Montserrat is a multi peaked mountain about 60km from Barcelona and is accessible by car and by public transport. I've visited Monserrat quite a few times while living in Barcelona. Mostly with friends and family when they come over to visit. But each trip ended at the Monastery to see the Black Madonna or La Moreneta as she is known by the locals. This time, I wanted it to be different, and I wanted to get to the highest peak of the mountain. So when my flatmate asked if I'd like to go, I offered we hike all the way up.
We got there pretty early, grabbed a sandwich for a picnic up in the mountains and began our hike. The time specified to get to Sant Jeroni (the highest peak which is 1236m) was 1hr 20 minutes, but considering stops for pictures and a few minutes rest, it obviously took a bit longer. It took us a total of 1hr 40 minutes to get to the very top. There were lots of stairs, so honestly it wasn't easy and we were extremely exhausted but we made it to the top. The view is so amazing and you can see all the tiny houses and streets from all the way up. After a bit of a rest & lunch with a gorgeous view, we decided to head on down as we also wanted to see Sant Benet, La Trinitat & Sant Miquel. In the end we were so tired we decided to head on home after Sant Benet. The total distance we did was 16km, which doesn't seem like too much but put in the steps which were very popular along the route, and the difficulty increases. This was actually more difficult than the 19km we did at Parc Nacional del Aiguestores.
On the way down, we saw 2 guys mountain climbing almost at the very top of the mountain. From where we stood, they were so high up, omg. Totally crazy! Honestly, I could not believe it when Kat said look up there. I filmed them so go check them out in the video.
We had an amazing time and the view was honestly breathtaking. It was so worth it, even though it wasn't so easy. Definitely recommended for anyone visiting Barcelona. If you're planning to hike to the top, I'd recommend getting there very early in the morning. We had dedicated the entire day for this, so we left the house at 10am and got back home around 6:30pm.
How to get to Montserrat
Getting there by Car
Getting to Monserrat by car is pretty easy and only takes about 1 hour. There are 2 parking lots available at monserrat. One is located close to the Cremallera de Monistrol Vila Rack Railway Station. This parking lot has lots of parking spaces and is free, but requires you pay for the rack railway journey to get up the rest of the way to the monastery. This parking follows the same working hours as the rack railway. You can check the Official Cremallera de Montserrat website for the rack railway timetable & prices.
The other, which is located close to the monastery costs € 6.50 for the day and has limited parking spaces. This parking lot gets filled up pretty quickly, so make sure to get there early. The walking distance from here till the monastery isn't far. You can check the Official Montserrat Website for details.
To get to Monserrat by public transport, you can either take a coach like Autocares Julia which leaves from the Sants Station, or you can go by train. You can check the official Autocares Julia website for details on prices and timetable. If you decide to go by train, you'll have to take the R5 line (Barcelona-Manresa) from Plaza Espanya and get off at Aeri de Montserrat to catch the cable car or at Monistrol de Montserrat to get the rack railway. Getting to Montserrat by train takes about 2 hours, and the cost varies depending on what exactly you decide to use.
Have you visited Montserrat? What do you think of the mountains based on the pictures & video?
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