HIGHLIGHTS TOUR: Half-day excursion around Barcelona that will allow you to discover the history of the city while visiting some of the most important places in a comfortable and easy way.

The first part of the visit consists in a guided walking tour through the small and narrow streets of the Gothic Quarter, the oldest part of the city. During this early visit we will see Las Ramblas, de Cathedral Square, The Cathedral, the Old Jewish Quarter, among other interesting places. You will be given of some free time to visit the Cathedral by yourself.  

Later we will take our bus to start with a panoramic tour around the rest of the city. We will pass through the elegant Passeig de Gràcia Street, where there are located two of the most important Gaudi’s buildings (Casa Batlló and Casa Milà “la Pedrera”), the Triumph Arc, the Olympic Village and the Olympic Port, where we will do a brief stop. For the next part of the visit we will access to the Montjuic Mountain. This is an important place because was the main scenery of the Olympic Games in the 1992. We will stop a few minutes in the Olympic stadium and later we will have the opportunity to enjoy the panoramic views of the city riding the aerial tramway (subject to the weather conditions). For the next part we will go to the Spanish Village (Poble Espanyol), one of the main attractions in Montjuïc that consist in a synthesis of all the cultural variety in Spain. During the visit you will be given some free time to enjoy the different areas inspired in different Spanish regions, where your will find craft shops restaurants and bars.

At the end, back to the bus, we will leave Montjuic and come back to the city centre passing through España square, where we will admire the magical fountains, the twin venetian towers, the MNAC and the Shopping centre Las Arenas, build in an old bullring. We will arrive to Catalunya square, and we will end up the tour in front of Hard Rock Café, just five minutes walking distance from Julià Travel office.

MONTSERRAT TOUR: Includes Montserrat Rack Railway (Cog-Wheel Train).

Montserrat is a rocky mountain located 50 km to the southwest of Barcelona. It is considered the most significant and important mountain of Catalonia. The etymology of Montserrat comes from Catalan Mont (mountain) and serrat (serrated). The mountain receives its name for its peculiar morphology. In 1987 Montserrat was declared a Natural Park to ensure its conservation. The highest peak is called Sant Jeroni (Saint Jerome) and stands at 1,236 meters above sea level.

The importance of this mountain is due to the legend of the miraculous appearance of the Madonna and Child in one of the caves. This cave received the name Santa Cova (The Saint Cave). To this day the wood carving of the Madonna and Child are kept in the Church of the monastery and it is possible to visit it. This image of the Madonna is popularly known as La Moreneta (The Black Madonna) for its dark color. The color is the result of a reaction caused by varnish. La Moreneta´s holiday is on April 27^th.

Due to the legend of the Madonna, the mountain has been linked with spirituality.  Besides the main monastery of Santa María de Montserrat, there is a great number of small churches and chapels, some of them abandoned. The main monastery stands at 720 meters above sea level. Nowadays there is a community of 80 monks that live there and follow the rule of Saint Benedict.

During the first part of the tour you will enjoy an introduction to the history of the monastery. Once the guided tour has ended, you will have free time to enjoy de fabulous land scape by yourself, to visit the local food market, to visit de audiovisual exhibition and to taste some typical liqueurs.