Montserrat, Cardona and Salt Mountain Small Group Tour

Recommended by 98% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Barcelona, Spain

Great choice

5+ bookings last month.

10 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Explore our promoted experiences

Seafood Paella Maestro Market Tour & Sangria & Tapas

Barcelona, Catalonia

5.0

(6)

Seafood Paella Maestro Market Tour & Sangria & Tapas

from $78

Barcelona : Paella Cooking Experience + Boqueria Market Exclusive Tour

Barcelona, Catalonia

4.9

(11)

Barcelona : Paella Cooking Experience + Boqueria Market Exclusive Tour

from $95

Private Barcelona Walking Tour with Flamenco Show & Tapas Dinner

Barcelona, Catalonia

4.9

(11)

Private Barcelona Walking Tour with Flamenco Show & Tapas Dinner

from $511

Viator earns higher commissions on experiences featured here

Overview

Enjoy two of Catalonia’s most notable landmarks in one day—and make your sightseeing hassle-free—on this time-saving tour from Barcelona. Head first to Montserrat mountain, where you can visit its storied basilica and go for a short hike at a relaxed pace in your small group. Then, discover the medieval town of Cardona, known for its imposing castle and historic salt mines. Upgrade your experience to a private tour that promises undivided attention from your guide.

This two-in-one Catalonia tour is great for time-pressed visitors
See and learn more with your guide than you could alone
Round-trip transit from your Barcelona hotel ensures you stay calm and relaxed
Explore with just a small group, or upgrade for a private tour

What's Included

Professional local guide
Walking tour of medieval town of Cardona
Hotel or apartment pickup and drop-off in Barcelona city (between 8 and 9 am)
Air-conditioned vehicle
Small Group tour of max 8 people
Admission Fee - Ticket to Cardona Salt Mountain
Admission Fee - Basilica de Montserrat

Food and drinks
Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

- We will pick you up from any hotel or apartment in Barcelona. Please make sure to include the address of your accommodation when booking. - Even if your Hotel is not listed, you can type it down in the field. - Pick-up time will be between 8 and 9 am. We will send a message 24 hours prior departure through the booking system to inform you on the specific pick-up time at your hotel as well as the name of your guide and the telephone number.

Itinerary

After morning pickup at your Barcelona accommodations, travel with just your guide (and small group, if option selected) to Montserrat mountain.

Upon arrival, enjoy several hours to explore the famous Catalonian landmark. Visit the centuries-old Basilica De Montserrat, and go for an accessible, half-hour hike.

Next, travel to the medieval town of Cardona, located in Catalonia's hard-to-reach Saline Valley, home to an open pit of natural salt deposits. Used by humans since Neolithic times and formerly operated as of one of the world’s most important salt mines, the area is now preserved for education as the Salt Mountain Cultural Park.

Immerse yourself in the extraordinary sights of the park. Then, accompany your visit with a walking tour of Cardona's major landmarks, including the impressive Castle of Cordona.

After this glimpse into centuries of Spanish history, relax on the return ride to Barcelona.

Passeig de Gracia (Pass By)

Montana de Montserrat

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Abadia De Montserrat

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Abadia De Montserrat

1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included

Cardona

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Castell De Cardona

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Montana de Sal

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Sant Jeroni

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Small group tour of max. 8 guests
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed

Near public transportation
Infant seats available
Most travelers can participate
The Private tour option includes the entrance tickets to the Salt Mountain & Cardona Castle
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

jendero12yahoocom

Xavi was an excellent driver and tour guide. My college age daughter and I had a wonderful experience. We especially enjoyed the Basilica where we were able to see the Black Madonna. The salt mountain experience would have been better if it was in English, but the translated pamphlet was fine. We highly recommend this tour, and it’s a bonus if you get Xavi as a driver.

Reviews

4.9

based on 98 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Great mix of history, culture and a natural wonder.

Gina_R, May 2026

This was a great day with a fantastic guide. It should not be missed. It was an excellent mix of history, culture and a natural wonder.

Excellent tour

Royal_K, May 2026

Covers a lot. The Monserrat portion and Cardona portion were about as expected (very good) but we were rally surprized bu the salt mine. It was amazing.

3 interesting sites

Ted_K, Apr 2026

Ramon provided a comprehensive explanation of three amazing sites. Be prepared for an extensive full day tour Additionally, he showed us excellent photo spots and took a few good photos of us.

