The Montserrat Monastery and mountain, located 40 km from Barcelona, is one of the impressive places to go for a day trip to get rid of the Barcelona city crowds.. Located in this place surrounded by mountains, which can be easily seen from many parts of the city, the monastery is open to visitors with all its beauty and splendor. The history of the monastery goes back to the 10th century.. It is known as the pilgrimage center of the Catalans, and many Catalans flock to this monastery from April to September.
Just next to the monastery, there is a souvenir shop, post office and hotel.. Of course, since the hotel here is super expensive and you can easily visit this place in 3-4 hours, there is no need to stay at the top of this mountain.. In addition, there are cafes and restaurants in the area where you can sit and have something to drink.. As you can imagine, the restaurants here will be overpriced.. However, if you say money is not a problem, I would definitely say stop by the place called “Restaurant de Montserrat”, which is on the edge of the cliff and where you can admire its unique view.
Montserrat offers a unique view to the visitor with its long walking paths.. You can also capture beautiful photo frames from the viewing points where you can watch the whole city.
The most well-known feature of Montserrat Monastery can be said to be home to the icon called Black Virgin.. In fact, most of the tourists who come here come to see this icon.
If you haven’t made a choice for accommodation in Barcelona yet, Where to stay in Barcelona?. You can also click here to browse all accommodations in Barcelona via Booking.com.
How to Get to Montserrat ?
It is necessary to use trains from the city center to reach here. Almost all tourists use the stop called “Plaça d’Espanya” to climb this mountain.. This stop is also very close to the Catalan National Art Museum.. From this stop, you can buy your ticket from the machines as a round trip.. Don’t forget that if you buy a round-trip ticket instead of a single ticket, you can make a profit of 3-5£.
The thing you need to pay attention to when buying your ticket is whether you will go to Montserrat mountain after Montserrat, by Funicular or Cable Car.. You decide on this and buy your ticket accordingly.. My advice would be to buy the cable car option ticket.. Because, even for a short time, a magnificent view accompanies you when you go up the mountain with the cable car.. However, if you buy a ticket with a funicular (railway vehicle) option, you can’t see much of the scenery during your journey.
If you need to get off in Montserrat, Monistrol de Montserrat is the stop.. However, if you bought a ticket to go up the hill with the cable car, you need to get off 1 stop before this stop.. If you get off at the Monistrol de Montserrat stop, you must have purchased your ticket with the Funicular option.. Since there is no cable car stop at this stop, you have to go to the previous stop again.. This will take extra time.
Trains to Montserrat Monastery run every hour and the train ticket costs an average of £20 (if you buy a round trip).
Montserrat mountain If you plan to go to the top of the mountain, you can take the funicular (railway vehicle) to the top of the mountain from where the monastery is.. It is obvious that you will see a unique view from the summit of this mountain, which you will pay an extra 7-8£.. However, since you can see a similar view on the walking paths and around the monastery, I think there is no need to pay an extra fee and go to the top.
Montserrat Museum : There is also a museum on the top of the mountain.. You can see the paintings of famous artists such as Monet, Degas and Picasso in this museum, and it is possible to see many historical artifacts in the same museum.
Montserrat Basilica : Montserrat Monastery also has a basilica.. 16. The most important artifacts found in this basilica, which is known to have been built in the 16th century, are the work called “Jesus Christ and the 12 Apostles” made with stone engravings and the icon of the Black Virgin Mary.
My View About Montserrat Monastery
Montserrat is located an average of 1 hour from Barcelona. Is it worth taking this 1 hour journey and coming here? If you say, it depends on the situation.. If you have finished your list of places to visit in Barcelona and you have an extra day or half, if you are not planning a budget trip, I would definitely say come here.. However, if you are barely trying to survive in Barcelona and have planned a 2-3 day trip to this city, you might as well skip it.. All in all, it’s a beautiful sight to see and a historical place. There is no such thing as exaggeration.. Instead of coming here, you can go to Park Güell and watch a similar view there.
The majority of tourists going to Barcelona also skip this place.. The fact that it is far from the city center and the train services are every hour makes it difficult to reach.. So, the choice is yours.
