Tour of Cardona and Montserrat

Spend a delightful day in the company of an expert guide who will take you on a voyage of discovery to the wonderful medieval castle of Cardona, the Salt Mountain and the stunning Monastery of Montserrat.  Explore some of the most beautiful places in Catalonia on this really fabulous tour. 

What's included in the Tour

This shared tour enables participants to really enrich their visit to Catalonia with a voyage of discovery to some of the beautiful places outside Barcelona.  On board a comfortable bus and with an expert guide who will always be at your side, you will be able to discover these beautiful places that are just a few kilometers from the city center.  The exact meeting point will be provided in your email booking confirmation but it will definitely be located in the center of the city in order to ensure easy access for all the participants of the tour.  The first stop on the tour will be at the stunning mountains of Montserrat, some of which are reminiscent of animal or human forms.  Once you have arrived at Montserrat, you will then board the small panoramic train for a short trip and you will visit the Benedictine Monastery in the company of your guide.  This is where the famous statue of the Black Virgin is housed who is known affectionately as "La Moreneta" and is the patron saint of Catalonia.  Following on from this, you will have the chance to sample some of the liquors that are produced by the monks at the Monastery as well as the opportunity to buy a range of different local products. The tour then carries on towards Cardona where visitors can explore both parts, old and new, of the stunning interior of the beautiful medieval castle. And one of the most interesting features of the tour is towards the end when you will get to visit the salt mountain: you can wander through the underground galleries with lakes and grottoes that are full of stalactites. The tour also includes a stop for lunch which includes more local produce and a refreshing glass of Cava. 

The Benedictine Monastery of Santa María de Montserrat is situated at 720 meters above sea level in the midst of these imposing mountains which bear the same name.  The whole setting is really emotive and it appears as if these majestic mountains are trying to embrace and protect the entire Monastery.  Legend has it that the monastery was built in order to offer sanctuary to the small statue of the Virgin which was found in the year 880 A.D. by some children who were taking care of their flocks of sheep.  Initially, the parish priest attempted to move the statue but, inexplicably, it became extremely heavy and thus difficult to transport which resulted in the priest interpreting this as a sign that it was the Virgin's wish to remain enfolded by the mountains of Montserrat.  The statue, which is still venerated by the church, is a charming wooden sculpture dating back to the 12th century of the black Virgin who is holding the infant Jesus in her arms.  If you would prefer a tour that only lasts half a day and which only covers a visit to the Benedictine Monastery, have a look at our page entitled Tour of Montserrat.

 

Cardona is a Spanish municipality in Catalonia that lies about 95 km from Barcelona, in other words, it is an average of an hour's drive by car.  This medieval citadel is situated at 506 meters above sea level and is famous, above all, for its medieval castle and its mineral deposits. The Castle of the Dukes of Cardona is a medieval building that dates back to the eleventh century, a large part of which was modernized and rebuilt but, a significant part of the original medieval edifice has been well preserved.  The Salt Mountain which is known by the name of the Montanya de sal, was discovered in 1902 when a 50 meter excavation was undertaken which resulted in the find of a rich deposit of potassium salt.  Nowadays, the Montanya de sal has become a tourist attraction in its own right and is set up with exhibition rooms, tours of the interior and classrooms that teach visitors about the salts.

This tour is available every Tuesday and Thursday, except on public holidays with the departure from Barcelona at 09:00.  The duration of the tour is around 11 hours and the scheduled time of arrival back in Barcelona is around 19:30.  An adult ticket costs €100.00 and the price for children aged 4 - 12 years is €84.00.  Children under the age of 3 are free of charge.