Montserrat Day Trip from Barcelona
Are you wondering how to take a day trip to Montserrat from Barcelona, Spain?
Montserrat is an easy and popular day trip from Barcelona that is well worth it. Visiting the monastery at Montserrat is a very cool experience and you have great views over the Catalan countryside.
Visiting Montserrat was one of the best day trips I did from Barcelona.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Montserrat yourself!
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Best Tours to Montserrat:
- Montserrat half-day guided tour from Barcelona
- Montserrat full-day tour with lunch and wine tasting from Barcelona
- Hiking and monastery half-day tour from Barcelona
Why Visit Montserrat?
First of all, let’s talk about why you should visit Montserrat.
Montserrat, which means “serrated mountain” in Catalan, is a sacred location that is known for its Benedictine monastery and basilica, where you can view the famous Black Madonna statue. This is a popular pilgrimage location because the ancient and rare statue was miraculously found in a nearby cave.
In addition to entering the basilica and seeing the statue, there are plenty of other things to do at Montserrat, including visiting the museum, hiking, and riding the scenic cable car.
I was pleasantly surprised by the Montserrat Museum, which houses an impressive collection of art from famous arts like El Greco, Monet, Degas, Dali, Picasso, and more. It’s definitely worth a visit.
The views from Montserrat are also spectacular, and taking a day trip here is a great way to get out of the city for a while. You can spend just a half day in Montserrat, or you can easily spend a full day.
Getting to Montserrat
You have several options for getting to Montserrat.
It’s possible to visit on your own by driving or via public transportation, or you can take a tour. Here’s an overview of your options for getting to Montserrat from Barcelona, including the pros and cons of each.
Option 1: Driving Yourself
One option you have for visiting Montserrat is driving yourself. Depending on how many people you have, renting a car for the day might be a cost-effective way to make this day trip from Barcelona.
You can look for deals on rental cars with DiscoverCars.
Montserrat is just over an hour by car from central Barcelona. It’s a pretty easy drive, and when you arrive, you can park for free at the rack railway station at the base of the mountain and take the rack railway train up to the monastery. Or you can drive all the way up to the monastery and park there for a small fee.
Both parking lots are fairly large (although the lower free lot is bigger), but I would still recommend arriving early in the morning if you’re coming by car to ensure that you get a parking spot, especially if you want to park up on the mountain. Montserrat can get very crowded later in the morning and afternoon.
Option 2: Public Transportation
You can also get to Montserrat by public transportation. First, you’ll need to take the R5 train from Barcelona to Monistrol de Montserrat. This takes a little over an hour from Plaça Espanya in Barcelona.
Then, you can either take the cable car or rack railway to the top of the mountain where the monastery is. You can buy a combo ticket at the station in Plaça Espanya that includes your return train ticket as well as a return ticket for either the cable car or the rack railway. This costs about €24 for the combo ticket.
The cable car is very scenic, but if you’re scared of heights, you might prefer the rack railway train instead! The cable car takes just five minutes to ascend, while the rack railway train takes 15 minutes.
Option 3: Guided Tour
Finally, you can visit Montserrat by guided tour. This is what I did and it’s what I would recommend if you’re looking for the easiest way to get to Montserrat without worrying about logistics.
Unfortunately, the early-morning tour I did is no longer available to book.
But I’ve researched several other great options. This half-day tour from Barcelona is with a small group and a guide. It includes transportation from Barcelona and two hours of free time in Montserrat.
For a longer tour, this full-day tour with lunch and a wine tasting is a great option. Or if you’re looking for a more active adventure, you can do this half-day tour with hiking at Montserrat.
Tips for Visiting Montserrat
Now that I’ve covered how to get to Montserrat and things to do, let’s talk tips for visiting.
Buy tickets in advance. If you’re visiting Montserrat independently and not as part of a tour, you’ll want to buy your tickets in advance. There are several options which you can learn more about here.
Dress appropriately. Being up in the mountains, Montserrat can be a lot cooler than you might expect! I did visit in January, so it was very cold when I was there, but even in the spring or fall it may be a lot chillier than Barcelona is. So be prepared for the weather and dress appropriately with several layers.
There are several dining options. There are two restaurants, a cafeteria, and a bar with snack food at Montserrat. I ate at the cafeteria and found the food there to be fine, but a little overpriced. If you don’t plan on eating there, be sure to pack a picnic lunch and some snacks for your day trip to Montserrat.
Arrive early or stay late. Montserrat can get pretty crowded during the late morning and afternoon, so I recommend either arriving super early or staying until later in the evening to avoid crowds.
Montserrat Day Trip from Barcelona
This guide showed you how to take a Montserrat day trip from Barcelona.
Montserrat is one of the top day trips from Barcelona, and it’s well worth a visit to see the impressive monastery and basilica, take in the incredible views from the mountain, and hike or ride the cable car.
Enjoy your trip to Montserrat!
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