Montserrat Excursion

[Shanti]

For those of you who cruised round-trip out of Barcelona, has anyone taken the post-cruise Montserrat excursion? Can you give any details about it? Opinions?

 

[mcljr7]

For those of you who cruised round-trip out of Barcelona, has anyone taken the post-cruise Montserrat excursion? Can you give any details about it? Opinions?

We did the ABD pre-cruise package and went to Montserrat. The port adventure looks similar. We took a bus to the monastery. The roads are very twisty on the way up, so they could cause problems for people with motion sickness. At the monastery, we went into the church which is very beautiful. There is a boys' choir in the church at times during the day. There is also a funicular up to an outlook over the valley. Some people hiked over to the cross for another beautiful overlook, but it is a strenuous hike. You can find a cafeteria, a restaurant, and a gift shop there too.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We used Barcelona Day tours. We went to a vineyard and Montserrat and it was a very good tour.

 

[abdgeek]

For those of you who cruised round-trip out of Barcelona, has anyone taken the post-cruise Montserrat excursion? Can you give any details about it? Opinions?

I did the post cruise Montserrat DCL excursion in 2011. I stayed in Barcelona for two days after the cruise, so after we visited Montserrat we were taken to our hotel. Your luggage is put under the tour bus. I booked the AC Diplomat(now the Renaissance Barcelona hotel) on my own, which was one of the post hotels back then. We were given about 2-3 hours in Montserrat. We took the funicular up, but the bus back down. There was a fee to use the bathroom at the funicular station. Mass was about to start when we arrived, so I only got to see the Black Madonna from afar. You can get closer, but there wasn’t time. The choir wasn’t in residence when we visited, so that was disappointing. I took the time we had and went to the museum there. I believe there was a fee, but I enjoyed it. I also got something to eat in the cafe. I never made it to the trails.

IMO the tour is worth it. Montserrat is not easy to get to if you don’t have a car, so I was glad for the excursion. I had researched how to use public transportation to get there from Barcelona, but it was too involved. I hope you enjoy it if you decide to go.

 

[cruiser21]

We used Barcelona Day tours. We went to a vineyard and Montserrat and it was a very good tour.

We did them too. It's currently 99 Euros for the Barcelona city tour with Montserrat. They will drop you off at your hotel or airport. I'm not sure how that price compares to DCL, but there was only 10 in a van.

 

[DL1957]

We did this excursion through in 2013 and enjoyed it. There were 7 of us and we all had a great time.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We did them too. It's currently 99 Euros for the Barcelona city tour with Montserrat. They will drop you off at your hotel or airport. I'm not sure how that price compares to DCL, but there was only 10 in a van.

That what we had, about 10 in the van. We did the city tour on a different day. We went to wine county and Monserrat.

 

[oufpat]

We also used Barcelona Day tours after our cruise. They picked us up at the ship, we went to Montserrat and a vineyard, and were then brought to our hotel. It was a great tour!!

 

[GPaLarry]

When we did our Med./WBTA B2B a couple of years ago it was based in Barcelona. With all there was to see in the city we did not get to Montserrat. DCL offered this excursion during our between day, but we opted to see La Rambla instead. If we get there again we will have to check it out.

 

[Shanti]

When we did our Med./WBTA B2B a couple of years ago it was based in Barcelona. With all there was to see in the city we did not get to Montserrat. DCL offered this excursion during our between day, but we opted to see La Rambla instead. If we get there again we will have to check it out.

How was La Rambla?

 

[GPaLarry]

How was La Rambla?

Great! We left the ship about 9am and walked as far as the La Rambla Market and back. There is a Gaudi building (not open yet) down a side street on the left. Vendors were just setting up shop (that city was just waking up). We stopped at a nice coffee shop coming back. Several of the store fronts were worth a photo or two with their quirky dragons and other fun features. I took a photo of a woman covered in silver paint as she was preparing to put on silver wings and pose for tourists as a flying goddess (not quite a pixie) for tourists. The Christopher Columbus statue at the base of La Rambla, by the water front, is climbable. Around noon we grabbed a shuttle back to the Magic after people and boat-watching on a bench by the water. Rick Steves has a great video about his walk on La Rambla...check it out. If we get back, we will make a day of seeing the entire street. Being B2Bers with all the right documents, we were zipped right on the ship.

