Montserrat Monastery & Horse Riding Experience from Barcelona

Recommended by 97% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Barcelona, Spain

7 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Escape the bustle of Barcelona—and discover some of Catalonia's most dramatic natural scenery—on this Montserrat and horseback-riding tour. Go where cars can't as you trot on the rocky peaks of the Montserrat Massif mountain range, and visit the Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey, perched on the mountainside. Your tour includes air-conditioned transportation, while the horseback tour is suitable for participants of all skill levels.

This 2-in-1 tour includes Montserrat Monastery and a horseback ride
No previous experience necessary on this beginner-friendly excursion
This small-group tour helps keep your sightseeing personal
An easy option: avoid having to arrange your own Barcelona transport

What's Included

Guided visit of the Magic Mountain & the Abbey of Montserrat. Monastery entrance ticket included
Multilingual Professional Mountain guide
A 1h guided horseback ride with an experienced monitor, an amusing experience suitable for everyone.

Food and drinks unless specified
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Carrer de Martí i Franquès, 21, Les Corts, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
World Experience Offices

End point

Av. Diagonal, 359, Eixample, 08037 Barcelona, Spain
Avinguda Diagonal 359 – L’Eixample, 08037, Barcelona

Itinerary

Carrer de Martí i Franquès, 15

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Avinguda Diagonal

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Montserrat

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Montserrat

1 hour 45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Montserrat

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Montserrat

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Av. Diagonal, 359

1 hour 15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Most travelers can participate
Please, be at the check in point 15’ minutes before departure time.
This product is subject to cancellation or rescheduling based on inclement weather.

The visit to the Moreneta is not guaranteed, it is subject to availability and depending on the season, as there may be up to 2hrs of queue.
Due to horse safety restrictions, anyone with a weight above 95 KG or below 12 years of age won't be allowed to join this activity
There is a minimum of people required to operate the tour. In the event that this minimum is not met, customers will be offered an alternative date, another tour of equal or superior value, or a full refund.
There is a minimum of people required to operate on languages that are not English or Spanish. if this minimum is not reached, the tour will be offered in English.
Tour may be affected due to special circumstances
On Saturdays and Sundays there may be delays in the tour due to the high number of visitors to the monastery.
The maximum number of people allowed per tour is 8. If the group has more than 8 participants, it will be splitted in two different groups, alternating the order of the activity.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers

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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

Jackie_E

It was a perfect day! Our guides for both the Montserrat experience and the horse back riding were friendly, knowledgeable and exceptional. The views were spectacular! I highly recommend this excursion!!!

Reviews

4.8

based on 678 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Cancelled on us Twice

Sarah_H, Oct 2025

We were originally booked for a Monday and they contacted us on Sat and canceled due to operational reasons. They rescheduled us to Thursday at same time. Then they reached out on Wednesday and stated the ranch would not be able to saddle the horses. They did offer us other options but we declined as we had booked especially for the horseback riding.

Response from Host, Oct 2025

Dear Sarah, We completely understand your disappointment. We sincerely apologize for all the changes and the inconvenience caused. Unfortunately, the cancellation of the horseback riding was beyond our control, as the ranch informed us at the last minute that they could not provide the horses. We did offer alternative options for the tour, but we understand that your main reason for booking was the horseback experience. We are truly sorry that we could not provide the experience you were expecting and appreciate your understanding. World Experience Barcelona.

It was ok

Danielle_B, Jun 2025

I enjoyed the activities. This specific tour was grouped together on the same coach with two other small groups who had different destinations for the day. Our horseback group was dropped off on the side of the road and a driver (not sure if he worked for the tour company or the ranch or if he was a taxi driver) picked us up and took us to the ranch, our guide did not come with us and did not communicate well on what was going to happen after she stayed on the bus. After horseback riding the taxi driver took us up the winding mountain road and we met our guide. She took us through the monastery’s notable history and showed us pictures in a binder of the places we were standing. Not exactly my favorite way to see and experience a place. My group and I were hungry after the horseback ride and we had to follow our guide around for an hour before we had free time. There was a miscommunication on the meetback location, I think having multiple groups on a large coach isn’t the way to go, but overall I’m glad I had these experiences.

