Skip to content
  • AB
    • About Us
    • Barcelona Apartments
    • Contact Us
  • Tourist Guide
    • Places
    • Food and Drink
    • Nightlife
    • Shopping
    • Museums
  • Things To Do
    • Activities
    • Events
    • Day Trips
    • Tours
    • Outside Barcelona
  • Visiting Barcelona
    • Accommodation
    • Useful Information
    • Neighborhoods
    • Gaudí
    • Bars, Cafés and Restaurants
    • Summer
  • Spanish life
    • People
    • Culture
    • Traditions
  • EnglishEnglish
    • SpanishEspañol
    • FrenchFrançais
    • ItalianItaliano
    • GermanDeutsch
    • DutchNederlands
    • RussianРусский
    • Chinese (Simplified)简体中文
Menu
AB Blog
  • AB
    • About Us
    • Barcelona Apartments
    • Contact Us
  • Tourist Guide
    • Places
    • Food and Drink
    • Nightlife
    • Shopping
    • Museums
  • Things To Do
    • Activities
    • Events
    • Day Trips
    • Tours
    • Outside Barcelona
  • Visiting Barcelona
    • Accommodation
    • Useful Information
    • Neighborhoods
    • Gaudí
    • Bars, Cafés and Restaurants
    • Summer
  • Spanish life
    • People
    • Culture
    • Traditions
  • EnglishEnglish
    • SpanishEspañol
    • FrenchFrançais
    • ItalianItaliano
    • GermanDeutsch
    • DutchNederlands
    • RussianРусский
    • Chinese (Simplified)简体中文
Hit enter to search or esc to close
Home  >  Day Trips • Outside Barcelona • Things To Do  >  Visit Monserrat: An Unforgettable Day Trip from Barcelona

Visit Monserrat: An Unforgettable Day Trip from Barcelona

Barcelona Day Trips: Montserrat Monastery

 

Barcelona is a city of wonBarcelona Day Trips: Montserrat Monasteryder, filled with historical sites, modern art, and everything in between. But sometimes it is nice to take a step back from the city and head towards the mountains for a taste of nature. There are a lot of picturesque towns – perfect for day trips – situated nearer to the bustling Catalan capital than you might think, giving you the chance to explore Barcelona’s surroundings, without venturing too far from your temporary home. One of these places is Montserrat.

 

 

 

Escape to Montserrat MountainBarcelona Day Trips: Montserrat Monastery View

Just about an hour north of the city, Montserratis amongst some of the most fascinating mountain towns you will find, and is home to one of the most important monasteries in Europe. The main sight and attraction on the mountain is the Benedict Abbey of Santa Maria de Montserrat. This monastery attracts pilgrims from all over the world and is Catalonia’ s most important religious retreat. The abbey has been well regarded by all of the Catalan people for many years, and was seen as a place of refuge for scholars, artists, politicians and students during Franco’s regime.

The mountain, at a staggering 1236 meters above the valley floor, offers an amazing panoramic view, and it is said that on a clear day, the island of Mallorca can be seen. The mountain has a length of 10km, while the width is 5km, making it a hiker’s paradise. Perhaps even more interesting, are some of the myths on how this amazing mountain came to be. One of the stories suggests that this “serrated mountain” was carved by little angels with golden saws, while the geologists blame 10 million years of nature at work. With a bizarre combination of theories ranging from those that believe the mountain was once under water, to those that say the active volcano, Soufriere Hills, helped to shape this geographical wonder, Montserrat offers far more than just a religious day out.

The Tour: A Religious Experience Like No Other

A tour through the abbey is a must, especially to see “La Moreneta”, or the black virgin. This statue has been guarded and protected by monks since the early 12th century. Pilgrims from all over the world come to Montserrat to touch the virgin’s golden orb with their left hand, while raising their right hand to show their respect to Jesus.

Montserrat Monastery: "La Moreneta"

Originally, La Moreneta was located in the Santa Cova (sacred cave), a 40-minute hike down through the mountains. Though the original has now been moved to the monastery, a replica sits in her place inside the gorgeous cavern.

Aside from the tour, at 1:00pm daily The Escolania, the Montserrat Boys’ Choir, is known to perform. One of the oldest choirs in Europe, it is made up of a group of 30 boys (composed of altos and sopranos) who live, study, and sing within the abbey, devoting their lives to their musical prayer. They are often joined by the Montserrat Chapel Choir and have expanded their performances to other parts of Catalonia.

After a tour through the monastery, Montserrat offers you the opportunity to take in the incredible views of Catalonia. You can look over at the Barcelona city, while breathing in the fresh mountain air. If you are interested in walking or hiking, there are many different trails leading you to different vantage points on Montserrat. A few of these include a route down to the sacred cave, or up to the cross.

Also, lining the main street, you will often find local food vendors selling treats of all different sorts. From honey, milk and cheese, to candles, books, and souvenirs, you will find a range of interesting items, a few of which are aimed at tourists, but plenty of which give you a taste of authenticity from Montserrat.

