There are many sights to visit in Barcelona, but don't miss a trip to the Montserrat Monastery, 40 km away, which is literally carved into the rock massif of the mountain of the same name.
Over 1,000 years old, the abbey will delight you with its mystical atmosphere, beautiful views and beautiful wild surrounding landscape.
The 10 best hotels in Barcelona
The abbey is situated around 800 metres above sea level, high in the rocks below the highest mountain in the Sant Jeroni range, which climbs up to 1,235 metres above sea level.
The monastery and its history
Montserrat Monastery is one of the most important places of pilgrimage in Catalonia. It was founded as early as 1025 by Abbot Oliba to commemorate the apparition of the Virgin Mary on Mount Montserrat, which is believed to have occurred in the 9th century.
The Abadia de Montserrat Monastery is a large complex of buildings that contain valuable works of art by Pablo Picasso, El Greco and Caravaggio, among others, as well as several very valuable Gothic altars.
The focal point of the monastery is the Romanesque basilica, which houses La Moreneta, the black Madonna, patron saint of Catalonia, which was found here in the 12th century, considered one of Montserrat's miracles.
The current appearance of the monastery dates from the 19th century, as the original monastery was destroyed by Napoleonic troops. The oldest surviving part of the monastery is the Romanesque basilica.
Admission and opening hours of the monastery
The basilica, in which you can see the statue of the black Madonna La Moreneta, is open daily from 7:00-19:00.
The prices below are for online purchases made at the exact time. Tickets are available at the door for an additional €1.
In high season (roughly April to October) it is advisable to book tickets at least 5 days in advance.
- 7 eur - Admission to the Basilica
- 10 eur - admission to the balcony with the black Madonna
- 18 eur - Combination ticket (basilica + black Madonna + museum + audiovisual room)
Official website: montserratvisita.com.
Montserrat Museum
Directly opposite the monastery, you can visit the Museu de Montserrat, where you can learn more about the history of the monastery and the surrounding area, and also visit the local picture gallery, which exhibits works by greats such as Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Salvador Dali and Edgar Degas.
Entrance fees and museum opening hours
The museum is open daily from 10:00-17:45.
Admission costs 8 eur, for students with ISIC card 6,50 eur.
Official website of the museum: museudemontserrat.com.
Montserrat Natural Park
The surrounding mountains are criss-crossed with a network of hiking trails, some of which you can reach by cable car, others you will have to climb great heights on your own. But the reward will be breathtaking views across a landscape of rocky rounded mountains, steep valleys and gorges.
Remember that good hiking shoes are essential whenever you want to trek in the Montserrat mountains. Although the marked trails are relatively comfortable for walking, you will sometimes have to negotiate rocky sections and higher elevations.
Ropeways of Montserrat
There are two cable cars leading from the monastery.
The "Santa Cova" cable car is short and heads down from the monastery to the GR5.1 hiking trail and is not much used.
On the other hand, the "Sant Joan" cable car is very useful and takes you high up into the mountains where you can use many marked hiking trails.
Both cable cars are out of service every year during the second half of January.
Detailed information can be found on the official website at turistren.cat/montserrat-rack-railway-and-funiculars.
- Sant Joan
- 11 eur - one-way ticket
- 17 eur - return ticket
- Frequency - 8 to 12 minutes
- Santa Cova
- 4,30 eur - one-way ticket
- 6,60 eur - return ticket
- Frequency - 15 to 20 minutes
Hours of operation vary by season. The first cable cars usually run at 10:00 and the last at 17:00 during winter and 18:00 in summer, respectively.
How to get to Monsterrat from Barcelona
The fastest and most comfortable way to get from Barcelona directly to the monastery is by train, but a combination of train and cable car is a bit more interesting.
There are three basic route options, but they all start with the R5 suburban train (FGC) at Plaça Espanya station in central Barcelona.
In addition to train and cable car tickets, you can also buy tourist tickets at the ticket office at Plaça Espanya station, which include transport and admission to monasteries and museums.
- Tot Monsterrat - 68,25 eur
- Includes: return train fare + cable car / cog railway + visit to the interactive exhibition + Montserrat Museum + unlimited rides on the Santa Cova and Sant Joan cable cars
- Trans Monsterrat - 44,70 eur
- Includes: return train fare + cable car / cog railway + visit to the interactive exhibition + unlimited cable car ride on the Santa Cova and Sant Joan
Train + cable car
This is the most popular and beautiful route option. You can expect spectacular views of the mountain massifs from the yellow cable cars "Aeri de Montserrat".
- Take the FGC train line R5 from Plaça Espanya to Aeri de Montserrat station, trains run 1-2 times per hour
- Take the Aeri de Montserrat cable car directly to the monastery, it runs once every 15 minutes
During the summer season and at weekends, the queues for the cable car can be more than 60 minutes long, while in the low season and especially on weekdays you will wait a maximum of 15 minutes.
Combination tickets for the train and cable car are available. The price is the same as if you bought two separate tickets.
This ticket can be purchased from the machine at Placa Espanya station.
- 15,10 eur - One-way ticket from Barcelona to Monsterrat (train + cable car)
Train + cog railway
This travel option takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Instead of the cable car, you will take a modern cogwheel train, which has a higher capacity and therefore less queues in high season.
- Take the FGC line R5 from Plaça Espanya to Monistrol de Montserrat station, trains run once an hour.
- After that, it's a short transfer to the green cogwheel train that takes you to Montserrat. It runs once an hour and always connects with trains to/from Barcelona.
Combined train and cog railway tickets are available. The price is the same as if you bought two separate tickets.
This ticket can be purchased from the machine at Placa Espanya station.
- 15,10 eur - One-way ticket from Barcelona to Monsterrat (train + cog railway)
Train + walk
If you want to reach the monastery on foot, take the R5 train to Monistrol de Monsterrat station, from where a steep hiking trail runs for about 8 km.
For the average trained traveller, the ascent takes about 3.5 hours, and the descent takes just under 3 hours.
So all you need is one one-way train ticket from Barcelona for 6,15 eur, or you can opt for a combination with a cable car or cog railway.
Accommodation at Montserrat
You can easily think of a trip to the monastery as a day trip, but if you want to go hiking in the mountains, feel free to stay here for a night or two.
You can stay in style in three hotels/guesthouses right on the monastery grounds. Prices range between 44 eur and 73 eur per night for 2:
What to see around
Discover all the places to see in Barcelona.