Response from Host, Jul 2025

Thank you very much for taking the time to share your detailed feedback with us. We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed the activities overall and that you were able to have these unique experiences. We understand your concerns about the logistics of combining groups on the same coach and the lack of clear communication during the transfer to the ranch. We will review this with our team to ensure that information is always clear and that our guests feel well-guided throughout the day. We also appreciate your comments about the timing and the way the visit was presented — your insights help us identify areas where we can make the experience more enjoyable and better organised for everyone. Thank you once again for your valuable feedback. We hope to have the chance to welcome you again in the future for an even smoother and more satisfying experience. Warm regards.

The best

Jason_M, May 2025

It was incredible must do!! Horseback riding was perfect. We rode horses on a portion of thr passage to el camino which was amazing

The length of the...

Christine_W, Dec 2024

The length of the horseback riding was perfect. Guides were very friendly and knowledgeable. The whole family enjoyed this experience.

Horse ride trail

Ny_T, Oct 2024

Beautiful horse ride along the back trails of the mountain. The owner is very passionate and knowledgeable of his horses.

Excellent Excursion

Sharon_W, Oct 2024

Laura was the best horse rude guide. The horses were well behaved and healthy looking. (I'm an avid horse rider, and was concerned with this aspect of my ride) The views were beautiful. The Monastery was also beautiful, although we could have used a little more time here.

Huge disappointment

Anthony_M, Oct 2024

The tour got off to a bad start as we were just getting out of the city on the bus the tour guide informed me that I would be able to ride the horses because of weight restriction of 209 lbs. We had to fill out our weight days in advance and after putting in our weights in pounds I was not given any notification that I was over the weight limit. I should have been notified days in advance by the company when I booked the tour or even when I checked in at the office location…..not on the bus when we were on the way. The check in process and boarding of the bus was very disorganized also. Moreover, they announced they forgot two people and we had to turn around to go get them. With the traffic this probably delayed us by 45 min or more. While on way back I received a call from one of the office administrators and she refused to offer any solutions or alternatives and basically said I had to accept it and that I would not be getting any refund for the horse riding part. She was rude and not willing to hear my frustration and basically blamed me. I find it ironic that they specifically said if you showed up late then your ticket would be considered void. After talking with the late couple it turned out they arrived on time and were at the bus but was told this was not their bus and were sent back to the office. They then find out that they were with the right bus but we had already departed and then the office forced the bus to return back to the office to pick them up. So the office staff can make exceptions for themselves but not for me. While my husband was allowed to ride I had to sit in the sun with smell of horse manure and flies all around me. The only other option provided by the ranch staff was to walk while everyone else was riding. The horse riding guide mentioned this happens hundreds of time with this company. The second half of the excursion at Montserrat was just as disappointing. It was very rushed since we were late due to the late departure and need to return to departure point during rush hour. We almost weren’t allowed in the Basilica because the choir was going to preform and one needed a special ticket to enter. The guard finally allowed us to go in but only for 5 minutes. Didn’t really get to appreciate it. We ultimately only had 20 minutes to explore the entire area. The walk to the meeting point pretty much took up that time. The itinerary said we would have 1.5 hours total there but only really had 40 min. We don’t blame the guides but blame the late departure and the administration for not verifying the weight requirements before departure. This was a very disappointing excursion and one of the worst experiences I had through Viator.

Overall good

Candace_H, Sep 2024

Tour guides to Montserrat were great. Horseback riding person could have been a bit more attentive instead of on her phone especially since all the participants were first timers. Overall it was ok.

Don’t be late

bkc27tvns2, Jul 2024

Seven minutes late due to a traffic accident. They knew and they left without us. No refund. Decide for yourselves whether that’s ok.

Excellent horseback riding for beginners

Joy_M, Jul 2024

The horseback riding was excellent, especially for beginners. The guides were extremely good. The time at Montserrat was short, but we were given excellent advice to let us make the most of it.

Horseback riding and Monastery

Andrea_S, Jun 2024

Lucas the tour guide was amazing. You can tell he loves his city and loves his job. Horseback riding was fun and the Monastery was beautiful. I wish we had more time to explore it though .

Best horse ride

Milos_S, Jun 2024

Amazing time I love this. It makes me want to learn to ride a horse. The entire event was very very great.

