Montserrat from Barcelona: How to get there, best tours and tourist routes (2026)

If there is one sight outside of the center of Barcelona that you should see, this is it a more than 1 000 years old abbey with a pilgrimage monastery Montserrat. It is located in the mountain natural park of the same name northwest of Barcelona. The following video will tell you more about this beautiful place.

If you make the trip to the top, you can enjoy the amazing views, explore the mentioned monastery, the local nature or the adjacent museum with archaeological and art collections.

The highest mountain peak Montserrat is called Sant Jeroni and is located at an altitude of 1236 meters above sea level, just above the abbey.

And although the monastery is located in the mountains, you don't have to worry about not getting here. It is possible to reach a nearby village by train directly from Barcelona and from there you can go up by cable car or the Cremalera mountain rack railway. Or - if you feel up to it - you can walk to the abbey along a marked tourist route. All modes of transport on Montserrat you will find described in detail below. 

How much time should you reserve for the visit? If you travel by train from Barcelona and walk uphill, calculate that even on the way back it is a trip for almost the whole day. 

What will you learn about Montserrat?

I tried to summarize all the basic information for those of you who are on Montserrat they are preparing for the first time. With the various sites and bits of information you find online, it can sometimes be confusing what you can actually see here, how to Montserrat get and how much it costs. Continue reading or choose a topic that interests you:

• How the monastery on Montserrat actually originated?
• Map of the abbey: what is located where
• What to see at the top Montserrat?
• How to get to Montserrat from Barcelona?
• Useful tips for your Montserrat visit
• Summary, prices, tickets and opening hours

What you need to know about the monastery Montserrat?

The local monastery in the mountains is one of the most important religious monuments in all of Catalonia. Old tradition says that every believer must make a night trip here at least once in a lifetime, so that he can watch the beautiful sunrise here in the morning. 

Montserrat it had its religious significance even before the emergence of Christianity, when there was a sanctuary dedicated to Venus on the top of the mountain, which was built by the Romans. The very first textual mention of the monastery on the top comes from 888. According to it, the construction was started in 880 and the first inhabitants were monks - hermits. In addition to the monastery, they built and subsequently inhabited several hermitages here. 

A miracle associated with Montserratem came some time later – in the 12th century, the Black Madonna was found here. This has made the place a destination for pilgrims from all over the world. Among them were, for example, Pope Benedict XIII, Christopher Columbus, Miguel de Cervantes or a whole host of Spanish kings and other prominent figures. 

The monastery in its current form has existed only since the 19th century, as the original one was destroyed by Napoleon's troops and subsequently rebuilt by the local Benedictine order. 

Monastery on Montserratu is hidden under a rock massif

What to see and do on the top of the Montserrat?

If you decide to take a trip to Montserrat, you will definitely not be bored here - there are really a lot of things to do here. To begin with, I recommend three things: 

• Visit the local basilica with the black Madonna
• Listen to a local boys' choir
• Explore hiking trails and enjoy the views

Abbey map Montserrat and its immediate surroundings - click to enlarge

Tour of the abbey grounds

Once you arrive at Montserrat, you can see the grounds of the local abbey and admire him beautiful Gothic-Renaissance architecture and also learn more about the role of the local monastery in the rich history of Catalonia.

The outdoor areas of the monastery you can view for free, but if you want to see the atrium, basilica and chapel, you have to pay for entry. The other interior spaces of the monastery are closed to the public.

As you head towards the basilica, you'll likely encounter a long line of people on the right side of it. This is not the entrance to the basilica, but the line to see the Black Madonna. If you just want to go to the basilica, definitely don't go to the end of it, you'd be wasting your time. (In the high season you can wait quite a long time here, approx. 20-45 minutes).

As with other ecclesiastical monuments in Barcelona (e.g. Sagrada Familia) don't forget to wear appropriate clothing: covered shoulders, long pants or skirts, closed shoes. 

Basilica with the Black Madonna

Montserrat's Black Madonna

At all the most interesting here is the statue of the Virgin Mary, which is depicted as the Black Madonna. Legend has it that when it was found and the Benedictine monks wanted to move it to nearby Manresa, it became heavy and they could not move it. That's why they decided to build a monastery around it.  

La Moreneta, as the local Madonna is also called due to her color, is depicted together with the baby Jesus. She has him on her lap and rests her left hand on his shoulder to signify that he is her son. On the contrary, he holds a sphere in his right hand as a symbol of the universe. Baby Jesus gives a blessing with his right hand and holds a pine cone in his left hand, which is considered a symbol of fertility and eternal life.

