We have been to Barcelona before and this time we are thinking of taking a day trip to Monserrat. Has anyone done this and is it worth the time and money? Thanks.

Visited Monserrat on a trip to Barcelona a few years ago. We went in a group trip through a conference and it was very crowded. I have never seen such crowds in Europe! We were there when the boys choir sang(around lunch time) and that was a treat. We would have probably enoyed it more had we travelled by ourselves.

Just returned from a week in Barcelona, including a day trip to Montserrat. Took the train from Placa Espanya--goes every hour; less than an hour ride to Montserrat Aeri, where we caught a cable car up the mountain to the monastery (7-minute ride, timed to the arrival of the train). We arrived about 12:45 and went straight to the Basilica because the children's choir sings at 1:00. The Basilica was packed, standing room only. The choir sang two songs, and then the people all seemed to disappear. The Basilica is beautiful but not particularly outstanding. We went upstairs to see the Black Virgin, which was interesting. Then we had lunch in the cafeteria (quality about what you would expect, and the only other crowded place on the mountain), and took the funicular up to Saint Joan (about a 5-minute ride; leaves every 20 minutes). Took a beautiful walk from the station along a wide, paved path to a deserted (and trashed!) hermitage with great views over the countryside and awesome rock formations. Took the funicular back down to the monastery and then another one, shorter, down to the "cave," which wasn't what you usually think of when you hear the word, but apparently is where the Black Virgin statue in the Basilica was found. The walkway, another wide, paved affair, was marked by religious sculptures at various intervals. It was all quite pleasant if not very exciting.
About 5:20 we took the cable car back down the mountain in time for the 5:27 train back to Barcelona.
This was an easy trip to accomplish, for about 18 euros per person (including all the methods of transportation we took, and two rides on the metro to get to the train station). We were glad we went, especially since the scenery was impressive and it gave us a nice break from the city, but I can't say it was spectacular. I must admit that the religious aspects were kind of lost on me, so take that for what it's worth.
If I had it to do over again, with the single day we had allotted for a day trip outside the city, I might have tried Sitges instead. I guess I'll have to wait for next time to see if that would have been a better choice. Maybe someone else could weigh in here.
Happy travels!

This is what I wrote when someone asked a similar question a couple days ago:

The monastery at Montserrat is not especially interesting, but what is amazing are the rock formations that surround the monastery, which were like nothing I had ever seen before--rounded, Martian looking, sere, and in some ways almost flesh-like, with stunning vistas over farmland, villages, all the way to the sea. I wouldn't really bother going there for the church and the little shops, but the hiking above the monastery (another little cable car ride up into the mountains) was the highlight of my time in and around Barcelona--just spectacular, and so easy to access in the midst of an otherwise urban vacation. I highly recommend it. Stop off at the monastery long enough to buy some wine and bread and cheese, and then wander in the hills for a few hours, with a picnic at some point.

To answer your specific question about whether it's worth the time and money--it really doesn't cost much. Worth the time? It depends on how much you like a break from city to see glorious countryside. I should also note that we found hiking in the countryside to be very peaceful. While you would occasionally pass others, you were alone most often.

You should only go on a crystal clear day. I found the church, the choir and the Black Virgin mostly uninteresting and my husband liked walking in the hills. There were hundreds and hundreds of school children in attendance, jamming the cafeteria. Taking a picnic lunch might be a good idea if you go.

As for affordability, my husband got his wallet nicked in the train station in Barcelona after buying our tickets. He only had another 100 bucks on him, but it made our trip to Montserrat rather pricey.

In case my meaning above wasn't clear, the total amount my husband had in his wallet $100 minus the cost of our tickets, so that's all we lost. I bought lunch.

Frankly, I think that the views from Montjüic are prettier than Montserrat and I prefer to take people there when they visit. Montserrat is not particularly interesting if you have already had your fill of religious architecture.

Hi Ezel,

My husband and I visited Monserrat on a shore excursion while on a cruise a few years ago. We enjoyed the trip immensely (other than the bus ride up the mountain where I discovered a previously unknown fear of heights!) The cable cars were not operating at that time as there had been an extremely heavy downpour which washed out parts of the mountain making the cable car unsafe.

We were one of the first tour buses up in the morning, so it wasn't crowded initially, but by the time we left, it was becoming quite crowded. This however was during the month of July.

We found the monastery and the Black Virgin interesting and the scenery was spectacular. Well worth the trip!

Thank you all for your valuable imput. ezel

We enjoyed the trip to Monserrat, the view, the rocks and the boy choir. However, when I aam thinking now to Monserrat, the first thing that I remember is the church museum. It is outside the cathedral, some steps down. Initially, we did not want to visit it, the religious art is not our favorite. But, we visit it and had a big surprise! It is an art museum showing the pictures of catalan painters. We enjoyed and liked all what we saw there aand it remains one of the most beautiful small museums that we saw.

The art museum alone was almost worth it for me as it contains much more than just "religious art." The trip is easily done on your own and very worth the time IMO...I agre with that view from the "Jewish Mountain" but that's about all you get from that...a view.

When we visited Barcelona last year I asked the question of whether or not it was worth spending the night at Montserrat. YES! The best part was being there overnight when very few pwople were around.

We stayed in their hotel which isn't particularly nice for the price, but the views were great. All of the rooms on one side have fantastic views. It was so nice to be able to wake up and look out at this incredible landscape. When we arrived late in the day/early evening the entire area was so eerie and mysterious because the mountain was sitting in a cloud. There were no buses and no people around.

We got up early in the morning to walk around (still misty) and realized the monks were singing matins. Even though we're not Catholic or even religious we attnded the service in a nearly empty church. After breakfast as the tour buses started to roll in we headed off for a day long hike. This is the way I would do Montserrat again. It is a totally different experience this way.

By the way, I visited the place 30 years ago and most remembered the little shrine area in the side of the mountain where people left plactic legs and babies and all sorts of things in thanks to the Virgin. That is one of the places I most wanted to revisit. We looked and looked and couldn't find it. Finally we found a dumb room that was supposed to take the place of the ancient area. What a letdown. Don't bother.

We just returned from Barcelona and spent half a day in Monserrat. I highly recommend it. The scenery is spectacular and it was a nice break from the busy city. I never tire of beautiful, old churches and the boys choir performance, though brief, added to the experience. It was my kids' favorite experience on our trip, followed by the Sagrada Familia and the Roman ruins. There were many school children on a field trip, but it didn't bother us. I always think how lucky they are to see these things. I second the comments on the museum-it is a jewel with paintings by Monet and Renoir, in addition to many beautiful ones by Spanish artists that I had never heard of. But I would try to allot half a day, because there is so much to see in Barcelona.