Excellent riding and touring excursion.

Elizabeth_G, Jun 2024

I’m an experienced rider, but four of the guests had never been on a horse. I was extremely impressed with our guides. Laura gave careful instructions, and when we rode, her and the man ( I didn’t catch his name), actually walked the whole way alongside the beginners’ horses. The horses were Arabian, Lusitano, Spanish. Well cared for, well trained, calm and extremely gentle animals. The views were marvelous, the trails easy. Later we joined the others on our nice bus, to go to the beautiful Basillica of Montserrat. Well worth the time! Our tour guides were charming and knowledgeable. I felt very safe traveling solo, and had fun with everyone there. Thank you!!

Really well organised. Great Guides

Tahmeena570, Jun 2024

Loved the horse riding, the guides were excellent and everything was so well organised. I would definitely recommend

Excellent!

karina_v, Jun 2024

Excellent from start to finish. The tour guides were so nice. It was a lot of fun. We saw places we would have never have seen if it wasn’t for this tour!

Nice experience

Scott_S, Apr 2024

Horseback riding was beautiful and fantastic, farm and guide first rate. Not really enough time at the Monastery to complete the day. Need to look at the description carefully about drop off point (not at pickup location) and horse riding weight restrictions.

Amazing guides and experience

Faith_B, Apr 2024

Our tour guides were fantastic - for the Monastery and our horseback riding portion. They were knowledgeable, fun, and easy to talk to. Of course the sites were amazing. We even saw a monk which we hear is rare. The riding portion was phenomenal. We had those with experience and those with none and the guides and horses were fantastic. And the scenery! Highly recommend this company and this tour.

Too crammed but good

Lupe_M, Apr 2024

The guides for the horseback riding and Monserrat were great. Doing both in one tour though cuts into the experience at Monserrat. Once we got to Monserrat, we were there for about 45 minutes which barely allowed us to see the church. I would do one or the other rather than cram two excursions into one.

100% Recommend!

sray529, Apr 2024

I came to Spain with a friend to train with dressage horses for a week, this trail ride was our relaxing wind down at the end of the trip. Juan was awesome, his horses were lovely and so well mannered. We are both experienced equestrians but anyone would enjoy this trail ride. The scenery is beautiful and Juan is a true horseman. Luna and Cherokee were fantastic. 100% recommend.

I have never had a bad...

Stephanie_S, Mar 2024

I have never had a bad experience with Viator until this excursion. The horseback experience was first and it was amazing. We were then transported To Montserrat to view the monastary, Church, and Black Madonna.all of which we did not experience. When we arrived at the entry point we were stopped for at least 20-25 minutes (time wasted) because parking was full and they would not even allow Drivers, just dropping off guests, to enter. We were to meet up with our guide, get dropped off, and the group he had with him was taken back to do their horseback ride portion. Because we were late, our guide started walking down the mountain with the people he had, to meet up with our car. We were then dropped off, had to walk up the mountain (more time wasted) to begin our tour experience. Our guide had to rush the explanation because he wanted us to at least view the Church. Because of time restrictions, viewing the Black Madonna was not even an option. Our guide took us past the line to enter the Church, again rushing the explanation of all artifacts. He left us at that point to walk through the open area to the Church entrance where we were stopped and could not enter the Church. The Boys Choir was going to sing (it was Holy Week) and unless we had a “ticket” to enter, we were turned away. Thus, we saw nothing of all the highlights of Montserrat. The reason we had to rush is because we had less than 45 miutes to walk up the mountain, get the outside information, tour the monastery, the Church and the Black Madonna and reteurn back to our meeting point to meet our bus back to Barcelona. I would like to be considered for a “refund” (not a credit) of the portion of Montserrat that we were not able to experience. There were five of us that were disappointed. I must addd that I would always recommend Viator to anyone, and I will continue to book Viator excursions. Unfortunately this tour didn’t work out and I hope you will consider a refund for our disappointment. Thank You!!!!

Great experence

William_D, Mar 2024

Taking with the guides, lunch at the farm restaurant and the horse ride were the most memorable parts of our tour.

