Montserrat and Modernist Barcelona City Sightseeing

Barcelona is a fascinating city with an interesting history and culture. As a result, the city has innumerable different sites, monuments and shows to interest a wide range of visitors.

Its attractions are irresistible to every traveller who comes to this great city. On this tour see Barcelona focussing on the architecture of her Modernist past.

The tour starts with a visit to Montserrat. Montserrat was once considered the home of the Holy Grail. The bizarre rock formations of Montserrat surrounding the monastery add to the mystique of the site.

Download the tour route map

Itinerary

Your tour departs from our Bus Terminal on Ronda Universidad 5 at 9:30am. Accompanied by a multi-lingual guide, your deluxe air-conditioned coach will take you to the amazing Montserrat from Barcelona. On the way you will go through the little villages of the province.

The mountain of Montserrat rises majestically to over 1200 metres into the sky. You have the option of ascending to the top of Montserrat by the rack railway (cog-wheel train).

Visit the Basilica of Montserrat, which holds the famous Virgin Moreneta, a 12th century carving.

The Benedictine abbey of Montserrat has become world famous because of its boy’s choir and school of music. Listen to the famous Basilica’s "Escolania" boy’s choir performances of Gregorian chants and other genres of religious choral music. The performances can be heard free of charge in the Basilica at 1300h (01:00 pm) daily with the exception of Christmas holidays, July and some other festive periods during the year.

After the performance by the choir you will have some free time to explore the area and do some shopping.

We then return to Barcelona and arrive around 1430h (2:30 pm). You will have some spare time for lunch, (not included in the tour price). After lunch – at around 1530h (3:30 pm) - you board the coach for a tour of “modernist” Barcelona.

Some of the more important buildings and examples of the “modernist” genre are:

• The "Sagrada Familia" (Holy Family) Cathedral: Designed by Antonio Gaudi, it is an amazing piece of architecture that remains unfinished even after 100 years. Marvel at the expressionist artwork of the cathedral and its Nativity Façade where the theme of Christ’s birth and childhood is depicted.

• We will visit Güell Park, created by Gaudi, declared a Heritage Site by UNESCO. Guell Park contains amazing stone structures, stunning tiling and fascinating buildings.

• Cathedral of Santa Maria del Mar: This enormous block of a church resides in the part of the gothic area that turns into El Born, and is one of the most impressive religious buildings not only in Barcelona but all of Spain. It is a classic example of what is known as “wide-gothic” or “Catalan-gothic” architecture. The sheer size of the building gives it a power that is magnified by the heavy stone structure and religious solemnity. If you get a chance to take in a musical performance here, grab it. The acoustics are phenomenal.

The tour will finish at the Bus Terminal on Ronda Universidad 5.

Description Show on Map

Barcelona is a fascinating city with an interesting history and culture. As a result, the city has innumerable different sites, monuments and shows to interest a wide range of visitors.

Its attractions are irresistible to every traveller who comes to this great city. On this tour see Barcelona focussing on the architecture of her Modernist past.

The tour starts with a visit to Montserrat. Montserrat was once considered the home of the Holy Grail. The bizarre rock formations of Montserrat surrounding the monastery add to the mystique of the site.

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