Montserrat is a mountain range near Barcelona, Spain, and it is an excellent place to visit for several reasons.
On this text we are going to share with you the reasons why we think you should visit the region, and on the video below you will see all the details on how to get to there (the trip from Barcelona is a true adventure), what to see once you are there and how to move around.
Firstly, Montserrat offers stunning natural scenery that is unique and breathtaking. The jagged peaks of Montserrat are unlike anything else in the region, and the views from the top of the mountain are truly spectacular.
Secondly, the mountain has a rich history and cultural significance. The mountain has been considered a holy site for centuries, and the Monastery of Montserrat, which is located on the mountain, is home to a revered statue of the Virgin Mary, the famous La Moreneta, the Virgin of Montserrat. The monastery also houses a very interesting audiovisual space that showcases the history and culture of the area.
Finally, Montserrat offers a range of activities for visitors. You can hike the mountain trails, visit the monastery and museum, or take a cable car ride to the top of the mountain for breathtaking views.
Overall, Montserrat near Barcelona is a great place to visit because of its natural beauty, cultural significance, and range of activities.
Make the most of the combined tickets, including train, rack railway, funiculars and some visits at the monastery complex for the perfect experience. Check the links here:
➡️ Combined ticket Trans Montserrat
➡️ Combined ticket Tot Montserrat
Hi Tony, we love your day trip to Montserrat.
I am trying to copy down the exact itinerary , we will dedicate one day in Barcelona on 22 September to do this.
From the hotel Catalonia Passeig de Gràcia, which train station is the closest ?
Could you please tell me the exact train that you and your wife did for this video. We want to take the earliest train exactly like you. Thank you very much Tony! Lili Elhaj
Dear Lili, many thanks for your message. From your hotel, you can take metro line 1 (red) at Plaça de Catalunya, it will take you directly to Plaza de España. We’ve been to Montserrat many times, last time we must have taken a train at around 9 am. But the first cog railway going up the mountain departs earlier than that, so you could go even earlier. All the best!
Tony, Thank you so much!
Hi , Thanks for your reply on YouTube. Maybe I mentioned where my hotel was and an address and they thought I was advertising ?? I was asking if I could get the train to Montserrat closer to my hotel instead of catching the train at Placa Espana FGC station. Nobu Hotel, Av. de Roma, 2, 4, 08014 . From Google maps it looks like there are 2 stations Barcelona Sants, and Sants Estacio (subway ??) Can I buy the ticket to Montserrat at one of these stations or do I have to purchase only at Placa Espana FGC station. ? I plan to take the train to the aerial cable car (aerial Tram) then the Funicular St Joan. Do I buy those when I get there to the loading site? Also i want to see the museum and access to the Black Madonna. Do I buy those on the site as well ? I saw your link to a combined ticket. Is that the way to go if I want to buy it the day before? My date I want to go is May 22 a Monday. I will be there may18 to 23rd. 1st day I take a motorcycle side car tour 1/2 day from “Brightside Tours” , and I already bought ticket for Segrada familia for day 2.. I also may want to go to Tibidado park or Park Guell. Or one of the evening tours of the 2 Gaudi houses . Then I leave on a ship (the one with sails) to the Monaco Grand Prix. Very Excited as I don’t get out from my ” “cage” much. Thanks for all your wonderful videos , well done ! Richard
Hi Richard. The train to Montserrat departs from Plaça de Espanya and won’t go through any other station in Barcelona. It’s just a 10-minute walk from you hotel (or a two-station metro ride). You’ll need to buy the tickets at the Plaça de Espanya station. But your tickets for the Aeri in advance from the company’s website unless you plan on buying any of the combined tickets we recommend on the video. You can buy the funicular tickets in Montserrat itself. Book the visit to the virgin and other activities here. From May onwards you will have to pay for the visit (previously free). All the best!
Thanks so much for your help. I am glad I asked you about the train departure point. Thanks for the tips !!!! R.H.
Great to hear we could finally be of help!
Thanks again. I think I will buy the combined TOT ticket, 65 euros, . but I don’t want to commit to an hour leaving time , maybe tired or jet lagged , so maybe I can buy at Placa Espanya on Saturday, May 20 for the Monday trip, May 22 ?? QUESTION: Is this safe to buy only 2 days in advance or will it be sold out.? I know this to be true at Sagrada Familia so I bought ticket 2 months ago. Thanks again, Richard H.