You can see the Madonna during a visit to the basilica, but you need to have a separate ticket for €8 (Or you must have one of packages).

Picture of the Black Madonna in the basilica on Montserrat

Choral performance of the boys' choir

You can also look at the monastery every day except Saturday performance of the boys' choir Escolania de Montserrat, which is one of the oldest in Europe. All the boys from the choir attend a local school, where they study, among other things, music and singing theory, playing a musical instrument or choral singing. 

Boys Choir Escolania de Montserrat

Performance times of the Escolania Choir: 

• Monday - Friday: 13:00 p.m., 18:45 p.m. (only on Thursday at 13:00 p.m.).
• Saturday: There are no choir performances
• Sunday: Mass at 11:00, 18:45

Escolania's "main performance" is considered to be at 13:00 p.m., when the songs Salve and Virolai are played. Both are about 10 minutes long, so everything is relatively short. And since these are sung prayers rather than concert songs, there is no applause at the end. So that you don't make any gaffe. 

Complete choir program with dates and times you can find on their website. The performance is paid for tourists, you must purchase a ticket in advance (if you do not have one of packages). The number of places is limited and it often happens that tickets are sold out for the next few days: the earlier you make your reservation, the better. 

Museum of Catalan Culture

More about the history of the monastery and Catalan culture in general you can find out in the museum that is part of the abbey. If you are an art lover, it is definitely worth a visit because here you will find the works of greats such as Monet, Degas, Picasso or Dalí. The museum is open every day from 10:00 to 16:45 (it closes an hour later at the weekend) and the entrance fee is €8 for an adult.

Na museum website you can buy tickets online, which I recommend as it avoids the queues. But this is also general advice for visiting Montserratu - stand up, arrive as soon as possible, to avoid the crowds of tourists and enjoy everything in the best possible atmosphere. It often happens that tickets for popular dates are sold out long in advance. 

Cable cars to further adventures: to the cave and to the viewpoint

A short distance from the monastery there is a station and two cable cars, which will reveal more of the local beauties. One will take you to the cave of Santa Cova, the other above the abbey to the chapel of Sant Joan:

1. Santa Cova cable car: This cable car will take you to the area where, according to old legends, shepherds found the original statue of the Black Madonna. From the bottom station of the cable car, you will have another approx. 20-minute journey to the cave where the Madonna was found and now you can find a chapel here. 
2. Sant Joan Cable Car: With the help of this cable car, which by the way is the steepest in all of Spain, you will climb even higher above the abbey and cross the 1 meter mark. From the upper station, you can enjoy the views of the surroundings or go on one of them from other tourist routes along the local mountain range. The views from here are really worth it - I recommend going here! (Oh, and if you want to prepare for the trip, you can look at cable car video :-).

My tip: You can use both cable cars for free if you travel to Montserrat you purchase any of combined tickets Trans Montserrat (see below). Otherwise, you have to pay for each - a return ticket for the Santa Joan cable car costs €14, and for Santa Cova €5,50. 

Cable car station to the Santa Cova cave

You can find all opening hours, times and other information on the abbey website. 

Explore mountain trails

Whereas the Montserrat is in the mountains, there is no shortage of various mountain excursion routes. You will find both shorter and longer hikes, so if you like hikes, you can choose the one that suits you according to the difficulty and time available. See the overview of hiking trails in the vicinity. 

Climb the Stairway to Heaven... or don't!

A short distance from the main bus parking (map) you will find an attraction that made it not a problem to collect thousands of likes on Instagram until recently :) This is the "statue" Monument and Ramon Llull, popularly renamed Stairway to Heaven.

And even though this sculpture has been surrounded by a fence for security reasons and there is always at least one security guard around it, it still attracts a lot of people to create a breathtaking photo...

A picture from Lauren Bullen, which once caused a small frenzy on Instagram…

How to get to Montserrat from Barcelona? 

Montserrat can be reached in several ways: it is possible to buy a bus ticket or approach the mountain range by train and then continue, for example, by cable car, cogwheel or on foot. Alternatively, you can use organized tour, where they arrange everything for you. The choice depends on what you feel like…  

• Traveling by bus: the easiest, cheapest, but without views
• Traveling by train and then by cable car or rack railway: the golden mean
• Traveling by train and then on foot: the most demanding for tourists

Travel by bus from Barcelona to Montserrat

The most direct and cheapest way, how to Montserrat to get is to take the company's long-distance bus Autocares Julià. It leaves Barcelona every day at 9:15 in the morning from Carrer de Viriat (map, it's right next door Sants train station) and back to the city then from Montserratu departs in the afternoon at 17:00 (October - May) or at 18:00 (June - September); time tables. The price for a one-way ticket is a nice €5,75; journey from Barcelona to Montserrat it takes a little over an hour and a half. You can only buy the ticket from the driver upon boarding (not online or at the ticket office). 

