travel guide to MONTSERRAT, the perfect day-trip from Barcelona #110
Hola, ¿qué tal? Hello! I'm Tony Gálvez, from Road Trip Spain and Portugal, where we help you plan the perfect trip with practical information and insider tips. Today we are heading to Montserrat. The trip to the mountain and the monastery of Montserrat is probably the most beautiful day trip you can do from Barcelona. In the video you will find out about what is Montserrat, how to reach Montserrat, what to see in Montserrat, where to eat in Montserrat; how much time you should dedicate to Montserrat; and the combined tickets to visit Montserrat. So, what is Montserrat after all? Montserrat is a large rocky massif, with a very characteristic elongated shape, as can be seen the photos we're showing you now which we took on three different flights that happened to fly over the region. Montserrat is
50 kilometers northwest of Barcelona. In Montserrat you will find the Parque Natural de la Muntanya de Montserrat, the natural park of the Mountain of Montserrat, and within the park, in a corner of the mountain, the Monasteri de Montserrat, the Catalan name for the Monastery of Montserrat. Montserrat is a very important cultural landmark in Catalonia and is known as La Muntanya Sagrada, the sacred Mountain. It is a place that it's worshiped and has special significance for Catalonia and for many Catalans. The journey to Montserrat is an essential part of the adventure this day trip is. Although Montserrat can be
reached by car, the most beautiful journey is the one completed by train. This trip is made up of two separate journeys. The first is the train journey itself, living in Barcelona and arriving at the small town of Monistrol de Montserrat at the foot of the mountain.The way up to the mountain, which is the second part of the journey, can be done in two different ways, either by cable car or by cog railway, and we will talk about both options in a moment. But let's go back to the first train. To get from Barcelona to Monistrol de Montserrat you have to take a regional train. This train leaves from
the FGC train station -FGC is the region's public railway company- at Plaza Espana.There is direct access to the station from the street, which you can see now in the picture, but if you arrive at the station by metro, follow the arrows showing the way to the FGC station. The line you have to take is the R5, so you can follow the signs indicating the way to the Montserrat train or the R5 line, both signs work. The location of the station is very well signed posted. We recommend that you arrive
with your tickets purchased beforehand but if you have not done so, there is an information booth where they will answer all your questions and explain the different options for traveling to Montserrat. We don't recommend that you leave it until the day of the trip to purchase the tickets because they queue at the information booth is very slow. There is a lot of information to pass on and at the beginning of the morning everyone wants to go to Montserrat. There can be a lot of people. You risk losing a lot of time in the queue and also the train you are most interested in. It's your
time, don't waste it, you will need it in Montserrat. We'll talk about the types of tickets at the end of the video, now let's get on with the train journey. Check on the screens the departure time of the next R5 and also the identification of the track from which it will depart. The Plaza de España station is the starting point of the train's journey, so you don't have to worry, there is no risk of getting on an R5 traveling in the opposite direction, it will always depart in the direction of Montserrat. Get on the train and get ready to enjoy the journey which lasts approximately
one hour. First to the right, and then to the left, Monserrat begins to loom on the horizon. The most beautiful views as the train approaches Montserrat will be from the left side of the train. We have already mentioned that there are two different and spectacular alternatives to climb up to the monastery of Montserrat. Each of these alternatives is operated by a different company and the only way to go up one way and come down the other is to buy separate tickets, which are more expensive than the combined tickets we will mention at the end of the video. The first alternative is the cable car. The Aeri de Montserrat is a cable car operated by a private company. It uses cabins that can
accommodate a maximum of 20 standing passengers. The climb up to the monastery takes 5 minutes. The views are spectacular but it is not a good alternative for those with vertigo or fear of heights. The trip is much quicker than the cog railway, so you will have less time to enjoy the views. In the description of the video you will find links to all the companies and services we are mentioning along the video, including the Aeri, the cable car, where you will be able to check timetables and updated prices. Important warning if you are going up to Montserrat by cable car,
you must get off at the Aeri de Montserrat train station, which is one station before Monistrol de Montserrat. It is easy: if you go by cable car, you get off at the Aeri station; if you take the cog railway, you get off at Monistrol de Montserrat station. Let's talk now about the second alternative. The cog railway, also also known as rack railway, or cremallera in Spanish, is the responsibility of FGC, the same company that operates the regional train that takes you from Barcelona to Monistrol de Montserrat. For that reason, the train and cog railway timetable are