Hi Richard, two days in advance should be enough. All the best!
Hi Tony,
1. We will be driving from Castropol to Muxia on 1st May. Which will be the best route?
2. Also we plan to visit the Monserrat and we are staying in Leonardo Gran Via in Barcelona, so how do we get to Placa de Espanya and is the train ticket an open dated one.
3. Is the T usual worth getting to move about Barcelona for 2 days and also to the airport as on one of the days we are taking a flight to Seville without any luggage.
Thank you for your attention.
Hi Lucy, we are going to reply to your questions related to the topic of the text, ok? It’s a 15-minute walk from your hotel to Plaça de Espanya or a short one-station metro ride (line red, from Rocafort station).
Check out detailed information on how to leave Barcelona airport. In the video you will find answers to most of your questions. See also our video on the different transport tickets in Barcelona.
Hi Tony,
Thank you for sharing information about Montserrat. I’m confused by the three different ticketing websites. You have a link to the https://bcnshop.barcelonaturisme.com/ site, and I see that there is another site, https://www.cremallerademontserrat.cat/, which might be selling the same Trans Montserrat ticket (it is the same price and the description is the same). Are they the same? I also see what I think is the actual Montserrat site, https://tickets.montserratvisita.com/ also offering tickets, but they seem a bit different, and this site offers (or requires) timed entry, and provides an audio guide, and their ticket descriptions don’t say anything about including the funiculars. For the Trans Montserrat ticket, do you know if it includes an audio guide, and has it changed, now that Montserrat requires timed entry? With the changes that took place in May 2023, should I purchase the tickets directly from the Montserrat site? Thank you!
Hi Tim. Visit Barcelona Tickets is the official Barcelona tourism website where we recommend you buy tickets for many attractions. Cremallera de Montserrat is the official website of the company running the cog railway. Monserrat Visit is the website of the monastery where you need to book your visit to the parts of the complex where an entry is required. Trans Montserrat doesn’t not include an audioguide as far as we know. We would still purchase the combined tickets from Visit Barcelona Tickets and any other ticket from Montserrat Visita.
Thank you Tony. We will buy our combined tickets from Visit Barcelona Tickets. I have one additional question about the Trans Montserrat ticket. Could we use it to take the Aeri up to Montserrat and the cog railway down? We would like to do the Aeri, although I read that the return train can be crowded and those taking the Aeri might have to stand on the train back to Barcelona. Thanks again.
Hi Tim, if you want to go up the Aeri and the cog railway you will have to buy separate tickets. There is no pass including both means of transportation. All the best.
Just wanted to say thank you for making the planning of my day trip to Montserrat so easy. We are looking forward to having a wonderful experience based on your recommendations.
Continued success Tony!
Willy
Delighted to hear that, Willy. All the best!
Hi Tony
I have seen a few of your videos and they are very informative. We are planning 5 days in Spain and will save one day for Montserrat. I was looking for directions from our hotel and it takes over two hours, Which is the nearest train station we can go to if we are staying at Vale Suites, C/ de València, 194, 08011 Barcelona, Spain
How many days in advance can you buy the tickets for the journey and tours?
Thank you,
Sabrina
Hi Sabrina. The train to Montserrat departs from Espanya station. You will find that information and many others in the video we recorded on Montserrat. You can buy the tickets a few days in advance. For those visits in Montserrat not included in the combo tickets, try to buy them at least 10 days in advance. All the best.
Hi Tony, as now all tourists have to pay to enter the Basilica, etc How does this affect the cost effectiveness of the Trans Montserrat ticket? Will there be overlaps?
Hi, there are no overlaps, your ticket includes access to the Basilica and the Shrine of the Virgin. You will only have to pay if you want to listen to the choir. All the best!
Hi Tony
Thank you for your reply.
When I went into the Visit Barcelona website to buy the Trans Montserrat tickets, I was asked to fill in an Arrival Date. Is this date the date of my arrival to Barcelona OR the date of my visit to Montserrat?
On another topic, when recharging T-Casual on the T-Mobilitat, must it always be in blocks of 10 trips or can I ,say, recharge with 6 trips?
Thank you
Hello, the arrival date is just for statistical purposes, it’s the date of your arrival in Barcelona. There is no fixed date for the use of the pass.
You don’t recharge the T-casual. Once used up, you need to buy a new one.
