CanadianJane

We will be in Barcelona for 9 days and want to take a day trip to the Monastery. I have seen tours that book all aspects, train, cable, entrances etc but we typically do not like to be contained by tours. It looks like it would be simple to book the train from Barcelona and back. Should we book the cable ahead or is that something we can just do when we arrive? We plan on taking an early train out of Barcelona . What time should we think for the return trip? One thing we definitely want to do is hear the Boy's Choir at 1:00. Any advice on how to make this day trip great would be appreciated.

kja

For how-to information, I found this web-site particularly useful:
https://www.montserrat-tourist-guide...rat-train.html

I thought it simple to get there on my own, and did not book ahead. And aside from making sure that you return before the last return of the day, I'm not sure you need to decide in advance how long to stay.

My understanding is that the church can get quite crowded for the 1 p.m. performance of the boys' choir, so I you might want to plan on getting a seat EARLY. They are ethereal; enjoy!

PalenQ

those are suburban trains to Montserrat - doubt if you can book a certain time nor is there any reason to do so- and cable car up too - doubt if they take bookings.

https://www.barcelona-tourist-guide....ontserrat.html

Christina

I've never heard of being able to make a reservation for a cable car, no, you can't do that. That train is just a local suburban train. I don't think you can even make reservations on it, but there is no need to, anyway. Barcelona has a super tourist website that tells you exactly how to do this.

https://www.barcelona-tourist-guide....ontserrat.html

Robert2016

Montserrat with train and Rack Railway:
https://tickets.montserratvisita.com...tserratVisita/

The best option to reach Montserrat from Barcelona is to take the train and rack railway. At Barcelona-Plaça Espanya Station, there are trains of the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya leaving for Montserrat every hour starting at 8:36 am.

The Montserrat rack railway is a public transport option that lets you fully enjoy the mountain scenery as you climb the 600 meters directly to the sanctuary.

This package includes the train* from Barcelona and the rack railway, tickets to the Museum of Montserrat, the 'Inside Montserrat' Audiovisual Space and a Buffet Lunch (this ticket for the Buffet Lunch must be validated at Information Office).

*Transport: round trip on FGC train and the rack railway. Show your ticket at the FGC booths and you will receive the transport card

PalenQ

Robert -booking a specific train not possible?

The old rack railway Robert mentions used to be the only way up besides walking (takes about 25 minutes) but now there is a modern cable car up too - I think the rack railway would be neat. Each conveyance has its own stop on suburban railway from Madrid.

Sources say you can also buy the cable car ticket with your train from Barcelona-chose between cable and rack railway - I think it would be neat to go up one route and down the other -do that I guess by buying tickets once there?

Robert2016

The problem with both the rack railroad and cable car is they stop running before services at 19h00. If you want to be up there in the late afternoon, either you walk down or drive and hope you can find a parking place.

CanadianJane

Thank you for all your replies. This really helps. kja the website you provided was perfect. You mentioned we should go early to see the boy's choir. What time do you think we should get there to get a seat?

kja

I'm sorry, but I can't recommend a specific time, even if I knew what time of year you plan to be there. In the absence of further information, if you plan to be there during high season, or even shoulder season, and if seeing the boys choir is a priority, then you might aim to be inside the basilica an hour in advance so you can be near the front. And you might time your exploration of that part of the abbey and its grounds so that you are in the area near the basilica even earlier, so you can take a peek inside to see whether it's filling up. But no guarantees one way or another -- I'm just conveying my understanding based on what I've read. (I spent the night at the Abbey, and so was able to see the evening vespers, when the basilica is not nearly as crowded. Even so, I think I was there 20 minutes in advance, and the front rows were already full.)

Hope that helps!

CarrieAnn40

We caught the suburban train at 09.30ish from Placa Espanya Station, on Tues 6th June. You buy your ticket downstairs from where the ticket offices are, from a machine. A return includes the return trip on either the cable car or the rack railway. I have read that you could buy two singles so that you can go up on the cable car and return on the rack railway. The platform was very busy and there was an unseemly charge from several hundred tourists all desperate to get a seat! Ours was a full length train and the front was emptier. The rack railway was also very busy. We arrived at the Monastery around 11; we felt we should definitely have got the earlier train.

We didn't go in to hear the boys' choir until 12.55. It was absolutely packed solid inside but we found a tiny space on a step right at the back so could see, as well as hear. Obviously seats near the front would have been great but we weren't willing to wait for ages beforehand. We were amongst the very first out so shot straight down to get some lunch from the cafe.

The rack railway starts the return trip and picks up cable car passengers partway down the hill, so returning this way ensures more chance of a seat. Saying that, it was nearly empty when we left. Sit on the right going down for the best views.

otto

Monteserrat. We booked a van tour that picked us up early like 6am. The benefit of this was we saw the sunrise over the mountains at the monestary!

kja

I agree with otto that sunrise from Montserrat can be incredibly special -- the chance to see it was one of my reasons for staying overnight at the Abbey.

agsimpkins13

Otto, do you happen to remember the name of the van company? Thanks.