Excellent adventure

jendero12yahoocom, Feb 2026

highly recommended!!!

Aric_G, Jul 2025

Guide was extremely warm, knowledgeable, professional and genuinely nice person. The pickup process was seamless and everything went according to plan.

Cardona castle , salt mines tour, Montserrat basilica

Diana_C, Jun 2025

Appreciate that the tour guide was prompt in picking us up from the hotel and drove us safely around the mountainous route towards several points of interest. He took the trouble to get additional close up visits to see the black Madonna at an extra cost of 45 euros for the family which I believe was not part of the tour cost. Just a few points to note: 1) Though stated on the website , sant jeroni is not part of the tour as it consists of a one and a half hour trek from the basilica at Montserrat and there was not enough time in our tour . Just be aware of that . 2) The salt mines tour in cardona is only conducted in Spanish / Catalan . We were not aware at all when we started the tour but thankfully the guides at the mines were very kind and quickly passed me a write up in English . The Spanish guide at the mines was very good and though the write up was helpful , we clearly missed out on a lot . We also found out only after the tour that there was an audio guide in English that we could access via QR code though the content is not very different from the write up . It is a shame : the salt mines were stunning! 3) If you intend to get up close with the black Madonna , do mention at the start so that the tour guide can prebook as this requires additional payment of 12 euros for adults and 9 euros for children. We got a black Madonna medallion as keepsake at the end that came with the cost of the extra ticket. What a blessing . YM

Medieval Cardona and Salt Mine Day Tour

Les_S, Apr 2023

Cardona and the Salt mine were highlights of our visit to Barcelona. Ramon, our tour added to our experience with his great detail of historical knowledge.

Beautiful countryside, below and above ground

Richard_G, May 2022

Lovely day, nice drive, interesting discussions and local information. The mine had beautiful formations from salts. Would recommend that English speakers to get the audio guide.

Well worth seeing inside this...

Linda H, Nov 2017

Well worth seeing inside this mountain and learning about the town and surrounding area. We had the guide and a driver to ourselves and it was a very comfortable and easy trip. The guide found a local restaurant for us on the way back and my husband and I had a delicious lunch. The guide and driver ate while we were doing the salt mine tour, so didn't want to join us for lunch. They could have hurried us back to Barcelona, but gave us the chance to enjoy our lunch which we really appreciated.

This was a surprise trip. We booked...

Judy B, Jun 2016

This was a surprise trip. We booked from Australiia as a small private tour mainly on the picture of the castle with the Salt Mountain as an aside. We were collected at our hotel by guide Marius and my friend and I spent the day with him as we ventured to Cardona and the castle, lunch in the nearby old town square, and then on to Salt Mountain. What a hidden gem. This would have to be the best kept secret on the tourist trail. Even though the Salt Mountain guide only spoke spanish with Marius' help we understood the story. We went into the caves and what a sight. One of the most memorable sights on our long trip

We were picked up from our hotel...

Jaclyn T, May 2016

We were picked up from our hotel around 9am and drove to Cardona. The tour guide gave us a lot of information on the region, and made the trip interesting. The salt mine tour was interesting, but only offered in Spanish. Our guide went with us to translate, which really helped. overall, great day.

I was a bit unsettled initially to...

Heather C, Mar 2016

I was a bit unsettled initially to be picked up in an unmarked van with most seats removed and no badges worn by the guides. The one guide had good knowledge and decent english and the other guide I think was just driver. In fact he seemed as much a tourist as we did, taking pictures and exploring with us or on his own. We were disappointed that the tour of the salt mountain did not have a guide in English. We really did miss out on a lot of the information. The gentlemen for very pleasant and were very happy to drop us in the city rather than back at our hotel. It was a pleasant day but not the polished tour I have been with Viator in the past.

Excellent work

David_A, Sep 2025

Xavi, Very professional person, with knowledge of the places visited, very attentive and knowledgeable of Baroque and Gothic history, very friendly and attentive doing more than required, thank you for the medal and for leaving us near the Basilica to arrive on time for Mass, on our part very grateful. Xavi I definitely recommend him He became part of my family you know, he knows a lot about history he had a lot of patience, very clean excellent as we say Mexicans: we didn't like it: LOVED IT!! Thank you.

Auto-translated