Montserrat
 

Is Montserat worth a day trip from Barcelona? I think that I read it is not as spectacular if it is cloudy. I believe it is a mountain monastery and we will possibly visit El Escorial from Madrid and a monastery in Tomar, Portugal. Any thoughts??

How many days do you have in Barcelona?

We thought it was a good day trip, but partly because we went hiking up the hill above it. Our day was partly cloudy and the view is very impressive. HappyTrvlr asks a good question. We had five days in the area.

Yes, it's worth it but it takes all day if you are planning to use two funiculars on site and go up from the main base monastery station and hike there. In my opinion Monserrat is more interesting than El Escorial (which has a better museum) mainly because of the mountain views and terrain.

Tidy:
Montserrat was a virtual zoo the day we drove (or tried to drive) up there. Bumper-to-bumper trafic, so we turned around at the first chance and headed west. Verdict...ain't worth it IMO.

Tomar is an interesting stop...El Escorial is a dramatic visit...in Lisbon/Belem, the Jeronimos monastery (pix below)is spectacular...easy access from Lisbon by tram, bus or auto.

stu

http://picasaweb.google.com/stuartto...15438898674658

http://picasaweb.google.com/stuartto...15514717490034

Put Jeronimos in Belem on your must see list, a real gem.
Monserrat:If you have five days or less in Barcelona, you shouldn't leave the city for day trips as there is so much to see in the city.

We returned from Barcelona last week. We were there for 5 full days and did not go to Montserrat, we just didn't have the time. We also drove up the Costa Brava & northern Catalonia for 3 nights/4 days.

So, starting to narrow sites down. I certainly don't want to or need to see evey monastery, abbey, convent etc. so want to pick the best. It seems like thus far I have had recommendations for Balem's Jeronimus, El Escorial in Madrid and fewer recommendations for Montserral outside of Barcelona. A couple of others have come up in my reading and I'd appreciate any thoughts on them. Tomar - Convent of Christ, Batalha- Santa Maria da Vitoria, Alcobaca- Mosteriro de Alcobaca or Convento dos Capuchos-8 miles SE of Sintra. Again I will not do all I only want to get feedback on the best to visit; then I am able to make an educated decision. Thank you,

> Montserrat was a virtual zoo the day we drove (or tried to drive) up there. Bumper-to-bumper trafic, so we turned around at the first chance and headed west. Verdict...ain't worth it IMO.

Tower, you drove there. Then you say, it's not worth. Does that apply to every body? I don't think so. I went there twice by train - cablecar combo and I didn't face any unbearable crowd. Once was in winter (a sunny 31 Dec !) and I guess that helped too. You don't say when you went. OP doesn't either.

We were in Barcelona for 9 days. Montserrat was our only day trip, and I wish we would have chosen a different destination. We are not particularly religious people. If you are, it may be worth it to you. I was not particularly impressed by the abbey, and the crowds were quite unappealing to us, even on some of the hikes. (we went on a Monday in May, but also a Barcelona holiday) The hiking was by far the highlight of the day for me.

we have visited Barcelona 4 times.. still have not made it to Montserrat.
From what PP said, it will , most likely, not happen on our next trip in April
either.

I went on a sunny day during the week and had an easy and uneventful arrival by train and cogwheel train from Barcelona.
It was no problem to get inside the monastery, nor had there been any lines at the restaurants or bars.
Also did a short and pleasant 3/4hr "hike" along the ridge to the viewpoint for the full panorama of the monastery and the mountains.
The rides back to Barcelona were also pleasant and not congested.

You can have a miserable day, though, if you decide to go on weekends or on a local/national holiday.

We took a bus tour from Barcelona and we thought it was good. The trip up the mountain road was spectacular as was the view from the top. The day was beautiful and the scenery clear. The monastery itself is interesting. It is not particularly old - it was destroyed by Napolean ande rebuilt in the early nineteenth century. However it is noy yhe greatest site in the area. It does however possess the largest monastic gift shop that I have ever seen. To go or not? Probably I would, in retrospect, have enjoyed some other places in Barcelona.

<b>Kappa</b>...you've been in this Fodor's community long enough to know that in this OP's case, we were asked for our opinions; I gave mine as everyone else did. Now Tidy can decide based on this input or other factors if she wishes.

Again, did I think a visit to Monserrat is worth it?...According to my very own personal experience...no. Just your opinion was all that was necessary for you to share. And indeed, you volunteered some very relevant information on the cable car option.

If it's cold in Geneva, pour yourself a hot chocolate, put up your feet, and relax. You'll live longer.

stu tower

> If it's cold in Geneva, pour yourself a hot chocolate, put up your feet, and relax. You'll live longer.

Tower, above was not necessary. But I'm sorry if I upset you. :-) You can calm yourself down. If you felt you were attacked, I was in no way in such mode. If anything, it may be my (in)ability to understand English and nuance of what you wrote. I understood, from what you wrote, you didn't even reach the top of Monserra and gave your verdict on this thread. If you did visit, you can give your opinion, negative or positive. That was my thinking. Did I read you wrong?

<i>That was my thinking. Did I read you wrong</i>

Totally misread....I explained it above...if that's not good enough for you, end of conversation.

Another negative opinion of Montserrat, which I reached by train and cable car. It was a zoo of tourists and pilgrims (there is a cult that worships a statue there), a hazy day which limited the view, and I actually disliked the architecture. My husband has reported it is nice to hike in the hills (the day I went it was rather chilly, so I didn't).

Did any of you get to hear the boys' choir?

I assume some people go there with the wrong expectations (or without having looked at any pictures of the monestary).

Montserrat is not St Peter or Notre Dame. It's not overwhelmingly spectacular for architecture lovers. IMO the most spectacular architectural feature is the road that goes around the area and is all built on stilts.

The "cult that worships a statue there" is the one and only reason that Montserrat is there in the first place.
It's a relevant place for pilgrims, and also from a more recent historic point of view for Catalan people as the monastery has served as a safe haven for the Catalan language (which had been forbidden to use elsewhere).

There are others, more relevant monasteries in Catalunya, e.g. Poblet near Reus, but they are not as easy to access as Montserrat. And lack the natural scenery.

If you are unsure whether to spend a whole day to go to Montserrat or not, you could as well visit Pedralbes, a very nice monastery within the city limits of Barcelona. Only a 15min subway ride away from Pl Catalunya.

Absolutely, I was just there in September, took the train from Barcelona and then the gondola, after a bit of being there, I took the funicular all the way to the top. I didn't go for the monastery as much as for the view, which was amazing!

It was a highlight of my trip. Unfortunately I don't have my pictures of my trip up yet, otherwise you'd see what I'm talking about.

I barely spent time inside any of the buildings, I was out most of the time...I had a cold when I went there and was so glad that I made the effort though I felt like crap.

The crowds weren't bad at all, I went there on a Thursday and it didn't take all day...I left Barcelona around 10:30am and was back in town around 6pm or so.

When I go back to Barcelona, and I intend to, I will return to Montserrat because I would love to hike around some of the trails which I didn't feel well enough to do at the time.

So I guess if you're going ther for the monastery itself, maybe not, but if you're a nature lover and want gorgeous scenery, YES!