VELTRA tours & activities, fun things to do

Staff is what made this trip outstanding.

We felt Xavi was both informative and personable and very caring for those of us with physical hinderances. Marta and Ana also made our trip informative.
The day passed quickly so I suggest future travelers plan their free time carefully to be able to see and do those things on your wish list.
Lunch was done quite well and Xavi encouraged the group to get to know one another since we were all from a variety of places. Xavi was always willing to take photos and give suggestions. Most of all he was very knowledgeable on our tour of the winery and the wine tasting process. He kept us engaged on the bus ride to and from our destination and did not let us miss interesting sites along the route. We would book this trip again!

A day well spent

Our full day itinerary was the perfect amount of busy! We learned a lot from our tour guide on the way to Montserrat. When we got there, it was nice because we were there before all the other tour buses arrived. We did our walking tour then had some free time to explore, hike and sightsee. Afterwards we had a delicious lunch and sampled some tasty wine and cheese. We toured and learned the history of the Winery as well. It was overall a very fun day trip. I highly recommend it for wine lovers, history lovers and explorers!

A wonderful day trip while in Barcelona

What a great time we had! Our guide Marta was outstanding, funny, smart, full of information and had a personality that just wouldn't quit, engaging our diverse group (Greece, USA, UK, Russia) in a really wonderful day. We enjoyed Montserrat very much, taking the walk up to the cross, while still having time for sampling the wares at the farmer's market and the museum, then off to the really top notch lunch and then the wine tasting. It was a really great day and we are so glad we went. I highly recommend this trip -- ask for "Marta"!

An outstanding day, perfect day trip for your time in Barcelona!

What a wonderful day we had. Our guide, Marta, was smart and funny and did an amazing job integrating our diverse group (from Greece, NY, Dallas, LA, UK, Russia) and we had a blast. The time in Montserrat was super, it was a very windy day, which has an upside -- no fog! So we could see everything, the views were amazing. After we spent time there, doing the walk to St John's Cross and back, and the museum, along with some tastings of the cheese at the farmer's market, off to our delicious lunch, and then to the castle for the wine tasting. We had an absolutely wonderful time, and I highly recommend this tour, particularly if you are lucky enough to get Marta as your guide. Well done!

Excellent tour!

My guide was Carol. Absolutely lovely guide very knowledgeable n friendly n funny n I was lucky to be in the same group of 6 with a US couple n Ms Kim from Korea. What I like about this company is they split us up in small group of 6 or 10 instead of grouping us in a big group meaning it was a very personalised tour. We are from a family of 4 from Singapore n we absolutely love this tour. It was value for money for a 10.5 hrs tour at about 95 euro each. We did half a day at Montserrat n the other half having a fabulous 6-7 course lunch at the winery . After that we had wine tasting In a private room n we chatted n had fun with everyone. I must say the wine tasting was very generous. We had 2 red n a white n they served u the whole bottle instead of a sip. The wines were very good too n they are made organic. I must say these are the best organic wines I have ever tasted. I highly recommend this tour n company.

Our specific tour guide Aurora was spectacular.

Montserrat is a lovely day-trip from Barcelona, and if your time in Catalonia is not too tight, I would recommend this all-day excursion that includes an excellent lunch. The meeting point at the Hard Rock in Plaza Catalunya is very convenient for almost anyone who is visiting Barcelona, and the bus ride is pleasant and not too long, plus it gives you an idea of where those citizens who can't afford to live in the center of town actually reside. The monastery of Montserrat has a spectacular setting, and one of the nice things about the all-day tour is that it gives you time to take some of the hiking trails (moderately strenuous) or the funicular to other vantage points with amazing views. On most days you will be able to hear the famous boys choir perform at 1:00, but be warned that the church is very crowded then and the performance is brief, two hymns lasting a total of about ten minutes; still, an experience you should not miss. The lunch at the Oller del Mas winery was terrific, but the wine tasting left a little to be desired, since it included only three wines, one white and two reds. The so-called "castle" is really just the family estate house, which is pretty impressive in its antiquity. If you want to see Montserrat, and you should, I'd recommend this full-day excursion. Don't be rushed.

