaks that gave the mountain its name. You visit the Basilica to see the 12th-century Romanesque carving of the Virgin of Montserrat, the patron saint of Catalonia—the "Moreneta," or black madonna, whose legend traces back to shepherd boys who found a statue in a grotto around 880. Your guide adjusts the day to your interests: a 30-minute walk through the natural park is the standard option, but you can also ride the Sant Joan funicular railway to the peak for views across the whole of Catalonia on clear days, or visit the Montserrat museum, which holds works by El Greco, Caravaggio, Picasso, Dalí, and major Catalan painters from the 19th and 20th centuries.

After Montserrat, the tour heads to the Penedès wine region and Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, the cava capital. Your guide walks you through the town center to show how cava production shaped it—more than 80 producers line the streets, and the late-19th-century modernist buildings reflect the boom in wine-making. The Penedès region grows one of the world's widest varieties of grapes because of the Mediterranean sun and sea, and cava itself has roots here going back almost five centuries. The private tour option includes entrance and a tasting at a cava cellar; the small group tours do not, though the walking tour of Sant Sadurní itself is included for everyone.

What’s included

• Professional local guide in your chosen language.
• hotel or apartment pickup and drop-off in Barcelona city.
• entrance to the Monastery of Montserrat.
• walking tour of Montserrat's natural park.
• walking tour of Sant Sadurní d'Anoia town center (the cava capital).

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by In Out Barcelona Tours

Is this one for you?Pick the small group tour if you want the company of other travelers and a lower price; pick the private option if your group wants the full day to itself and prefers a cava cellar visit with tasting included. The Spanish or English small group tour works the same way—choose based on which language your guide speaks.

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Top questions

What's the difference between the small group tours in Spanish and English?

Both tours follow the same itinerary and stay under 8 people; the only difference is the language your guide speaks. Choose the Spanish tour or the English tour depending on which language you prefer.

Do I get to taste cava on this tour?

The private tour option includes entrance to a cava cellar with tasting. The small group tours in Spanish and English include a walking tour of Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, the cava capital, but not a cellar visit or tasting—you can arrange that separately if you wish.

What happens at Montserrat—do I have to hike?

A 30-minute walk through the natural park is the standard activity, but your guide adjusts to your group's interests. You can also ride the Sant Joan funicular to the peak, visit the Basilica, or explore the museum with works by Picasso, Dalí and other major artists instead of or in addition to the walk.

What time does the tour start and end?

Hotel pickup is between 8 and 9 a.m., and the full tour runs 10 hours, so you return to Barcelona in the late afternoon or early evening.

Is the monastery entrance included in the price?

Yes, entrance to the Monastery of Montserrat is included for all three tour options. Hotel or apartment pickup and drop-off in Barcelona city are also included.

How many people will be on the tour?

The small group tours cap at 8 people for a personalized experience. The private tour is just your group.