 

An Easy Trip from Barcelona Montserrat Monastery: Santa Cova

With so much to experience, no trip to Barcelona is complete without a visit to Montserrat. Many people choose to stay in one of the many city center Barcelona apartments, and travel to and from the mountain in the same day.

To get to Montserrat, you can easily take the train from Plaça de Espanya to the bottom of the mountain. In Plaça de Espanya, there are kiosks selling package tickets up to the mountain, and once you reach the bottom, you can choose between the cable car and the rack-railway to get you to the top.

To take the cable car: Get off the train at the Montserrat-Aeri stop, where you can meet the cable car. On the way back down, the cable car leaves from the monastery around at 40 minutes past the hour.

To take the rack railway: Get off the train at the Monistrol de Montserrat stop (one stop after Montserrat-Aeri) and hop on the mountain train. To get back down, this train departs the monastery at around quarter past the hour. (Be sure to check the schedules to make sure times don’t change!)

 

Tags: barcelona day trips barcelona tourist guide montserrat sightseeing in barcelona travelling around barcelona
AB Apartment Barcelona

AB Apartment Barcelona is an online apartment rental company with over 1000 apartments to rent for short and long-term stays. Stay up to date with our blog for Barcelona tips and info for your trip.

FacebookTwitterPinterest
Previous Article Barcelona: A Chocoholic’s Paradise
Next Article The Best Places to Stay in Barcelona

Subscribe Now to Our Newsletter, It's Free! Get the best content delivered straight into
your inbox!

Related Posts

The Top 5 Second Hand Shops in Barcelona

The Top 5 Second Hand Shops in Barcelona

Shopping second hand has many benefits that you must check out, let us guide you to the best second hand shops in Barcelona!

Read More about The Top 5 Second Hand Shops in Barcelona
Posted By Jessica Turner Posted on June 23, 2022
0
The best greek restaurants in Barcelona

The Top 5 Greek Restaurants in Barcelona

Barcelona hosts some of the best cuisine in the world! This doesn’t stop at Greek food. Let us guide you to the best places in the city for you to enjoy beautiful Greek cuisine.

Read More about The Top 5 Greek Restaurants in Barcelona
Posted By Jessica Turner Posted on June 21, 2022
0

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

Find an apartment

The Weather in Barcelona

Weather – Tutiempo.net

  • Popular
  • Recent
  • Las Ramblas, Barcelona
    The Tourist Tax in Barcelona – All You Need to Know November 20, 2012
  • montjuic
    The Magic Fountain of Barcelona October 2, 2013
  • pacha-barcelona
    Barcelona Nightlife – The Best Bars and Clubs in Port Olímpic August 5, 2016
  • The Wonderful Works of Gaudí in Barcelona June 20, 2012
  • cruilla festival barcelona
    Cruïlla Festival 2022 in Barcelona June 28, 2022
  • The Top 5 Second Hand Shops in Barcelona
    The Top 5 Second Hand Shops in Barcelona June 23, 2022
  • The best greek restaurants in Barcelona
    The Top 5 Greek Restaurants in Barcelona June 21, 2022
  • Top tips to maintain your routine during your holiday to Barcelona
    Top tips to maintain your routine during your holiday to Barcelona June 16, 2022

Subscribe

Subscribe now to our Newsletter, It's Free! Get the best content delivered straight into your inbox!

More top Barcelona tips

Tweets by @ApartmentBCN
Facebook Twitter YouTube
Follow us on Instagram

    About us

    AB Apartment Barcelona is an online tourist apartment agency with more than 1000  Barcelona apartments to rent for both short and long-term stays.

    From luxury apartments in Barcelona to studios and from Ramblas apartments to beach apartments in Barcelona, we have a great choice of accommodation in a wide variety of locations across the city. We now also offer apartments in Costa Dorada and Sitges.

    Whether you are coming to Barcelona on a short break, vacation, or even if you want to move here, you will find the perfect home-away-from-home with AB Apartment Barcelona.

    Social Media

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Google+
    • Instagram
    • YouTube

    Categories

    • Accommodation 17 Posts
    • Architecture 48 Posts
    • Bars, Cafés and Restaurants 174 Posts
    • Culture 167 Posts
    • Day Trips 95 Posts

    Recent Posts

    • cruilla festival barcelona
      Cruïlla Festival 2022 in Barcelona June 28, 2022
    • The Top 5 Second Hand Shops in Barcelona
      The Top 5 Second Hand Shops in Barcelona June 23, 2022
    • The best greek restaurants in Barcelona
      The Top 5 Greek Restaurants in Barcelona June 21, 2022
    • Top tips to maintain your routine during your holiday to Barcelona
      Top tips to maintain your routine during your holiday to Barcelona June 16, 2022
    Apartment Barcelona
    • Privacy Policy
    • Tourist Guide
    • Things To Do
    • Visiting Barcelona
    • Spanish Life