4. Montserrat & Cava Winery Small Group Day Tour
Embark on a guided day trip from Barcelona to Montserrat and the Penedès wine-growing region by minivan. Visit the monastery and the Museum of Monserrat, listen to Europe's oldest children's choir, walk through the mountain range's many paths, and visit a winery - this tour has it all. There will be plenty of free time to explore Montserrat on your own, but a visit to the sanctuary where the Moreneta is housed is a must. Pilgrims and other visitors have climbed the mountain to visit this sanctuary for nearly 1,000 years. You’ll also have the opportunity to visit the fascinating Museum of Montserrat, and browse its collections that range from the Archaeology of the Biblical East to Modern Painting and Sculpture. A highlight of visiting Montserrat is listening to the voices of Europe’s oldest children’s choir, La Escolania de Montserrat. There are numerous walking and climbing trails on the mountain, ranging from easy strolls to serious hikes. Each trail offers a different perspective on the surrounding landscape, dotted with small chapels and hermitages. If you'd rather not walk at all, then another option is to take one of the 2 rack railways or the cable car, which also provides stunning views of the area. After a morning in Montserrat, we leave the mountain at around 2:30pm, heading for Penedès, home to the famous Cava champagne and, in particularly, home to Pares Balta where we'll visit their vast underground wine cellars. Pares Balta is situated in the Penedès wine-growing region, which boasts one of the widest varieties of grape of any wine-growing region in the world. The tour is a great chance to see exactly how the famous sparkling wine is produced, from the first pressing of the grapes to the second fermentation in the vast expanse of cellars. Of course, no winery visit would be complete without a taste of the stuff! At the den of the tour you'll get the chance to try some of the best Cava the region produces. We leave the winery at around 5:30pm, returning to Barcelona for around 6:30pm.