Q: What is the Best Way to Get to the Area of the Monastery of Montserrat?

Tickets for Montserrat From Barcelona Tickets for Montserrat From Barcelona

A: Arriving to the Monastery of Montserrat, can be done by renting a car, by public transportation (train + cable car / train + rack railway / bus) or by joining a guided tour that includes the transportation from Barcelona and back to the city.

If you are visiting only Barcelona, it is not advised to rent a car only for the monastery. In that case public transportation (or a guided tour that includes transportation) is advised, but bare in mind that if you use the train it is a bit of a hassle, takes longer and is more of an experiential attraction to enjoy the view.

 

Public Transportation to the Montserrat Monastery

Bus to the Montserrat Monastery

The bus would probably be the cheapest way to get to the monastery. Autocares Julia operates a bus one time a day, that leaves Barcelona at 9:15 am to the monastery and at 5:00 / 6:00 pm (depending on the month of the year) from the monastery back to Barcelona. The bus goes all the way to the monastery and costs 5.10 € for a single journey (as of 2017), takes about an hour and a half.

Train to the Montserrat Monastery

The train that takes you to the mountains leaves from the Barcelona Sants train station which is near Plaça d’Espanya. At the station you need to look for train R5 that departs to Manresa. It is recommended to arrive to the station prior the journey in order to look for the R5 train because the station is huge. There are two options where you can get off:

Option A: the Aeri de Montserrat station, if you choose this possibility you need to continue your travel on the cable car which takes you to the main attraction of the site, the cave of the Black Madonna. This route is recommended mainly on a beautiful day and the ride in the cable car takes only 5 minutes and provide great views. There is free parking for people who are using the cable car.

The price for a single journey is 7.00 € for adults, kids in the ages of 4 to 13 years are eligible to a discount (3.30 €), kids under 4 years ride for free, people over the age of 65 and a person in a group of 20 people pay only 5.30 €. There are also discounts for round trips (all prices are as of the year 2017).

Option B: the Monistrol station. From there you can arrive to the cave by a rack railway that is also called the Cremallera and also confusingly referred to as the Funicular (not to be confused with the other two Funiculars – the Santa Cova Funicular and the Sant Joan Funicular). This is a longer travel than option A (takes 15 minutes) and it is recommended when the weather is not at it’s best for the cable car (for additional information – Weather in Barcelona). The Cremallera also provides good views and Monistrol station also offers free parking in case you are arriving by car, but note that it is open only during the operation hours of the Cremallera.

The price for a single journey is 6.55 € for adults in the high season, kids in the ages of 4-13 years are eligible to a discount (3.60 €), kids under 4 years ride for free, adults in a large family and senior citizens are eligible for a discount. There are also discounts for round trips (all prices are as of the year 2017).

Note that there are combined tickets for the metro, train and cable car or the Cremallera (mentioned in options A and B). They are available in the Barcelona Sants train station.
at the ticket stand right in front of where train line R5 leaves to Manresa. There are also tickets that combine all of the above and the funiculars from the monastery further up the mountain or a bit down to the cave.

Getting to Montserrat Monastery by Car

People who would like to go for a road trip outside the city, for example, in the Pyrenees, in Andorra or in the Basque region, are advised to rent a car. In this case head on the N-2 highway to the direction of Tarragona. At the intersection with the highway N-11 turn left and follow the signs. There is a parking area at the train station near the monastery (for additional information – Parking Near the Monastery of Montserrat, Car Rental in Barcelona and Car Rental in Spain).

Getting to Montserrat Monastery by a Guided Tour

There is a possibility to join one of the guided tours (most of them starts on Plaça de Catalunya) that also provides transportation from Barcelona to the monastery and back (for additional information – Attractions and Tours near the Monastery of Montserrat).

Tips and Recommendations

 

• People who would like to save money- are advised to use the bus which is the cheapest option. The downside of the bus is that they would be limited with the times of the bus – there is only one bus to the monastery and one bus back, at a specific hour (for additional information – Barcelona For Free).
• The disabled and people with accessibility difficulty are advised to use the Cremallera that will take them all the way up to the monastery itself (for additional information – Accessibility in the Montserrat and Accessiblity in Barcelona).
• People who would like to enjoy the view and make the journey to the monastery an exciting attraction, such as families with kids, are advised to use the train + cable car on a good day or train + Cremallera if the weather is not at its best. They can also use the cable car only for going up and enjoy the view and then go down in a cheaper means (for additional information – Kids and Families in Montserrat and Kids and Families in Barcelona). All the train options have a much more variant time table then the bus, which allows more flexibility with choosing your departure time.

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