This is a very good full day tour, well worth the time. Montserrat was so much more than I expected. Our tour guide Sandra was delightful and very knowledgeable. The bus ride from Barcelona to Montserrat took us about 1 hour. During the drive, a tour guide filled us in regarding Barcelona and Montserrat history. After arriving, we were given a tour of the Bascilica and grounds. We were given 2 hours of free time to hike, eat or explore. I decided to hike up to the San Miguel cross and that took about one hour. The view from there was breathtaking. After returning from the hike, we checked out the shops. At 1pm, we headed back into the Bascilica to hear the boy's choir sing a couple of songs. We had to hurry to accomplish all that and there were many other things I would have liked to do. There is a cog train, a funicular ride and seeing the Madonna in the Bascilica. The line to see the Madonna is the extremely long and very time consuming so you have to prioritize and decide what to do and see early on. Also, a huge number of people pack into the Bascilica to hear the boys choir and that can get a bit overwhelming. The hike out to the cross was wonderful and I could have spent the 2 hours exploring the trails with the majestic scenery. After leaving the Bascilica, we all met and reloaded onto the bus and headed to the winery, Oller del Mas. What a pleasant and lovely place. We had a fantastic meal of several courses of tapas , dinner and wine. The outdoor seating and ambience was just perfect. We were never rushed and it was a fun, delicious and leisurely afternoon. After our lunch, we walked over to the winery for our wine tasting. There was a family event scheduled that evening, so our group did not get the tour of the castle and the wine tasting was held in a different part than it usually is. There was a short winemaking tour and then we sat and tasted 3 wines and cheeses. There was no pressure to purchase any wine although you can purchase if you like. We arrived back in Barcelona around 7:30PM. I would highly recommend this full day tour. We stayed in Barcelona for 4 days and this tour was a great way to break up the city sightseeing.

This tour was one of the highlights of our stay in Barcelona. Our tour guide, Sacha, was so much fun and very knowledgeable - we could ask any question and she was excited to provide an answer.
Montserrat is an incredible place, filled with walking paths, hiking trails, and the beautiful monastery. You can tailor your visit to your own interests, and this tour allows enough time to do so. Because of all the walking, we'd recommend wearing sneakers or something comfortable - many people on our tour struggled in sandals.
From there, we took a train (included in cost) to the nearest town, where our bus picked us up and drove us to Oller del Mas vineyard, where we had lunch. The lunch was MUCH more generous than we could have imagined, especially because when lunch is offered for similar tours in the US, it's typically a bag lunch. This was a sit down meal with many tapas to choose from, and delicious wine from the vineyard. Gave a nice respite from all the walking and allowed all those on the tour to chat, which was nice.
We then walked from lunch to the actual building where the wine is stored - another reason we recommend sneakers. The tour was good and the wine tasting was very generous. We loved all three, and ended up buying one because they are just that good (and affordable).
Overall, we had a wonderful day and highly recommend this tour. Thanks so much, Sacha!

Excellent trip. Excellent guide but the least said about the restaurant food the better. Alex, our guide, made our wine tasting a wonderful experience and words are inadequate to express the awe of Montserrat.

This tour was fantastic. The meet up was well organized. We were put into small groups with a guide- our group only had eight people total, and we were told that they limit the groups to 15. Sandra was our guide, and was a complete sweetheart. She was very personable and took the time to learn more about everyone in the group. We also got to learn more about her which put a personal and unique touch on the experience.

We traveled up to Montserrat by bus, and it was very comfortable. Another guide gave us background and history about the monastery. We learned the local legend of Sant Jordi (Saint George), as well as a brief history of Catalonia- including the funding of Christopher Columbus. Sandra continued the tour once we arrived. We learned everything from why there are sea shells decorating the sidewalks and walls to why all the chandeliers in the church are different. Sandra showed us some of her favorite views of the valley. She helped us navigate the crowd to sit in during Easter Sunday Mass to listen to the boys choir. Sandra also added a personal touch by sharing her favorite chapel with us. Afterwards, we had free time to explore the grounds. We explored Saint Michael’s cross and hiked up the mountain. We also bought some cheese and honey from a few local vendors. When your there, don’t forget to try the local liqueurs, which are produced by the abbey themselves.

We then took a train down from Montserrat to meet up with the bus that took us to the vineyard. There, we had a three course lunch with wine. WE also received several bottles of tap water, which was very nice since water is sometimes hard to come by in European restaurants. The vinegar that was put out with lunch was also made by the vineyard; but use it sparingly as it is very potent. The appetizers were nice, but the chicken was delicious. Dessert was a light yogurt with fruit. We even ordered another bottle of wine and it was only five euro! We had a few minutes to relax and enjoy the sun on the patio. My wife and I have been living in Amsterdam for the past several months, and really enjoyed the extra time to enjoy the sun.

Afterwards, we strolled the grounds while Sandra explained the process of winemaking, from telling the age and quality of vines to fermentation process. Beyond the basics, she also taught us the history of the vineyard. It was incredible, as the family has owned the estate for 37 generations, but only just started the winery in the past 30 years. The actual winery had some state of the art fermentation equipment, as well as more traditional French oak barrels in their store room. OF course, we made our way up to the estate castle to try a few of the wines ourselves.