 

[ludari]

I did two WBTA cruises and each time I stayed a week or so before my cruise to visit all the sites around Barcelona. In additional to many wonderful things to see and do around the city I planned my own trip to Montserrat from the City Centre via the subway and train. I would recommend that if you decide to visit Montserrat which I highly recommend that if you take the cable car up and the funicular down or vice versa. When I visited Montserrat it was a bit cold and damp so I suggest you bring light raincoat or umbrella. If you cannot make it to Montserrat there is plenty to see/do that is not far from the port.

 

[starvenger]

Would definitely recommend seeing Montserrat if you’ve got the time. I went with my family and in laws (9 people total) when we stayed there for a week. Used public transit, which involves using the metro, a train, and a cable car to get there (can also take another train to get up there). It’s a little more travel time than the van tour, but not that difficult to navigate if you’re looking to save a few $$.

In Barcelona itself, La Boqueria market is a fun experience.

 

[Shanti]

You've all convinced me. We're going to do this excursion after disembarking from the cruise.

 

[k3chantal]

You've all convinced me. We're going to do this excursion after disembarking from the cruise.

We would like to go also! Our cruise leaves June 30th.

 

[Ginamarie]

We visited Montserrat on our first TA cruise. We overnighted in Barcelona though, so it was a full day tour and not on the day we disembarked. I LOVED this tour. It is a beautiful place. My advice is that if you do get to visit, make sure you do a tour that leaves you enough time to go up to the trails. It is said that hundreds of years ago, people called that spot the closest you could get to heaven, and being there, I totally understood it. If I can get back to Barcelona for a trip, my plan would be to go back there and spend even more time on the trails (bringing a lunch/snacks). It's an amazing place.

 

[GPaLarry]

We visited Montserrat on our first TA cruise. We overnighted in Barcelona though, so it was a full day tour and not on the day we disembarked. I LOVED this tour. It is a beautiful place. My advice is that if you do get to visit, make sure you do a tour that leaves you enough time to go up to the trails. It is said that hundreds of years ago, people called that spot the closest you could get to heaven, and being there, I totally understood it. If I can get back to Barcelona for a trip, my plan would be to go back there and spend even more time on the trails (bringing a lunch/snacks). It's an amazing place.

That is on our Bucket List #2. We loved Barcelona, even though I got pickpocketed there (not much $ involved). Hope we get back there to hike the trails of Montserrat.

 

[remlap]

We did Montserrat on our own the day we got off the ship. We took a taxi to our hotel, dropped our bags and then followed Google Map directions. (subway to Train) We got off at the Cable Car stop (highly recommend) and had a lovely time. We also took the upper funicular and hiked to the to hermit caves. It was a relatively easy hike with some beautiful views. Even if you don't want to hike, I'd recommend taking the upper train just for the views of Montserrat.
I can't compare against the tour. Montserrat will be beautiful either way. We are more likely to always travel independently, that way we can spend extra time doing things we want (funicular) and skip the things we don't. (gift shops and factory tours (I know Disney is much better than some tour groups)

 

[Shanti]

We did Montserrat on our own the day we got off the ship. We took a taxi to our hotel, dropped our bags and then followed Google Map directions. (subway to Train) We got off at the Cable Car stop (highly recommend) and had a lovely time. We also took the upper funicular and hiked to the to hermit caves. It was a relatively easy hike with some beautiful views. Even if you don't want to hike, I'd recommend taking the upper train just for the views of Montserrat.
I can't compare against the tour. Montserrat will be beautiful either way. We are more likely to always travel independently, that way we can spend extra time doing things we want (funicular) and skip the things we don't. (gift shops and factory tours (I know Disney is much better than some tour groups)

How long did that take?

 

[starvenger]

Train takes about an hour. Cable car or train up takes about 25 minutes.