Watch for tour guides to bait and switch you.

kera_m, Feb 2024

Our tour was amazing, the farm where we experienced the horse back riding and our tour guide for the monastery were as described. The problem is that we were contacted the day before our tour by what we didn’t realize was a “piggy back” tour that was organized by our tour guide. They offered lunch in addition to our original tour for an additional fee. We paid it but then our guide turned us over to the “add on” which added 3 hours to our tour and they did not drop us off in the spot which was advertised on our tour that we purchased. We had to Uber an additional 25 minutes in traffic. It’s a bait and switch that I did not expect to be happening on Viator and I will be more cautious to book with this app in the future.

Fantastic Day

Jackie_E, Feb 2024

Great tour

Andres_P, Jan 2024

Laura provided clear instructions, and the horses were calm. I enjoyed the tour and highly recommend it.

Horse back ride with Monserrat ministry visit

Echo_D, Nov 2023

The best part of this was the horse ride! Our guide truly love and cared for her horses! The landscape was beautiful! Depending on the time of year it changes! The time at Monastery seemed a little rushed…

Very disappointed with the Monastery part of the day, and the guide Isabella.

Kate_C, Nov 2023

The horseback riding was spectacular! Laura & Carlos took excellent care of us! The monastery tour VERY disappointing!! Isabella was not knowledgeable and mismanaged time.

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Thank you for providing feedback about your experience, we glad to hear that you enjoyed the horseback riding with Laura and Carlos. However, sorry to learn that the monastery tour did not meet your expectations. It's disappointing for us to hear that the guide did not provide the information you were looking for and struggled with time management, we have to apologize for that. Your comment help us to improve our services. We hope that you have better experiences in the future.

Gentle horses and a gentle ride

BRIAN_L, Oct 2023

I was amazed at how small the horses were; they're nothing like what I'm used to in the United States. Still, they were extremely gentle and great for anyone without much experience. The trail was easy and the countryside beautiful, and the time at Montserrat was perfect for some quick photos.

Confusing trip to horse riding

Harold_F, Oct 2023

The people taking the ride are absolutely great The booking agency and pick up in Barcelona are absolutely TERRIBLE THE POOR TOUR LEADERS ARE CONSTANTLY HAVING TO APOLOGISE FOR ALL THE INCONVENIENCE There were 14 people totally confused by your emails and directions I repeat The people at the horse riding were great and the views on horseback amazing.

Not what is described

Ken_H, Jul 2023

This is not what u expect . My expectation were riding horses up to a certain point up the mountains of Montserrat. What u get is being led up a path for about 1.5 km on horseback by on of the guides who did not have a clue or want to talk to me about anything on go on her phone . My daughter 14 who loves horse riding was very disappointed as was I. The travel guide who met us and took us to our bus was brilliant the bus driver brilliant and the tour of monastery was brilliant but the horse riding let us down for an expensive tour . If you are into horse riding this is not for you hire a electric scooter it's way more exciting .

Response from Host, Jul 2023

I apologize for the misunderstanding and disappointment you experienced during the horse riding portion of the tour. It's unfortunate that the actual experience did not meet your expectations. I understand that riding horses up the mountains of Montserrat was what you were anticipating, but instead, you were led on a path for a shorter distance by a guide who did not provide the level of engagement or conversation you were hoping for. This lack of interaction and the guide's preoccupation with their phone is certainly not the experience we aim to provide. I appreciate your feedback and will make sure to communicate this issue to the tour operator. It's important for them to be aware of your dissatisfaction with the horse riding component so that they can address and improve upon it in the future. On a positive note, I'm glad to hear that the travel guide, bus driver, and tour of the monastery were all brilliant. I apologize again for the letdown in the horse riding aspect and any inconvenience it caused. Thank you for sharing your experience, and I hope that if you have the opportunity to visit Montserrat again in the future, it will be a more enjoyable and fulfilling experience.

Amazing!

Laura_M, Jun 2023

Amazing experience! I had 0 horse riding experience, and everything went on perfectly. The ranch had such a beautiful trail overseeing the Montserrat. A really peaceful and relaxing experience. Our guide Laura made sure we are safe and comfortable with our horses. Our guide Roger, was extremely knowledgeable about the monastery. I recommend this to anyone of any age!