I did a lot of research before choosing a tour to Montserrat. I’m so glad I went with this one. We traveled to Monserrat by bus with a total of 3 tour groups, but only 1 of them was doing the full day wine experience. When we got to Montserrat, we got a short tour of the area and went into the cathedral. Once we knew a layout and had tips on the choices of what to do, we had almost 2.5 hours of free time until we needed to meet to leave for lunch. We chose to take the funicular down to hike along the cliffs to the cave where the Black Madonna was found. We had enough time to also do a little shopping and get additional tickets to see the Black Madonna up close. I couldn’t imagine only having one hour, you wouldn’t be able to do much and we wanted as much time as possible. Tips: if you sit on the left side of the bus while driving up, you get an amazing view of the area below but the right side offers mountain views. Also, the cottage cheese snack with honey at the market is delicious!

Gus was the BEST tour guide! Montserrat was absolutely breathtaking, but the experience with Gus and the team made it memorable. I was traveling solo as my husband was here for work, but I quickly made friends as Gus had us introduce ourselves, which made it feel more personable. Sometimes tour guides can be cheesy or dull because, in all fairness, the guide is giving the tour over and over, but Gus made it fun. It was like traveling with a friend that was knowledgeable but not pretentious. I learned more at Montserrat than if I traveled by myself. Not to mention Gus knew a ton about the Vineyard. I learned more from him than from Napa, Sonoma, or Russian River tours. Lunch was good, but the wine tasting was in a conference room which seemed odd and felt like I was at work. Overall, a great experience, and it didn't feel like a 10-hour day.

I'm so glad that I booked this trip for my family of 3. We had a great time and Montserrat is a place not to be missed. Our tour guide was Nerea and she's wonderful! We love her! She had great stories of the monastery and gave us great advice on where to go and what to do. always ready to answer all questions and she has excellent knowledge! The wine tour is not to be missed if you're a wine lover. Nerea knows her wine!!! The tasting session was well conducted. Well done Nerea and we hope to visit again! And we'll surely ask for you!