How to get to Montserrat from Barcelona by train

Your Complete Guide to the Monastery, Mountains and the Trip From Barcelona

Montserrat is one of the most visited destinations in Catalonia. It sits only 60 km away from the city and offers a mix of nature, spirituality, art and hiking. The mountain is known for its serrated shape, its panoramic viewpoints and its Benedictine monastery, a key cultural site in the region. The highest point of the mountain is Sant Jeroni and reaches 4,055 feet (1,236 meters), which allows you to enjoy wide, open views without difficult climbs.

You can reach it by hiking from the base of the mountain near the Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey, or by taking the Sant Joan funicular to a higher stop and walking the remaining section.

Most visitors spend between 4 and 6 hours exploring the monastery, the viewpoints, the funicular and at least one short trail. Montserrat is also popular for the Black Madonna, the boys’ choir and the iconic rock formations that make it one of the most unique mountain ranges in Spain.

Why Montserrat Is One of the Most Iconic Day Trips in Spain

The name Montserrat means “serrated mountain”, a reference to the rounded rock shapes created by the erosion of ancient sediments. The Benedictine monastery has been an important pilgrimage site for centuries. The surrounding landscape feels different from other areas near Barcelona because of its tall pillars of rock and its quick access to elevated viewpoints.

Montserrat’s rounded, serrated peaks were formed by millions of years of erosion acting on a massive conglomerate rock formation, a mix of cemented sand, gravel and pebbles deposited during the Oligocene epoch, according to studies from the Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya.