Travel guide to Montserrat 🇪🇸

The trip to the mountain and the monastery of Montserrat is probably the most beautiful day-trip you can do from Barcelona. 

What is Montserrat?

Montserrat is a large rocky massif, with a very characteristic elongated shape. Monserrat is 50 kilometres northwest of Barcelona.

In Montserrat you will find the Parc Natural de la Muntanya de Montserrat, the National Park of the Mountain of Montserrat. And within the park, in a corner of the mountain, is the Monestir de Montserrat, the Catalan name for the Monastery of Montserrat.

Montserrat is a very important cultural landmark in Catalonia and is known as la muntanya sagrada, the sacred mountain. It is a place that is worshipped and has a special significance for Catalonia and for many Catalans.

How to reach Montserrat

The journey to Montserrat is an essential part of the adventure this day-trip is.

Although Montserrat can be reached by car, the most beautiful journey is the one completed by train. This trip is made up of two separate journeys.

The first is the train journey itself, leaving Barcelona and arriving at the small town of Monistrol de Montserrat, at the foot of the massif.

The ascent to the mountain, which is the second journey, can be done in two different ways. Either by cable car or by cog railway. And we will talk about both options in a moment. 

But let’s go back to the first route.

To get from Barcelona to Monistrol de Montserrat you have to take a regional train.

This train leaves from the FGC train station (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya, the region’s public railway company) at Plaça Espanya. 

The line you have to take is the R5, so you can follow the signs indicating the way to the Montserrat train or the R5 line, both lines work. The location of the station is very well signposted.

We recommend that you arrive with your tickets purchased, but if you have not done so, there is an information booth where they will answer all your questions and explain the different options for travelling to Montserrat.

We don’t recommend that you leave it until the day of the trip to purchase the tickets because the queue at the information booth is very slow, there is a lot of information to pass on and at the beginning of the morning, when everyone wants to go to Montserrat, there can be a lot of people. You risk losing a lot of time in the queue and also the train you are most interested in. It’s your time, don’t waste it. You will need it in Montserrat.

We’ll talk about the types of tickets later, now let’s get on with the train journey.

Check on the screens the departure time of the next R5, and also the identification of the track from which it will depart. The Plaza España station is the starting point of the train’s route, so you don’t have to worry, there is no risk of getting on an R5 travelling in the opposite direction. It will always depart in the direction of Montserrat.

Get on the train and get ready to enjoy the journey, which lasts approximately 60 minutes.

First to the right, and then to the left, Montserrat begins to loom on the horizon. The most beautiful views, as the train approaches Montserrat, will be from the left side of the train.

We have already mentioned that there are two different and spectacular alternatives to climb up to the Monastery of Montserrat. Each of these alternatives belongs to a different company, and the only way to go up one way and come down the other is to buy separate tickets, which are more expensive than the combined tickets we will mention at the end of the video.

The first alternative is the cable car.

The Aeri de Montserrat is a cable car operated by a private company. It uses cabins that can accommodate a maximum of 20 standing passengers. The climb up to the monastery takes 5 minutes. The views are spectacular, but it is not a good alternative for those with vertigo or fear of heights. 

The trip is much quicker than the cog railway, so you will have less time to enjoy the views. 

Attention, important warning. If you are going up to Montserrat by cable car, you must get off at the AERI DE MONTSERRAT train station, which is one station before MONISTROL DE MONTSERRAT.

It is easy. If you go by cable car, you get off at Aeri station. If you take the cog railway, you get off at Monistrol de Montserrat station. 

Let’s talk about the second alternative to climb Montserrat, the cog railway, also known as rack railway, cremallera in Spanish.

The Montserrat rack railway is the responsibility of FGC, the same company that operates the regional train that takes you from Barcelona to Monistrol de Montserrat. For this reason, the train and rack railway timetables are very well synchronised.

When you arrive at Monistrol de Montserrat station you will get off the train and walk towards the station exit. You will soon find the rack railway train waiting for passengers arriving from Barcelona.

As we have already said, the timetables are synchronised, and the train will depart immediately, leaving from the lower station of the rack railway. 

