Montserrat is a mountain range in the Catalonian region of Catalonia, Spain. This national park is famous for its Benedictine monastery which was founded in the 10th century and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Monstserrat monastery is very popular among visitors to Barcelona and is one of the most popular day trips for a reason. Because it offers spectacular views of the landscape below. From Barcelona, a Montserrat day trip is less than two hours away by car or train and makes for an excellent day trip with friends, family, or children!
This ancient Montserrat mountain range lies just over 2 hours north of Barcelona on its way up to France. With beautiful landscapes perfect for hiking enthusiasts and beautiful scenery overlooking the Catalan capital, this mountain range should not be missed!
Table of Contents
Why Visit Montserrat
Public transit makes this day trip from Barcelona easy so there is really no reason to skip the adventure. There are a couple of reasons that people come to visit this historically significant site.
Get Your Travel Goals Newsletter & BONUS Workbook
Religious Pilgrimage
This has been a destination for religious pilgrimage for centuries. Built-in the 10th century, the Montserrat monastery was destroyed, abandoned, and restored numerous times depending on the political climate of the age. The area suffered significant devastation during Napoleon’s time. The notorious Himmler of Nazi Germany visited during World War II and was said to be in search of the Holy Grail. The monastery has been abandoned to the point of only one monk living there during the Spanish Civil War to the approximately 150 that are there today. Now it is home to the famous “La Moreneta” or Black Madonna the patron saint of Catalonia and said, by those who believe, to have healing powers.
Hiking
The Benedictine abbey is surrounded by the Montserrat Nature Park. Declared a nature park in 1987 these “serrated” mountain sheers are distinct in their features. Whether you believe that angels carved the highest peak or that geological shifts millions of years ago created this beauty, the site has been significant to Catalunya for centuries. Whether you are hiking to San Jeroni, the highest point of the area, or simply looking for breathtaking views, Montserrat lends itself to amazing hikes around the park and this too can be an inspiration for meditation or just a greater appreciation for the environment.
Regardless of what motivates you to come, the best way to enjoy this unique spot is to plan to stay a full day in order to account for travel time and enjoyable exploration of all the area has to offer.
Get Your Travel Goals Newsletter & BONUS Workbook
Getting There
Montserrat is connected to Barcelona by an easy train ride, bus, or private car. Depending on the kind of tickets you would like to buy you can get to Montserrat while keeping to your budget. We took the train so that will be the bulk of the travel planning we discuss here.
The train journey is just over an hour from Barcelona and then set aside 30 minutes for the cable car or rack railway trip up the mountain. That short amount of travel time makes this a perfect day trip from Barcelona.
Consider where you are staying in Barcelona. The train to Montserrat leaves from Placa d’Espanya. Take the metro to the Placa d’Espanya train station. Look for signs for the R5 line with a train image or the letters FGC. You may also see a sign for Montserrat with an arrow pointing you in the correct direction from your platform. We did not have any trouble finding signage that got us heading in the right direction. We went a day before and were able to purchase tickets from ticket booths right there at the station.
Get Your Travel Goals Newsletter & BONUS Workbook
You will need to make sure you have tickets for the following:
- round trip transportation metro pass to and from Placa d’Espanya station to the metro stop nearest your hotel/apartment
- round trip R5 train tickets from Barcelona to Montserrat stop of your choice (Aeri de Montserrat or Monistrol de Montserrat – more on that choice in a minute)
- round trip tickets for the cable car or rack railway to Montserrat
- tickets for the funicular ride to access to hiking trails (check whether or not these are running during your visit)
Consider what you’d like your day trip itinerary to include. You of course can enjoy the beautiful views and the abbey, but there is also one of the oldest boys’ choirs in the world, a museum, The Holy Cave of Montserrat, and numerous hiking trails. Access to the Santa Cova and Sant Joan funiculars are an extra expense but can help you save your energy and time because they take you closer to popular trailheads.
Train Ticket
Your most basic ticket option is to buy a train ticket to Montserrat. At the time of writing this ticket cost just under $28. Should you decide at Montserrat that you’d also like to buy tickets for the funicular railway options you can buy them at the funicular station.
When you buy your basic train ticket you will also have the option to decide between taking the cable car up the mountain or the rack railway. If taking the cable car you will get off the train at the Aeri de Montserrat station at the bottom of the mountain.
The most scenic route is the cable car ride. Whichever you decide it will be the same price but the tickets are not interchangeable. So for example, if you buy a ticket for the cable car but someone in your party has decided they would rather ride the railway you can’t exchange your ticket for the rack railway at the next station.
This happened to us with our youngest. He swears he is not afraid of heights. He’s afraid of gravity. But since the majority rules and the rest of us all wanted to ride the cable car, he stood in the middle of the small group that rides each car and kept his eyes closed or turned toward the floor. His older brother is on a continual quest to get him to face his fear and tried to get him to appreciate the view. But nope.
Get Your Travel Goals Newsletter & BONUS Workbook
The rack railway is available from the Monistrol de Montserrat station, just one stop beyond the Aeri de Montserrat. From here you ride the Cremallera rack railway to the monastery.
