Day Trip: Montserrat, Barcelona – Off the Beaten Path

Montserrat Day Trip

Barcelona is a beautiful Spanish city to visit, but it’s also an excellent base for taking a day trip to Montserrat, Spain. Here are some sights that should not be missed.

Getting to Montserrat

Trains access Montserrat from the station at Espanya. Round-trip tickets include the cost of the train journey as well as a cable car ride that goes up to a famous cliff-side monastery. Travel time to Montserrat is about one hour.

A Day in Montserrat

The biggest draw here is the Monastery of Montserrat, which was built high up in the sides of a mountain. To allow enough time for travel up the mountain and to see the monastery itself, plan on an entire day. The monastery can be reached by a short hike or on the cable car. The hike up the mountain and the surrounding area is peaceful and extremely quiet. There is a drop along the sides of the hiking path of 1,000 feet. At 13:00 and 19:10 the church choir will sing and visitors can watch.

The main point of interest at the basilica is the Black Madonna statue. There are normally lines waiting for access. It’s protected and cannot be touched, but viewers can get within inches of the historic piece of art. There is a museum here that houses a wide selection of Catalan paintings from the 19^th and 20^th centuries.

Toys and Trinkets in Montserrat

As in most touristy towns, there are a number of vendors selling cheap souvenirs and trinkets. It’s best to ignore them and enjoy the beauty of the city and its surroundings instead.

Editor’s Note: The information contained on this page was compiled using real traveler reviews about Montserrat.