Spain is a charming country in Europe. There are beautiful places in Spain like Barcelona, Madrid, Asturias, Ibiza, Seville etc. If you are in Barcelona, Spain and looking for ideas on where to adventure or where to take a day trip to from Barcelona then look no further.
Barcelona is an incredible city and taking a day trip to nearby places is always a good idea when you are visiting a place for the first time.
There are plenty of options for days trips from Barcelona like a day trip from Barcelona to Sitges and a day trip from Barcelona to Montserrat.
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Visit Montserrat – A Day Trip From Barcelona
Today, I’m going to zoom in on Montserrat and convince you why this is the best day trip from Barcelona and will give you enough reasons as to why you should visit Montserrat. Montserrat is a multi-peaked rocky range near Barcelona, in Catalonia.
I was lucky enough to spend a month in Barcelona, and my time spent at Montserrat was one of the best.
Not a lot gets me awake before 7 am, but this trip certainly did since me and my buddy looked to maximize our day out on the mountain. We sure did, which was confirmed as we both fell asleep on the train back to the city as the sun was setting.
Montserrat is a day trip everyone can enjoy regardless of your interest. Why everyone?
I haven’t met a person who doesn’t love a good view!
In the Catalan language:
- mont = mountain
- Serrat = jagged
This accurately describes Montserrat which is full of mountains jutting out of the ground with steep cliff faces. It is also known as the ‘Sacred Mountain’, which will become clearer shortly.
Getting To Montserrat Is Easy
PC: Sebastian Pichler on Unsplash
The biggest benefit of this day trip from Barcelona to Montserrat is the ease of getting there. The public transport goes from the city center to the base of Montserrat where you can get to the village in a few different ways. You can start hiking right away, take the cable car, or ride the funicular (I suggest taking the cable car).
Tips for starting your day from Barcelona – the key details are:
- Catch the train from Espanya Rail Station (line R5)
- Buy a return ticket that includes your cable car or funicular ride
- Arrive at least 10 minutes before you want to leave Barcelona as the Espanya station is large and can be confusing to navigate underground if you haven’t been there yet
- When you get to the cable car and/or funicular, take a photo of the return times on your phone (they can change frequently based on demand)
For further details, check this best resource (regularly updated) for getting to and from Montserrat.
What To Do At Montserrat? There’s Something For Everyone
I mentioned at the outset of the article, this trip is awesome for everyone. Therefore I’ve broken this section into three parts.
Yes, Instagrammers, you get a special mention (never thought this would happen)!
For The Hikers & Rock Climbers
If you like hiking, like me, you will want to do a little research in advance to figure out the trails you want to take. We made the rookie mistake of not doing this, and after 30 minutes, found ourselves nearly back at the bottom of the cable car.
We found most people stuck to the trails between the cable car exit point and Sant Jeroni peak. Sant Jeroni is the point most people hike to and for good reason, you get 360-degree panoramic views. Don’t forget to get your classic hiking photo where you pretend to scream out your favorite motivational quote at the top of your lungs.
The trails are well marked, so if you want to get off the beaten path, it’s not hard, just divert away from the main path leading people to and from Sant Jeroni. We enjoyed spotting a point in the distance and winding our way there through various trails. The site is large, but you are never going to be too far from the entrance so there’s no need to follow an exact trail route, just avoid going down too much as that likely means you’ll be heading to the cable car or funicular!
We did see rock climbers scaling the vertical inclines up some of the jagged mountains. After a chat to one, they recommended connecting with rock climbing groups in Barcelona to arrange trips to Montserrat. If you’re brave enough for that, full credit to you!
For Non-Hikers – Montserrat Monastery
This was a massive surprise to me, but Montserrat is actually a religious site that many people make a pilgrimage too each year for spiritual purposes.
When you get to the top, you can spend time at the Art Museum of Montserrat, the library houses 300,000+ books, and the most famous of monuments is the Black Virgin inside The Basilica.
Instagrammers!
Montserrat is full of drool-worthy views, more than enough to get some Instagram material. But there is one spot that has become popular thanks in part to Jack from DoYouTravel on Instagram. It’s called the Stairway to Heaven and isn’t far from the monastery. You have to climb a fence, but lots of people visit Montserrat just to see the Stairway to Heaven (climb at your own risk).
