Hiking Montserrat Spain Perfect Day Trip from Barcelona

Breathtaking vistas abound while hiking Montserrat Spain and the Sant Jeroni Trail. During my solo trip to Barcelona I hiked around Montserrat trails one afternoon. Enjoying the outstanding views and rock formations so much I returned again to hike Sant Jeroni trail.

Whether you are traveling alone or with a group Montserrat Barcelona is some of the best hiking in Spain.

You get to see beautiful panoramic views of Catalonia Spain as well as the Montserrat Monastery.

Even if you don’t go inside the monastery it makes for a stunning view while on the cable car trip up and down the mountain. In springtime the wildflowers in Montserrat are also beautiful.

 

 

 

Getting to Montserrat – Barcelona

You can easily get to Montserrat from Barcelona by bus, train, or car.

To get to Montserrat from Barcelona by train it takes about one hour. See more information on options for how to get from Barcelona to Montserrat at the bottom of this post.

Before beginning your excursion to Montserrat be sure to check the train or bus schedules if you are taking public transportation to get there.

Consider the weather before you set out on your hiking trip and plan accordingly.

LEARN MORE: 9 Best Day Trips from Barcelona

 

 

Cable car or rack railway to Monastery of Montserrat

First you need to get from Barcelona to the rack train or the cable car station. Since these are not at the same location decide which one you want to take beforehand.

I took the cable car Aeri de Montserat to the Monastery but you could take the rack train Cremallera de Montserrat if you don’t like riding in cable cars.

Note that if you are taking the train from Barcelona get off at the Monistrol de Montserrat station to take the rack train (Cremallera de Montserrat) to the Montserrat Monastery.

This is one stop after the Montserrat AERI station which is the one you want for the the Aeri de Montserat (cable car) to the Monastery of Montserrat.

 

 

Cable car or funicular from Monastery to Montserrat

Plan to arrive early if you want to visit the Monastery of Montserrat and hike the mountain. Sundays are very busy for mass at the monastery.

Once you are ready to go up the mountain you will need to decide again if you want to take a cable car or take another funicular.

The views along the way to Montserrat Spain are extraordinary! Starting with the trip up the mountain in a cable car – offering a grand vista looking back down to the Monastery of Montserrat.

Alternatively you could take the Sant Joan Funicular from the Monastery to the top of Montserrat.

If you are hiking or walking back down be sure to buy the one-way ticket and not the return ticket.

 

 

Apparently a lot of people get nervous about being in a cable car – that heavy cable car filled with people and all that weight hanging on one little cable. I love cable cars!

 

 

Hiking trails at Montserrat Spain

You will find a board with a map and list of all of the hiking trails at Montserrat Spain. There is also info for how long the Montserrat hikes take, amount of elevation gain, and difficulty rating.

Sant Jeroni is rated as an easy hike with an elevation gain of 525 meters (1,722 feet) and estimated time to complete is 1 hour 10 minutes.

 

 

 

I enjoyed spectacular vistas all along the Sant Jeroni hiking trail.

It’s an easy 1-hour 10-minute hike but took me 2 hours, stopping to take photos and enjoying the picturesque views of the Catalonia region.

 

 

I meant to change my shoes before I left the apartment in central Barcelona but I forgot and so I wore rather inappropriate footwear for hiking!

My favorite hiking shoes are by Ahnu because they are waterproof shoes and have a wide toe box so they are comfortable for long hikes.

 

 

I saw several climbers while hiking at Montserrat. It’s a popular location for mountain climbing and I would love to try it some day! I need to take a class and get some basic training first.

Rock climbing looks to be an exhilarating and challenging experience. For now I will enjoy hiking the trails.

Finally you will know that you are getting close to the Sant Jeroni summit when you see the flight of stairs shown below.

There are several sets of stairs on the Sant Jeroni hiking trail.

Chatting with some other hikers we surmised the stairs were put in place for stability – to keep the trail at the summit from crumbling from the thousands of hikers that visit Sant Jeroni trail every year.

 

 

Summit of Sant Jeroni Montserrat Spain

Enjoy spectacular views from Sant Jeroni summit.

 

 

Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy at the summit of Sant Jeroni hike while you enjoy panoramic views of Catalonia.

 

 

I highly recommend a trip to Montserrat for anyone visiting Barcelona. The panoramic views while hiking in Montserrat Spain are amazing!

It is a one-hour train ride from Pl Espanya metro station in Central Barcelona. More info on getting around in Barcelona here.

 

 

 

You can watch my youtube video of the Aeri de Montserrat cable car here

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How to get to Montserrat from Barcelona

Barcelona to Montserrat by bus

There is one direct daily bus to and from Montserrat, leaving from the bus station next to Estació Sants train station in Barcelona. You can find the exact times on the company’s website, AutoCars Julia.

Barcelona to Montserrat by train

• From the Plaça Espanya train station, take the FGC’s R5 train to either Aeri de Montserrat or Monistrol de Montserrat.
• Which stop to get off depends on whether you choose to take the cable car or the rack train to the mountain.
• You can purchase combination tickets (called ToT Montserrat ticket) at the train station in Barcelona.

Barcelona to Montserrat by car

Maps, directions, and information on car rentals and parking can be found on this Montserrat Tourist Guide website.

Barcelona to Montserrat tour

There are many tour companies offering a guided tour to Montserrat from Barcelona.

 

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