Hi Tony! Love the detailed information you are sharing. My question is similar to the one asked by Tim above. We can buy the Trans Montserrat ticket from https://bcnshop.barcelonaturisme.com/. However, we also see what seems to be the ‘official website’ https://tickets.montserratvisita.com/en which asks to book tickets at a specific time. My question is:
1) What does the time mean on the official website? Is it the time at which I am supposed to enter Montserrat or the entry time for any other attraction?
2) If I purchase the Trans Montserrat from the Barcelona tourism site, will I be assured of entry to Montserrat and the cog railway on my day of visit? Because this website does not ask me to select any time slot.
Thanks once again for all the help!
Hello Amogh. You need to book tickets to visit the temple if you haven’t purchased a pass. Trans Montserrat ticket includes free admission to the shrine and the basilica. No pre-booking is necessary, but ticketholders will have to join the queues to get in (the Trans Montserrat ticket does not give priority access).
1) in the official website, you select a time for each ticket you buy.
2) you are. There are no seat reservations on those trains, that’s why you don’t need to select any time slot.
All the best.
Thank you Tony this is very helpful! Say we pre-book the Trans Montserrat pass today and say our visit is planned for April 12th. The bcn site says we can get the tickets picked up earlier as well. If we pick up the tickets on April 11th, can we be assured of entry onboard the first train at 8:36 am out of Pl. Espanya with that ticket for the 12th? Is the entry on the train on a first-come-first-serve basis if there are no reservations?
Thank you once again!
There is no limit to the amount of people that can board the train at Barcelona. There is unlimited space. First-come first-serve indeed. You’ll be fine.
Hello again Tony. Thank you for all your videos and advise! We are planning on going to Montserrat and we would like to know if we are allowed to take food (sandwiches, snack, water, which we are planning on having inside our small backpacks), inside the church and other buildings? Or do you recommend having the ticket that includes the lunch option? Website does not say where this lunch is offered and what type of food it is? Thanks.
Hello Juan. You can take your food, no problem about that! The lunch option included in the combined pass is in the cafeteria, we want to go back and test it so we can report to you what it’s like. But it’s a cafeteria menu. All the best!
Thank you Tony! Appreciate your help and insider information!
Hi Tony! I love your videos, they are so helpful!
About the Trans Monserrat pass: I understand that I have to buy them online and exchange for physical tickets correct? Can I exchange them at the day of the tour, at rail station at placa Espanya? Muchas gracias!
Hi Paula, that is correct, you need to exchange the voucher for the physical tickets. You can do it on the day of your trip, but we advise people to do it at least one day in advance, to avoid wasting time in queues on the day of travel. All the best!
Greetings from Canada, Tony! We are going to Montserrat next weekend. We are staying beside Sagrada Familia. Can you send a simple way to get to the Placa Espanya from Sagrada familia? Also, should we purchase our train ticket to Montserrat the day before? Do I buy it from a ticket machine or do I buy from a person in ticket sales? I have already purchased the cable car tickets for up and down. Just not sure about how to buy tickets for the FGC train to Montserrat.
Thank you so much for your help with this.
Heather
Good morning, Heather! To reach the Plaça de Espanya, take metro line 2 at Sagrada Familia and travel to Universitat, where you will change to metro line 1 and travel to Pl.Espanya. If you are not buying a combined ticket, which is our recommendation as it allows for some savings, you can buy your train tickets at the station machines on the day of your trip. There is usually and attendant to help tourists. If you plan on visiting the temple and the Black Madonna, do remember you will have to purchase tickets too. All the best.
Hi and Thank You,
I am trying to get as much info as I can before our visit to Barcelona the last week of September 2026.
Two questions: we already purchased our Trans Card for Montserrat voucher online- but did not have to put a date in. We are planning on October 1st and will be in Barcelona ahead of time to get the actual pass.
Are you locked into a certain date when you pick up the cards? Or can we use them at any date?
We are planning on a Thursday -BUT-just in case weather not co-operative- could we use it on that Saturday October 3Rd?
Also – as long as we have copies of vouchers -can we pick up others tickets or Trans Cards for them?
Thank You for your assistance,
Char
Hello Char, your Trans card has no specific date attached to it. It watch will start counting the moment you use it for the first time.
As for picking the cards, I don’t recall whether I was asked to produce proof of ID when exchanging the vouchers. You can try and get yours and your companion’s as well, if that wasn’t possible, they would have to return to get them.