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHwgWNqgTLF/
For Eating & Drinking
I didn’t expect a whole village on top of the mountain. What I mean to say is that there’s a variety of restaurants and cafes up the top of the mountain (and an information center). They aren’t cheap, however, same deals can be found at the small grocery stores.
If you’re traveling on a budget, bring picnic items with you and enjoy lunch with a view on one of the many accessible rocks.
How Many Hours Do You Need to visit Montserrat?
I spent an entire day there, leaving on the first train to the city and returned as the sun was about to set.
It would be possible to do a half day visit to Montserrat, though you will be pushed for time. You probably won’t get a really good chance to go for a hike far away from the village. Well, plenty of people don’t venture far away though.
I would schedule the whole day to visit Montserrat. If you decide to return earlier in the afternoon, there is plenty of things to do in Barcelona.
Are There Tours Available To Visit Montserrat?
Personally, I am not a fan of tours, but if you like them, that’s totally cool. There are lots of options for day tours to Montserrat.
To be honest, I’m not even sure about the best way to go about booking a tour.
Tips That Will Stand In Good Stead While Hiking In Montserrat
- Ensure proper hiking clothing for women and men
- Wear light clothes and comfortable clothes
- Ensure that your footwear are apt for hiking
- Wear a hat or a cap during the day
- Sunglasses are recommended
- Carry your camera and phone with sufficient batteries and memory so that you can go on a clicking spree while hiking
Have You Decided To Visit Montserrat?
Holiday planning is never easy. Deciding on the best day trip from Barcelona could be difficult, especially when you could choose to go to Sitges, Girona, and Tarragona and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. But given that you started reading this article, you were at least considering visiting Montserrat for your day trip, right?
I hope you are now convinced why you should visit Montserrat and why it is the best day trip in Barcelona!
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Now you can move onto the next stage of planning your adventure holiday, enjoy your trip!
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Great post. I am from Barcelona although I have lived abroad for many years and I can recommend the visit to Montserrat (depending on the time of the year, and if you’re into religious music, it is worth checking if la Escolanía de Monserrat are singing. It’s a choir of young boys, renowned escolania.cat/en/ and worthwhile if interested. The actual treck to the cave where the virgin was found might be enough for people who don’t do a lot of walking.
Thanks for the reminder. I must visit again when I go back.
The rocky backdrop and entire vibe of the place looks intriguing. Barcelona has been on my bucket list for a while, but hadn’t heard about Montserrat yet. Btw, that insta pic looks amazing!
Lovely view!! Should have done more research on daytrips out of Barcelona during my previous trip..haha.. But anyways thanks for writing about this beautiful place! Would love to make a trip there the next time I pop by Spain 🙂
Cheers
My sister honeymooned in Barcelona and I think they went to Montserrat. They loved that entire area.
It’s such a beautiful place to explore and spend the whole day in. I’m sure it looks so much more amazing in person! The mountains are just breathtaking and stunning!
Oh wow, this looks like a gorgeous area. I haven’t heard of Montserrat before today, so I’m glad you explained more about it. I’d probably do non-hiking stuff 😉
Thanks so much for this amazing post on Montserrat. We were in Barcelona and I didn’t realize it was so close! Would love to visit there, as the setting it so striking. Great pics!
Barcelona reminds me of some of the places we have visited here in the states. Beautiful place and would be worth the visit to explore.
I love hiking, and this looks like an awesome hike, given the views you have described so well, and the rocky terrain which looks great in the photos. The stairway to heaven looks like something that would give me vertigo.
I’ve never been to Spain and have always wanted to go, it’s on my travel bucket list. The photo of that monastary against the sky and mountains is lovely.
The Stairway to Heaven looks really scary (and incredible)! The scenery and the hiking all looks beautiful and a great place to explore.
Wow, everywhere you look is stunning views! This would be such a fun adventures, I am loving all of the pictures!
This place is so iconic! I would love to take a trip to Spain someday and see this!
Wow what an absolutely stunning looking place to go and spend some time, I would love to make it to Barcelona one day!
Me and my family love going places. This is on the list for vacations for my sons graduation trips.
I have never been to Spain but it’s on my list of places I would love to visit. This sounds like a really beautiful destination for the family.
Adding Montserrat to my bucket list! What gorgeous photos and a perfect place to visit with the family.