Trans Montserrat ticket
This ticket is for the person that plans to do a bit of sightseeing while at Montserrat. At just over $40 per person, this ticket provides the user with a round-trip ride on the metro to and from Placa d’Espanya, the round-trip train ticket to Montserrat, the round-trip cable car, or rack railway ride as well as rides on the two funiculars, including the Sant Joan Funicular which takes you to the top of Montserrat mountain.
If you are traveling during the off-season check to see if the funiculars are closed for maintenance. This was the situation we faced when we visited. If so then this ticket option may not be a value.
This ticket also provides access to an audiovisual presentation but we had read it was not worth a visit so we skipped it.
Tot Montserrat ticket
This ticket gets you all of the perks mentioned above plus entry to the museum and lunch at the cafeteria (we’ll provide you with our review of lunch later in the post) for just over $61 per person.
I splurged and got us this option as I knew we wouldn’t have time to pack all the food we would want over the course of the day. My husband is very into museums so I knew he wouldn’t want to skip this option either. In retrospect, my husband and I felt that the museum was very good but the lunch option was not worth the additional expense.
Get Your Travel Goals Newsletter & BONUS Workbook
Eating at Montserrat – Lunch Review
You can eat at the restaurant ($$ – $$$) Hostal Abat Cisneros and advanced reservations are required. This option is not included in the price of any of the Montserrat tickets.
The cafeteria had nice views and is the dining option offered with the Tot Montserrat ticket. The food was acceptable. Not terrible but nothing special. What they don’t tell you is that only some options for the buffet-style cafeteria are available to ticket holders. Your ticket does not give you access to the entire buffet. So some of our food choices came at an extra cost. This was disappointing, to say the least since once there you are stuck and hiking snacks only go so far with a family of four.
If we were to do it over I would put a frozen ice pack in a small insulated lunch bag in our carry-on luggage or personal items (see TSA guidelines on this). Once in Barcelona, make time to hit one of the local markets the day or evening before Montserrat. You can select food for a high-quality picnic and be all the happier with your choice as it will be chilled and ready in your backpack. We prefer to stay in apartments with a small kitchen anyway so this is definitely what we’ll do next time.
What to Do at Montserrat
Take some time to visit the Basilica. It is free to enter. Due to the popularity of visiting the resident Black Madonna, there can be long lines during high season, especially mid-day. So our advice is to get there early. You can check the Montserrat website for the most up-to-date times.
Visiting the Black Madonna
As you walk through the chappel area you will head to the right side of the church toward a passageway that takes you to the wooden statue of the Madonna and child.
Tourists and pilgrims alike will walk slowly through the ornately decorated passageway and a stairway with painted ceilings toward the Black Madonna. In the room where she sits on a detailed throne, you will be allowed to touch her as you pass. Some slow to say a prayer.
Get Your Travel Goals Newsletter & BONUS Workbook
They do not allow pictures in this space as it is considered sacred.
If you leave through the Ave Maria path you will have an opportunity to light a candle as a prayer to Virgin Mary. The wall of candles is a beautiful way to end your visit.
The Museum
My husband and I enjoyed the museum which holds pieces from Picasso, Dali, and Monet among others. Just show your ticket on your phone or your printed combo ticket for entry. But we promised the boys a day of hiking so we did not stay long.
The Boys Choir
You can hear the singing twice daily in the Basilica at 1 and 7 PM. Check the official website for the most up-to-date information. And to find concerts performed outside of Montserrat check out their performance schedule.
The Santa Cova Chapel and Holy Cave
This is a beautiful spot with great views of the valley below. Unfortunately, the Santa Cova funicular was down for maintenance when we were there so we didn’t get to ride it (this takes away some of the time, and damage to your knees, from the downhill hike). From the Santa Cova funicular, you can take a path to the Holy Cave. This cave was where the Madonna statue was found before it was taken up to the Basilica.
Be sure you know the time for the last ride back up on the Santa Cova funicular so you don’t miss it.
Get Your Travel Goals Newsletter & BONUS Workbook
San Joan Funicular and Hiking
Climbing above the monastery, this funicular gets you to the top of the mountain and that much closer to any of the multitude of trailheads in Montserrat Natural Park.
In just minutes you can hike to the Sant Joan Chapel. Follow signs for the Ermita de St. Joan.
We had a bit of haze during our trip but on a clear day, this spot gives you amazing views!
Turning left from the funicular station puts you on a hike back downhill to the monastery. Follow signs for Monestir de Montserrat.
This incredible mountain retreat in the Catalan region of Spain was designed for pilgrims and is now loved by all of Catalonia. Montserrat is worth at least one day. You can combine history, culture, spirituality, and a love for the outdoors in this one spot.
If you are ready to explore more of Europe check out our post on how to use London as a launching pad. Or you can return to the city and check out what we think are the best things to do in Barcelona.
What are some of your favorite European destinations? Be sure to leave a comment below so we can hear about them!