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It is basically a beautiful mountain situated about 50 kilometers northwest of Barcelona. The name "Montserrat" means "serrated mountain" or "saw mountain" in Catalan. The mountain has these amazing and unique rounded rock formations that look like they've been shaped by wind and rain over thousands of years! It's mostly made of a pinkish rock called conglomerate (a sedimentary rock).
Throned at about 725 meters on the slopes of this mountain is the Santa Maria de Montserrat, an ancient Benedictine monastery. Inside, you'll find the statue of the Virgin of Montserrat, which is extremely special—it's one of Europe's rare Black Madonnas. This monastery is a significant religious site in Catalonia and draws countless Catholic pilgrims each year. So, visiting Montserrat is a top choice for a day trip from Barcelona.
Well, you'll need at least half a day. The travel time alone is about 3 hours (1.5 hours each way), and you should budget at least an hour for your visit to the Montserrat Monastery.
If you want to explore a bit more around the area and walk to St. Michael's Cross, add another half hour to an hour to your trip.
And if you're thinking of taking one of the funiculars and doing more hiking, plan for a full day for your visit.
The main attraction at Montserrat is the Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey. It's still an active monastery with about 80 Benedictine monks. While you won't be able to see all areas due to it being active, you can check out the basilica and the museum. The basilica houses the famous statue of the Virgin of Montserrat, and the museum showcases over 1300 pieces of art by famous painters like Dali, Monet, and Picasso.
After lunch, you have a few options. You can take a hike to the top of Sant Joan Peak for even more incredible views. Have lunch at one of the restaurants in Montserrat. There are a variety of restaurants to choose from, serving both traditional Catalan cuisine and international fare.
You can either conclude your trip here or explore further.
There are several types of day trips available to Montserrat from Barcelona based on your preference. If you’re an independent traveller, you can explore at your own pace with a skip-the-line ticket. There are numerous guided tours available for you to choose from- some tours have transportation available, while there are others with lunch inclusions and more. Choose the one according to your preferences.
If this is your first time visiting Montserrat with your family, a guided tour will save you time and stress over things like getting around and finding places for meals. You can discover more with the help of your guide! These tours offer bus, train, or cogwheel transportation facilities (to and from Montserrat), and you don’t even have to worry about finding a restaurant nearby as you can choose a tour with an optional lunch. If you like to fly solo, however, choose an entry ticket with the added convenience of skip-the-line access and a multilingual audio guide. Catch the R5 train from Plaça Espanya to Montserrat-Aeri for the cable car or Monistrol de Montserrat for the cremallera (rack railway).
The train is definitely the easiest and most common way to get to Montserrat from Barcelona. While there are bus tours, they can take longer because they typically make stops to pick up passengers at other hotels. The train is a direct shot from Barcelona to Montserrat, and the journey itself is pretty scenic. You'll catch the train from the España station in Barcelona (The ride takes about an hour). It's conveniently located right on the metro line, so easy to get to from anywhere in the city center. Once you arrive at the mountain base, you can either take a cable car or a cremallera (rack railway) up to the top.
For the Rack Train ride, you will need to get off one stop after Aeri de Montserrat (Cable car) called Monistrol. The Rack Train ride will take 15 minutes to the Monastery and is a more comfortable ride than the cable car. However, you won't have as good views as you would from the cable car, which covers the 1,350-metre journey comfortably within 5 minutes). Note: The cable car is not ideal for wheelchairs due to potential steps at arrival stations.
A Montserrat day trip from Barcelona takes a good part of the day, with travel time taking about 1.5 hours one way (roughly one hour for the train and 30 minutes for the rack railway). Once in Montserrat, you can visit the main sites and viewpoints in just a few hours, approximately 3-4. Expect to spend more time here if you want to hike the trails and/or sit down for lunch or dinner.
A day trip to Montserrat from Barcelona is totally doable with young kids. The train ride from Barcelona to Montserrat takes about an hour, and then you can either take a cable car or a cremallera (rack railway) up the mountain. The cable car ride is especially exciting for kids. However, there can be really long queues for the cable car, which might take away a lot of time from your itinerary. Thankfully you can also drive and park relatively close to the monastery (right next to Aeri de Montserrat station. You can park your car there for free).
Besides the monastery, there's a bunch of cool stuff you can do on a Montserrat day trip from Barcelona. Montserrat is a hiker's paradise with trails for all levels. The highest peak is Sant Jeroni, which takes about 2-3 hours to reach. On clear days, you can see most of Catalonia and even spot Mallorca island, but the view of the monastery isn't as great as from St. Michael's cross. You can also visit the Montserrat Museum which houses a collection of Catalan art, including works by El Greco and Picasso.
Comfortable clothing is the way to go here. Having said that, no trip to Montserrat is complete without a visit to the monastery. There is a dress code in place- Shirts or blouses should cover your shoulders. Sleeveless shirts are acceptable as long as the neckline isn’t too deep. Shorts and skirts should at least reach mid-thigh. Avoid ripped jeans or anything too revealing (showing too much skin).
To reach Montserrat monastery, take the FGC train from Plaza España station or drive on the A2 highway towards Lleida, following the signs. Free parking is available near the monastery. Inside, the Black Madonna is enshrined on a gold altar in the chapel. Expect two lines: one for the basilica and a longer one for close access to the Black Madonna for wish-making. Choose wisely, as the Black Madonna line can be lengthy. Alternatively, you can admire the statue from afar at the base of the stairs. You can also view the Black Madonna from a distance at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the statue.