very well synchronized. When you arrive at Monistrol de Montserrat station you will get off the train and walk towards the station exit. You will soon find the cog railway train waiting for passengers arriving from Barcelona. As we have already said the timetables are synchronized and the train will
depart immediately, leaving from the lower station of the cog railway. The cog railway goes up the side of the mountain, a joyful 15-minute journey. So let's move on to the most important part of that video. What makes Montserrat a perfect day trip is both the journey, which is an adventure, and the diversity of activities and places to visit in the destination. There are many things to do and it is almost impossible to do them all
in a single day, that's why we are only going to point out the most outstanding places and activities. To help you understand Montserrat better, we will show you now on the screen the four main places you have to visit and then we will look at each of them in detail. They are the monastery complex, where the virgin of Montserrat is located; the Santa Cova funicular railway, which goes down; the Sant Joan funicular railway, which goes up; and the viewpoints at one end of the monastery complex. The monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat is one of the reasons why many Catalans visit Montserrat. It is a monastery whose origins date back to the 9th century and which over the centuries has played an important role in the history of Catalonia. Its size, and especially its location, surrounded by spectacular mountains is impressive. The complex is divided into several
parts. On one side is a monastery occupied by Benedictine monks, which is not open to the public. On the other side, at the heart of the complex, is the Basilica, which is open to the public. The Basilica dates back to the 16th century, but was completely destroyed by French
troops in the early 19th century. The interior of the Basilica is free to visit. Above the altar you will see a small chapel open to the church. It is the chapel were the most venerated image in Catalonia is kept, a beautiful piece carved in the 12th century representing the Virgin of Montserrat, also known as the "Moreneta", because of the dark color of her skin. Together with
the Virgin of Nuria, the virgin of Montserrat is the most important for the Catalans. Access to the "camarín de la virgen" is through the right hand aisle of the church. Leaving the courtyard in front of the basilica's facade, the entrance is through the door on the right. When there are many visitors to the monastery, long lines form to reach the virgin. Another point of interest inside
the Basilica is the presentation of the Escolanía de Monserrat, one of the oldest choirs in Europe made up of children's voices. The choir dates back to the 14th century. When the children are not on school holidays the Escolanía sings the Salve and the Virolai, a hymn dedicated to the Virgin of Montserrat, which is a spiritual and patriotic symbol of Catalonia. The singing takes place at 12 noon or 1pm, depending on the day of the week. It is worth asking about the timetable for the Escolanía's performance. And also, as mentioned above, to make sure you can get into the Basilica at that time. It is a very beautiful and exciting event.
As the Escolanía a has a fixed timetable for singing, you have to keep an eye on your watch so that you don't stray too far from the Basilica at that time. If you are going to visit the Basilica be aware of the dress code, especially during the summer months, when the heat does not encourage you to cover your body with too much clothing. Do not wear shorts or mini skirts. Long shorts, a normal skirt and covered shoulders is what is required. Let's talk now about the two funiculars, which leave from the monastery and allow you to visit different parts of the mountain of Montserrat, with wonderful views and beautiful hikes for those who like walking. One funicular
goes up and the other goes down. Access to the two funiculars is through a path that goes up just above the cog railway station -there is also a lift. The Sant Joan funicular is on the right, the Santa Cova funicular, on the left. Let's talk first about the Sant Joan funicular. The spectacular climb on the Sant Joan funicular is one of the activities not to be missed in Montserrat. The funicular was
inaugurated in 1918 and allows you to get from the monastery to the chapel of Sant Joan. The climb is breathtaking, with the monastery rapidly diminishing in size. An insider tip: sit in the carriage at the lower end of the funicular, where there is a huge window with a panoramic view of the climb. When you reach the top station of the funicular, climb some stairs to reach a small interpretation center at the viewpoint of Sant Joan, which allows you to learn a little more about the place you are in while enjoying glorious views of the region. The mountain of Montserrat is very popular with hikers and right now you are at the starting point of many of those hikes, which are very well signed posted, with information about the time it takes to complete them and the difficulty. But you may not feel like walking or,
more likely, with so many things to see and do in Montserrat, you may not have much time for a long walk. For you in this situation we are going to recommend an easy walk, 20 minutes there and 20 minutes back, with beautiful views of the mountain of Montserrat. The walk starts at the top station of the funicular and follows the path we are showing on the screen now.