That sounds amazing! I think it’s awesome that you’re sharing this because it’s a place that I haven’t explored. I would love to though, once we go to travel to Europe again this Summer. It would be nice to go here and just enjoy what nature has to offer especially when it comes to the view.
That Spanish hill makes me dizzy but I would totally try it if given an opportunity. Such a wonderful destination. Anything to do with nature beauty, I’m in.
What a stunning place! It reminds me a lot of a place I went to in Arizona years ago.
I really hope to make it to Spain one day. It sounds like such a beautiful place with a unique and stunning culture and people. Montserrat looks like a must see!
What a stunning day trip! We’ve never visited this area before but would absolutely love to. The mountain view is gorgeous!
Oh gosh, I so want to visit Spain. I’ve made it to England, Poland, and France so far. Spain and Italy are next on my list because they just look so beautiful.
I love the pictures showing the mountainous landscape. I’ve never been to Barcelona, but I see that it’s a beautiful place to live or visit.
Montserrat looks absolutely amazing with the fantastic mountainous landscape and myriad activities which can be done here. I’m not sure whether I’ll be able to pick one over the other because the natural scenery during the hike, the lovely architecture and great Insta points (nope, not climbing!) are all so appealing 🙂
The mountains alone would draw me to this place. It helps that there are some great hiking trails for all different levels of hikers, including rock climbers. The Montserrat Monastery looks beautiful and full of history, so I might have to take more than a day trip to soak it all up. This article definitely makes me want to visit Montserrat!
I’ve been in Barcelona so many times and yet never visited Montserrat. When I am in Europe I like to spend all of my time in the city. Nonetheless, Montserrat looks like a beautiful corner of nature easily accessible from the city. Maybe I’ll visit it someday if I return to Barcelona.
I wish we had made this day trip when we visited Barcelona last year. I would love to see that Stairway to Heaven in person but you couldn’t pay me to climb it. I’m awestruck just looking at that photo!
I love the fact that Montserrat is super easy to get to from Barcelona. That’s super helpful for making epic day journeys. That Stairway to Heaven looks so unbelievably beautiful!
Well yes, I’m convinced! I can be a hiker or non hiker so I could go both, plus Montserrat seems like a place for instagrammers! The architectures here are stunning and a postcard-ready! It is a beautiful landscape that can totally attract anyone’s eyes! I wish I live nearby and I’ll definitely go for a visit even not on a tour!
As always a great post. I never knew there is so much in Montserrat. We would love to hike some mountains as well see monastery. But the most attractive is stairway to heaven. That looks so thrilling.
We only had 2 days in Barcelona on a recent RTW trip, so didn’t have the chance to organize day trips, but Montserrat will definitely be on the itinerary when we have the chance to get back. We’re big hikers, so this looks like paradise, such a stunning mountainous setting, and I love that it’s super easy to get there from Barcelona. Rock climbing would be fun too – I’m not going to lie though my palms are sweating from just looking at that stairway to heaven … as epic as the Instgram shot is!!
Montserrat looks incredible. I was in Barcelona back in 2011, but I didn’t get to go to Montserrat (I didn’t even know about it, tbh 😳), which is a pity because I love trekking. The fact that you can do a day trip to Montserrat is very convenient. I can’t wait to go back to Barcelona and explore places that I haven’t been before. Those jagged mountains are a wonder of nature!
The Stairway to Heaven is lovely! It’s also great to know how easy it is to travel to Montserrat from Barcelona – would make an epic day trip!
I would love to hike Montserrat. Those rocks look amazing and rugged. Hiking would be a fun hiking. They remind me of Pinnacles National Park in the USA.
Montserrat Monastery looks like a work of art. I would love to see the inside of the monastery.
You have sold me Montserrat as a day trip from Barcelona. I am glad that transportation is so easy to the place. I would love to hike up the hills and enjoy a panoramic view of the town. The photographs are beautiful. Thanks for sharing the detailed guide.
Woow! Montserrat is definitely epic with such breathtaking views. The view of the museum with the cliffs all around looks amazing. But what fascinated me the most is the stairway to heaven. It definitely looks like one.
Am now regretting that we ran out of time to visit Montserrat from Barcelona. I love both the architecture of the monastery and the beautiful natural landscape, what a fantastic excursion to do!