The rack railway goes up the side of the mountain, a joyful 15-minute journey.

What to see and do in Montserrat

What makes Montserrat a perfect day trip is both the journey, which is an adventure, and the diversity of activities and places to visit in the destination.

There are many things to do and it is almost impossible to do them all in a single day. That’s why we are only going to point out the most outstanding places and activities.

They are the Monastery complex, where the Virgin of Montserrat is located; the Santa Cova funicular railway, which goes down; the Sant Joan funicular railway, which goes up; and the viewpoints at one end of the monastery complex.

The Monastery

The Monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat is one of the reasons why many Catalans visit Montserrat.

It is a monastery whose origins date back to the 9th century and which, over the centuries, has played an important role in the history of Catalonia. Its size and, especially, its location surrounded by spectacular mountains, is impressive.

The complex is divided into several parts. On one side is the monastery occupied by Benedictine monks, which is not open to the public. On the other hand, at the heart of the complex, is the basilica, which is open to the public.

The basilica dates back to the 16th century, but was completely destroyed by French troops in the early 19th century.

The interior of the basilica is free to visit. Above the altar you will see a small chapel open to the church: it is the Camarín de la Virgen, the chapel where the most venerated image in Catalonia is kept, a beautiful piece carved in the 12th century representing the Virgin of Montserrat, also known as the Moreneta, because of the dark colour of her skin. Together with the Virgin of Nuria, the Virgin of Montserrat is the most important for the Catalans.

Access to the Camarín de la Virgen is through the right-hand aisle of the church. Leaving the courtyard in front of the basilica’s façade, the entrance is through the door on the right. When there are many visitors to the monastery, long lines form to reach the Moreneta.

Another point of interest inside the basilica is the presentation of the Escolania de Montserrat, one of the oldest choirs in Europe, made up of children’s voices. The choir dates back to the 14th century.

When the children are not on school holidays, the Escolania sings the Salve and the Virolai, a hymn dedicated to the Virgin of Montserrat, which is a spiritual and patriotic symbol of Catalonia. The singing takes place at 12 noon or 1 p.m., depending on the day of the week.

If you intend to see the choir, you need to book a time slot. If you are a European Union citizen, that booking is free; otherwise, you will have to pay for it.

Dress code at the temple

If you are going to visit the basilica, be aware of the dress code, especially during the summer months, when the heat does not encourage you to cover your body with too much clothing. Do not wear shorts or mini-skirts. Long shorts, a normal skirt and covered shoulders is what is required.

The funiculars

Let’s talk now about the two funiculars, which leave from the monastery and allow you to visit different parts of the mountain of Montserrat, with wonderful views and beautiful hikes for those who like walking. One funicular goes up and the other down. 

Access to the two funiculars is via a path that goes up just above the rack railway station. There is also a lift.

The Sant Joan funicular is on the right, the Santa Cova funicular on the left.

Let’s talk first about the Sant Joan funicular.

The spectacular ascent on the Sant Joan funicular is one of the activities not to be missed in Montserrat. The funicular was inaugurated in 1918 and allows you to get from the monastery to the hermitage of Sant Joan.

The ascent is breathtaking, with the monastery rapidly diminishing in size. A tip: sit in the carriage at the lower end of the funicular, where there is a huge window with a panoramic view of the ascent.

When you reach the top station of the funicular, climb some stairs to reach a small interpretation centre at the “Mirador de Sant Joan”, which allows you to learn a little more about the place you are in while enjoying glorious views of the region.

The mountain of Montserrat is very popular with hikers. And right now you’re at the starting point of many of them, which are very well signposted, with information about the time it takes to complete them and the difficulty.

But you may not feel like walking. Or, more likely, with so many things to see and do in Montserrat, you may not have much time for a long walk.

For you in this situation, we are going to recommend an easy walk, 20 minutes there and 20 minutes back, with beautiful views of the mountain of Montserrat.

The walk starts at the top station of the funicular and follows the path we are showing in the picture. The paths are full of smooth and rounded stones, typical of the region, so it is important that you wear appropriate footwear.

And then it’s time to go down. You can see the timetables of the next funicular departures on a screen. 