Take a look at some images of the walk. The paths are full of smooth and rounded stones typical of the region, so it is important that you wear appropriate footwear. And then it's time to go down. You can see the timetables of
the next funicular departures on a screen. The Santa Cova funicular is a little different because instead of going up it goes down. It starts at the same height as a monastery and goes down to a point where a very beautiful path begins that leads to the Santa Cova, the holy cave, the place where according to legend some shepherds found the image of the virgin of Montserrat. We have been to Montserrat quite a few times, and on the last visit with the intention of recording images for this video, the Santa Cova funicular was not working. For this reason we are going to illustrate this part of the video with photos we took on previous visits. The path, a kilometer and a half long, and with a gentle slope, was created in the 17th century. It has 15 sculptural groups representing the mysteries of the rosary. There are
works by modernist artists such as Antonio Gaudí and Josep Puig i Cadafalch, among others. It takes between 20 minutes and half an hour to get to the Santa Cova, and the same time to get back. To which you have to add the time you will have to wait until the next exit of the funicular. The fourth point of
interest in Montserrat we would like to mention are the viewpoints at one end of the complex. They are free to access and offer spectacular views of the region. To get to the viewpoints, walk towards a modern and rather ugly building along the road leading out of Montserrat and down towards Monistrol de Montserrat. Walk to the end of the building, where a restaurant is located, and turn right to reach the viewpoints. The first thing you will see is a work of art that has had to be fenced off due to human stupidity. People, probably looking for a picture to post on Instagram, were climbing on the artwork despite the signs asking them not to. And in the face of systematic
non-compliance with the request, the authorities had to put up a hideous fence around the monument. Go down until you reach different viewpoints with privileged views of Montserrat. By now you must have realized that Montserrat is not a quick half day getaway and that inevitably you're going to have to stay for lunch in Montserrat. There are different food options, but if it's a nice day we'd recommend a picnic up above the mountain. There is a small food shop in the monastery complex but we advise you to buy your picnic in Barcelona, with a wider variety of products and much better prices. There are also two coffees where there is a self-service restaurant. If you want to try the local gastronomy with modern touches the place to go is the Abat Cisneros restaurant, which is next to the Basilica. They have set price menus as well as a la carte food. On the way between
the Basilica and the viewpoints you'll see a row of stalls selling typical products of the region, including the traditional mató, a type of fresh cheese that forms part of a very traditional dessert, "mel i mató", a delicious mixture of cheese and honey. Be sure to try it, sold in individual portions. And you can also buy original cured meats and cheese. And much sooner than you think it will be time to come back. On the cog railway take a seat on the right hand side of the train to enjoy
the views. Remember that the train stops first at Monistrol Vila station, don't get off there. What you want to do is go to the end station of the cog railway, get off the train and look for a screen to find out what time and track the train arrives. The train that will take you to Barcelona. And it won't be long before it appears. We have already mentioned several times that Montserrat is not a half day trip. Firstly because there are so many places to visit, and secondly because the times are slow. You have to get to Montserrat and then you have to wait for the funiculars,
which do not run every 5 minutes. And the same goes for the trains. Even if you manage to get to Montserrat at around 10 a.m, and you will have to leave quite early from Barcelona, you will have to be very well organized to get to see the Basilica, the Escolanía chanting, the two funiculars and the viewpoints. If you arrive later than that you'll have to rush even more. Reserve a full day for Montserrat. The main time constraint is the departure of the last cog railway, which
you absolutely cannot miss. You could buy all the tickets separately but if you buy a combined ticket you will save money. There are several packages on sale, each with different options. The truth is that it's quite confusing and complicated because there are so many options. And to simplify we're going to recommend you the two passes that seem to be the most interesting for the majority. I will post links to the other packages as well in case you might be interested. The first option is the
most basic and everyone should at the very least choose this one. It includes a return Barcelona Monistrol de Montserrat train ticket and a return rack railway ticket from Monistrol de Monserrat to Montserrat. The price of this combined ticket depends on whether the trip is made in high or low season. The second option, our favorite, is called Transmontserrat. In addition to the train and the cog railway, it also includes a return metro ticket to get you to Plaza de España in Barcelona, a return trip on the Sant Joan funicular and admission to the Audiovisual Space. You can buy the packages
by following the links in the video description without having to set a travel date. Passes can be purchased online, either on the FGC website, or on the Visit Barcelona Tickets website, which is the official tourism website of Barcelona we recommend. You can also buy them at the FGC ticket office in Plaza de España, but as we pointed out at the beginning of the video, we don't recommend you leave it until the day of the trip because if there is a queue you can lose valuable time in it. And with the explanation about the tickets we come to the end of the video that we have dedicated to Monserrat, which as we said before, is the ideal day trip for those who visit Barcelona, for the beauty of the place, and for the symbolism that it has for the Catalans. If you still have any questions about Montserrat, take advantage of the commentary box to ask. If you are heading to Barcelona there
are a series of mistakes you should avoid to make. We have dedicated a video to them which you should be seeing on the screen now. And it is on that video where we will be waiting for you next.
2023-04-17 16:01