My tip: Montserrat visit as an all-inclusive trip from Barcelona

If you don't want to deal with transport, entrances or stress over the fact that something goes wrong during the trip or you make the wrong transfer, take advantage of the all-inclusive trip to Montserrat from the center of Barcelona. This includes transportation from Barcelona (bus and rack railway), guide, all entrances to the basilica, to the Madonna and also to the Escolania performance (Monday - Friday). The price for an adult for this experience is a nice €57,60. More information and purchase >>>

Get to Montserrat by train, then by cable car or rack railway

If you want for shipping to Montserrat to use the train, you have to get to Pl. in Barcelona. Spain. The R5 (or R53) line departs from here in the direction of Manresa (time tables).

For this trip, I recommend buying on site or preferably online ticket named Trans Montserrat Ticket. Along with him (among others) you get a return ticket for the whole journey from the center of Barcelona to Montserrat.

So you start your journey in the center and take the train to Monistrol Montserrat and from there you continue with a cog again Cremalera (map) or by cable car Aeri (map) – you choose what you want to ride when buying a ticket. Both the rack railway and the cable car offer great views, the difference is de facto only in where you get off the R5 train, i.e. either at the Monistrol stop Montserrat (for a toothache, then you still need to get to the Monistrol-Vila stop) or Montserrat-Aeri (for the cable car, the train from Barcelona stops here directly). 

The journey from the center to the top of the monastery takes about an hour and a half.

Validity of return tickets Tot Montserrat and Trans Montserrat it is one week since you started your journey. This is useful to know, especially if you plan to Montserratto spend the night in one of the hotels or other accommodation facilities. 

Cremalera mountain rack railway

What is included in the price of Trans Montserrat Ticket?

• return train ticket from Pl. Espanya to Monistrol station Montserrat
• return ticket for the rack railway (cremallera) or on the cable car Montserrat Aeri 
• 2 metro rides
• unlimited rides (funicular) Sant Joan and Santa Cova (see above)
• entrance to the basilica and the Black Madonna
• entry to the audiovisual exhibition "Montserrat behind closed doors"

Combined ticket Trans Montserrat po purchase online you pick it up, for example, at the tourist center on the main square Pl. Catalunya. All you have to do is present the voucher (printed or on your mobile) and then you will get everything you need for your trip.

Buy a Trans ticket Montserrat Ticket >>>

(Also available a more premium version of the said ticket named Tot Montserrat, which adds to everything described above for about €20 lunch in a local restaurant with Catalan specialties and entry to the museum on the top of Montserrat. More about this variant)

Name Montserrat- Aeri

Of course, it is possible to buy individual tickets and combine the whole trip, however, in terms of benefits for the tourist, I think the combined Trans is better Montserrat Ticket. (Purchasing separate tickets only makes sense if you wouldn't want to use Montserrat cable cars, i.e. you would only pay for the train and cogwheel or cable car - then you can save approx. €10).

Specific train departures from Barcelona to Monistrol de Montserrat you can search on the Catalan Railways website.

Cremalera rack railway

• Opening hours: 9:40 - 19:00 (season), 10:10 - 17:45 (off-season during the week) and 9:40 - 18:15 (off-season on weekends and holidays).
• Tickets: Adults: €6,90 (one-way), €12,50 (return), children: €4,10 (one-way), €6,90 (return).
• Always visit before you travel rack railway official website, where you can find more information and check opening hours

Name Montserrat- Aeri

• Opening hours: in season 9:30 - 19:15 (out of season the last cab leaves at 17:15)
• Tickets: Adults: €8 (one-way), €12 (return), children 4-13 years: €4,50 (one-way), €6,50 (return), children under 4 free.
• Always visit before you travel official website of the cable car, where you can find more information and check opening hours

Get to Montserrat by train and then on foot

The last option is for the biggest adventurers and tourists: you will arrive by train a short distance below Montserrat and then you go up on foot along marked tourist routes. There are two of them and both are around 4 km, but they differ in difficulty. Depending on your fitness level, you will need 1,5-2,5 hours to reach the top. (A trained person with a good physique can reach the top within 1 hour).

The trails are open all year round and at any time of the year you can meet quite a lot of pilgrims heading to the abbey of Montserrat. 