We were treated to three wines- one white and two red. All were lovely. The white wine was lightly oaked and tasted a bit of peaches and pears. The first red tasted of bright red cherries and raspberries, while the second red was more oaky and toasty. We were also given a bit of local cheese to enjoy with our wine. Once we tried them all, Sandra played a game where we tried to guess the prices of the wines we tried- we were close with the white but far off on the reds. All wines were reasonably priced- 10, 30, and 15 euro respectively. We also had the opportunity to purchase some the wines once we were done.
After that, we packed back up on the bus set for Barcelona (about an hour and a half ride). Sandra was very sweet and gave a personalied list of restaurant recommendations to try during the rest of our stay. She gave us a few Catalonian favorites and, at our request, a few local Mexican places to try (we can’t find good Mexican in Amsterdam). We tried two of her recommendations, and they were on point! All in all, we couldn’t have asked for a better day.

Great tour particularly as our guide, Xavier, was an historian and gave us anecdotes about the history of Barcelona and Catalonia. The family history of the winery was very interesting dating back 36 generations. The lunch was adequate.

Good guide

Lunch was of poor quality. Albert was a warm,friendly knowledgeable guide

We had a perfect day to visit Monserrat. Our guide, Xavier, was exceptional. Being an historian, we gave us plenty of anecdotes on the history of Barcelona and Catalonia. Lunch and wine tasting was interesting.

Loved it!

This was a great tour and our guide was amazing. Beautiful day and great scenery.

This tour was one of my favorite experiences when visiting Barcelona. Our tour guide, Francesc, was super friendly and accommodating. I learned a lot about Montserrat from him in an enjoyable manner. The sights and views on this tour is breathtaking and spectacular. We got about 2 hours of free time to explore Montserrat. During this time, we decided to check out the monastery and the hiking trails where we had amazing views. The lunch and wine tour was also a fantastic part of this tour. The food was amazing and well worth it! The wine tour was fantastic and we were able to try different types of wines. We also had fantastic views at the top of the castle. I would highly recommend booking this tour if you are visiting Barcelona for the first time. It is an experience that should not be missed on!

This is my first time to join a full day wine-tour.
The tour I join is [Full Day Montserrat with Lunch and Wine Tour at Oller del Mas Castle - Small Groups]
We arrived 5 minutes earlier than the required 08:45 at the meeting point just in front of the Hard Rock Cafe, staffs are already waiting with the pink umbrella.
The staff of Castle experience are very friendly. They quickly located my name on the reservation list and the bus arrived on time to pick us up.
The tour kicks off at 8:45am in the morning, it took just around 1hour bus ride to Montserrat with spectacular view and sceneries. The bus itself is very comfy with reclined seats. There is introduction of different buildings along the way to Montserrat.
At Montserrat, first of all, our tour guide, Marc, showed us around Montserrat (Monastery) for an hour, he is very knowledgeable on the details of the history of wine and sightseeing spots, thanks to his very clear explanations, we understand much better of the places. We were able to visit the Basilica (Church) and a brief walk around the area.
After that there was a 2-hour free time.
If you are traveling in Spring/Summer, due to potential hiking, I recommend you to bring an extra set of underwear, a big bottle of water and a backpack.
There are many ways to spend the free time such as going to the Museum, however, we took the cable car (Funiculars) up to the top of the mountain (around 5mins ride) to enjoy the panoramic views of Catalonia. At this point, you can buy a bottle of water at the station before your hiking. There are 3 spots to visit on the mountain; as 2-hour free time does not allow us to visit all of them, we picked “San Miguel”, which has the best view of the mountain, as suggested by Marc. If you chose to go to Sant Jeroni on the other side of the mountain, you may not have enough time to see San Miguel.
With lots of photo taking and slow hiking pace, it took around 1.5hour walking from the top to the bottom of the mountain. In my opinion, San Miguel is a must-see place as it provides the superb view of the mountain. For the remaining half hour, we spent some time to browse the “stairs to heaven” which is located on the other side (east side) of Montserrat. There are some souvenir shops and booths selling cheeses along the main road where you can try their products before buying.
After tour in Montserrat, we took another 30min bus to Oller De Mars where we had a relaxing 2-hour lunch there. Lunch is consisted of appetizers ( a few tapas), 1 main course and 1 dessert. Marc suggested which meal to take and also offered us white wine and cold red wine which are included in the package. The meal was delicious and wines are very tasty. After lunch, we have around 1.5-2hour where Marc showed us the vineyard and explained how wine was made with the barrel. At the last session, we tasted 3 different red wines from Oller De Mars and all of them are very unique and tasty. At the end, you can purchase red wine/ white wine/ olive oil and other products if you want.

On the way back to the city, the bus seats are very comfy and easy to fell asleep with all those wine intake, complimentary water was provided too. After a smooth 75 minutes ride, we arrived back at city at around 7:30pm in my particular day.

The tour was just Magical!
Even though the weather was super cold the tour made it up with the beautiful scenery... and the wine tasting was exquisite .
My only complain was the food: very poor need to be improved or change restaurant.