Just an hour’s drive from Barcelona you can experience the spirituality of the Montserrat Benedictine monastery. It is literally hanging amidst unique and amazing rock formations, which inspire the imagination causing people to see in them an elephant, a camel or a procession of monks. The Benedictines settled on this natural fortress, building their first monastery in 1025; therefore, the community of Montserrat is already preparing its Millennial celebration.  This shrine houses the sculpture of the black Madonna, protector of Catalonia, which safeguarded in a silver cabinet. The church holds several services a day, and during school hours, you might be able to listen to the oldest children’s choir in the world (when not on a school trip). The sanctuary offers a wide range of visitor services, such as restaurants, a cafeteria for pilgrims, art museum, souvenir and local craft shop, bakery and farmers market. This is the place to taste the typical “mel i mató” (honey on cottage cheese) produced by the farmers around Montserrat.

If you would like to do a mountain walk, we recommend extending the tour with a hike to St. Michael’s Cross (1h 20min round trip) for staggering views over the monastery and to take in the aromas of the Mediterranean forest. We can also extend this tour to include the Güell Crypt (UNESCO World Heritage Site), or a visit to the wineries, or the coastal village of Sitges.