The Santa Cova funicular is a little different because, instead of going up, it goes down. It starts at the same height as the monastery and goes down to a point where a very beautiful path begins that leads to the Santa Cova, the Holy Cave,, the place where, according to legend, some shepherds found the image of the Virgin of Montserrat.

The path, a kilometre and a half long and with a gentle slope, was created in the 17th century. It has 15 sculptural groups representing the mysteries of the rosary. There are works by modernist artists such as Antoni Gaudí and Josep Puig i Cadafalch, among others.

It takes between 20 minutes and half an hour to get to the Santa Cova, and the same time to get back.  To which you have to add the time you will have to wait until the next exit of the funicular.

The viewpoints

The fourth point of interest in Montserrat that we would like to mention are the viewpoints at one end of the complex. They are free to access and offer spectacular views of the region.

To get to the viewpoints, walk towards a modern (and rather ugly) building along the road leading out of Montserrat and down towards Monistrol de Montserrat (the only road leading out of Montserrat). Walk to the end of the building, where a restaurant is located, and turn right to reach the viewpoints.

The first thing you will see is a work of art that has had to be fenced off due to human stupidity. People, probably looking for a picture to post on Instagram, were climbing on the artwork, despite the signs asking them not to. And in the face of systematic non-compliance with the request, the authorities had to put up a hideous fence around the monument.

Go down until you reach different viewpoints with privileged views of Montserrat.

Other points of interest

We have mentioned the most important places in Montserrat, but it would also be worth mentioning the Espacio Audiovisual, the Audiovisual Space, which is very interesting, with information about the mountain, the monastery and the sanctuary.

Or the Museum of Montserrat, which has a collection of works of art, mainly paintings, made up of acquisitions made by the monks over time. And, contrary to what one might imagine, the museum does not concentrate on religious art. There are works by, among others, Caravaggio, El Greco, Tiepolo, Monet, Sisley, Pissarro and Picasso.

Where to eat in Montserrat

By now you must have realised that Montserrat is not a quick half-day getaway and that, inevitably, you are going to have to stay for lunch in Montserrat.

There are different food options. But if it’s a nice day, we’d recommend a picnic up above the mountain. There is a small food shop in the monastery complex, but we advice you to buy your picnic in Barcelona, with a wider variety of products and much better prices.

There are also two cafes, one restaurant and one buffet restaurant.

If you want to try the local gastronomy, with modern touches, the place to go is the Abat Cisneros restaurant, which is next to the basilica. They have set-price menus as well as à la carte food.

On the way between the basilica and the viewpoints you’ll see a row of stalls selling typical products of the region, including the traditional mató, a type of fresh cheese that forms part of a very traditional dessert, mel i mató, a delicious mixture of cheese and honey. Be sure to try it, sold in individual portions. And you can also buy regional cheeses and cured cheeses.

And much sooner than you think, it will be time to come back. On the rack railway, take a seat on the right-hand side of the train to enjoy the view. Remember that the train stops first at Monistrol-Vila station. Don’t get off there.

What you want to do is go to the end station of the rack railway, get off the train and look for a screen to find out what time and track the train arrives that will take you to Barcelona, and it won’t be long before it appears.

How much time for Montserrat?

We have already mentioned several times that Montserrat is not a half-day trip. Firstly, because there are so many places to visit. And secondly, because the times are slow, you have to get to Montserrat and then you have to wait for the funiculars, which do not run every five minutes. And the same goes for the trains.

Even if you manage to get to Montserrat at around 10 a.m. (leaving very early from Barcelona), you will have to be very well organised to get to see the basilica, the Escolania chanting, the two funiculars and the viewpoints. If you arrive later than that, you’ll have to rush even more. 

Book a full day for Montserrat. The main time constraint is the departure of the last rack railway, which you absolutely cannot miss.

Tickets for Montserrat

You could buy all the tickets separately, but if you buy a combined ticket, you will save money.

There are several packages on sale, each with different options. The truth is that it is quite confusing and complicated, because there are so many options, and that’s why we recorded the video you will see above, where the passes are explained in great detail.