25 Aug 2023
My rating is actually a 4.5
Roberto was an awesome tour guide. He was very informative and cheery which I very much appreciated.
The tour consists of driving 1 hour from Barcelona, up to Montserrat mountain. You have some free time to look around before choosing to view the Black Madonna statue. There was a bit of a queue (probably 15mins) and then it's just a quick look at the figurine before walking past. I was able to take a video of the ordeal.
There is also an option to do liquor tasting and have some sweet bread, which was very delicious!
The reason for my rating (not 5 stars) is because of the minor fact that it's not much of a "guided tour". The tour guide gives a nice history lesson during the ride and when you get to the mountain, he does point out the significance of some of the statues around. But apart from that, it is very much a "self-guided" tour. You go inside the Benedictine monastery and see the Black Madonna statue by yourself because the guide isn't allowed entry.
Overall, it's a great way to spend the morning/early afternoon and this tour gives way for a lot of flexibility so great if people decide to change their plans when they get there.