On the way on foot to Montserrat beautiful views await you

In transport from Barcelona the journey normally starts at station Pl. Spain, from where you can buy a ticket to the Monistrol de Montserrat. A return ticket for an adult costs €11,50 (FGC Billet Senzill 2 en 1, 4 zones). After that, it's enough to look line R5, whose destination station will be Manresa. The train takes approximately one hour from Barcelona to Monistrol.

Once you get off the train and leave the station building, just follow one of the marked paths that will take you to the top. There are two variants of the route: the moderately demanding route GR 5 or the slightly faster and more demanding GR 96. The beginning of both of them is common and then they split in one place.

Map: more demanding walking route GR 5 on Montserrat

Map: more demanding walking route GR 96 on Montserrat

Can you drive to the top of Montserrat?

To the mountains, of course can be approached by car, it is only about 50 km from Barcelona. If you would like to park, you have de facto 2 options where to leave your car: 

1. In Monistrol de Montserrat there is a large parking lot for 1 cars at the mountain tooth (map). Parking will be free if you choose to use it. 
2. A short distance below the abbey is a second parking lot for 400 cars (map). This is paid and daily parking will cost you €6,50. But again, you can walk directly to the abbey in a few minutes. If you want to use this car park, keep in mind that it fills up very quickly during the season and you will have to wait for a spot... 

My tip: Barcelona Turisme also offers several other special excursion packages and activities that are connected with the visit of the Montserrat – e.g. a visit associated with a balloon flight or a horse ride. View all packages>>>

Useful tips for your Montserrat visit

• Ideally, set aside one whole day for the trip. Only the trip there and back takes about 3-4 hours.
• If go to Montserrat and want to avoid the peak, plan your trip for later in the afternoon - tourist buses usually leave here in the morning and generally everything is much quieter in the afternoon/evening
• Do not drive on Montserrat, when it's a holiday - about a million other people will have the same idea and there will be queues everywhere.
• Before you go here, get to know what the weather will be like. Doubly so if you go up on foot. Not to mention the need to dress and wear the right shoes...
• If you want to go on foot, I recommend leaving early in the morning on one of the first trains that leave Barcelona - no later than 8:36 a.m.
• If you're on a budget, pack some food to go so you don't have to buy it here.
• Performance times of the boys' choir Escolania de Montserrat you can find on their website.
• Always check when the last train to Barcelona is so you don't have to spend the night there :-)

Is Montserrat worth a visit? How much does it cost? 

A visit MontserratI definitely recommend especially if you have more days to explore Barcelona and its surroundings, or you really want to see him. I always say to explore the main monuments of the city 3-4 days are just right. If you have more, don't hesitate and Montserrat put it on your list. Otherwise, I think you would waste a lot of precious time with the trip... 

And what about the costs and the final price? It depends on which path you take. Previously, it was possible to see the basilica, including the Black Madonna, for free, now everything is paid for by tourists. You can find the prices in the table below. If you organize everything on your own, you will pay at least €40 for the trip (return train ticket, toothpick, basic inputs). For about 15-20 euros more, you can go on an organized trip with a guide, where you don't have to worry about anything (see description above). The final decision is up to you and what you prefer. 

Either Montserrat you visit on your own axis or as a trip, I think you won't regret it. All those views, the basilica or the architecture of the monastery are really worth it. When you additionally combine it with some hiking in the mountains, a really beautiful day full of experiences awaits you. 

Address:	08199 Montserrat, Barcelona
Transportation:	From the center of Barcelona by train R5 (stop Monistrol Montserrat), then on foot, by cable car or by Cremalera mountain train. From the center of Barcelona by Autocares Julià bus; also available as an optional trip from Julià Travel to the basilica (including food, guide, etc.), see above.
Opening hours and times:	Basilica with the Black Madonna: daily, from 7:00 a.m. to 20:00 p.m Choir performances: Monday - Friday at 13:00 p.m. and at 18:45 p.m. (except Friday); Sundays and church holidays at 12:00 and at 18:45. Museum: Monday - Friday, 10:00 - 16:45, weekends and public holidays 10:00 - 17:45
Admission and packages	Individual entrances without transport: Basilica: €6, Black Madonna: €8, Choir performance: €8, Museum: €8, see more official Web Packages including transport and entrance fees: Basic ticket with entry to the basilica and museums (€18) Morning visit (€56,05) Afternoon visit (€54,15) Montserrat tour All Inclusive (€57,60) View the complete list of packages >>>
More information:	https://www.montserratvisita.com/en/