Barcelona Montserrat Spain
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This page will give you the highlights of Barcelona Montserrat in Spain. The Benedictine Monk retreat at Montserrat offers you some of the most spectacular mountain views of Catalunya. You will learn about the holy grotto where visitations by the Virgin Mary were reported, and the World famous Montserrat Choir boys recitals along with details on the mountain walks with breathtaking views. I took a day trip to Montserrat recently with my brother, and this page summarizes the highlights of what we experienced.
| Barcelona Montserrat |
Speakers On?
Click to hear the sound of the Montserrat monastery church bell as heard from the mountain over looking the Benedictine retreat.
| Montserrat near Barcelona |
For many visitors a trip to Barcelona Montserrat Spain is the highlight of their visit.
Montserrat is a spectacularly beautiful Benedictine monk mountain retreat about one hour North West from Barcelona by train.
Not only is Montserrat Monastery of significant religious importance but the natural beauty surrounding the monastery is simply breathtaking.
If you enjoy walking there are also some interesting walks through the mountains where you will experience magnificent views of some of the most unusual rock formations in the whole of Catalonia. You can take a funicular to the top of the mountain, and from there you can choose a number of different walks, all with amazing views of the Catalonian countryside.
Book tickets for your half day tour to Montserrat from Barcelona with return journey
There are two organized tours that save you the time and trouble of organizing your own trip to Montserrat. They include return journey from Barcelona to Montserrat in an air conditioned bus. You can choose either a half day morning tour or half day afternoon tour.
Morning Tour
Click to book your tickets online for the Montserrat Morning guided tour leaving from Barcelona
| Montserrat near Barcelona |
Montserrat Spain Choir Boy Performances in the Basilica
Click to hear the Montserrat Choir Boys in the Basilica
| Montserrat Spain Choir Boy Performances in the Basilica |
Another highlight of your visit to Montserrat monastery is to listen to the famous Basilica choir boy performances of Gregorian chants and other genres of religious choral music.
The performances can be heard free of charge in the Basilica daily with the exception of Christmas holidays, July and some other festive periods during the year.
Choir performance time (daily): 13:00
Montserrat music is popular throughout the World and the Monastery choir boys have now recorded over 100 albums of choral music.
Montserrat Spain History – The Holy Visions
| Barcelona Montserrat a view from the cable car to the monastery retreat |
The history of Montserrat is fascinating and started in 880 when a small group of shepherd children saw a bright light descending from the sky in the Montserrat mountains. In the same moment, the children heard angels singing, and the music filled their hearts with a radiant joy.
| The black Madonna in the basilica Montserrat monastery |
Overwhelmed by the experience the children ran home to recall the experience to their parents frantically.
The parents were sceptical but knew their children were trustworthy and honest, and so they went to where the children had experienced the visions to see if they could see what all the fuss was about.
For the whole month following the first visitation the parents were also witnessing to the same heavenly experiences and were left with only one conclusion. The visions were a sign from God.
A local vicar was brought to the scene and witnessed the same experiences as the children and parents. The visions occurred in the same location in a cave on Montserrat mountain. When this cave was explored by the religious elders of the community, they found an image of the Virgin Mary. And from that moment on the cave became a holy sanctuary for religious pilgrims.
Today the site of the visions has been marked by a Holy Grotto on the mountain. You can walk to the Holy Grotto and see first hand where these events took place. The Holy Grotto has now been ordained a holy place and is visited by pilgrims and curious onlookers from all over the World.
Accommodation in Montserrat
| Barcelona Montserrat Spain Cross |
Most visitors to Montserrat stay in Barcelona and then travel by train to Montserrat. However, if you would actually like to stay in Montserrat for the night, you can possibly get a room at the Abat Cisneros. I don’t have any more details on this accommodation apart from their website Abat Cisneros Official Website.
A trip to Barcelona Montserrat Spain is highly recommended and if you intend to take a few of the mountain walks it is a good idea to schedule at least one day for your visit.
Book tickets for your half day tour to Montserrat from Barcelona with return journey
There are two organized tours that save you the time and trouble of organizing your own trip to Montserrat. They include return journey from Barcelona to Montserrat in an air conditioned bus. You can choose either a half day morning tour or half day afternoon tour.
Morning Tour
Click to book your tickets online for the Montserrat Morning guided tour leaving from Barcelona
This page summarized a few of the highlights of Montserrat in Spain. However, there are many more attractions we have not discussed, e.g. the museum, and the different mountain walks along with small market stalls selling country food products etc. Many site visitors have told me that their trip to Montserrat was the highlight of their holiday, so if you have the time I highly recommend that you take a trip to Barcelona Montserrat.
| Barcelona Montserrat Museum |
Further reading:
We have put together a special page on everything you need to know on arranging your own trip to Montserrat from Barcelona by train.
Barcelona to Montserrat by train
We have also created an entire website dedicated to Montserrat. See Montserrat tourist guide
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Barcelona Montserrat Spain
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This page describes the main sights of Montserrat in Spain Breathtaking mountain views of Catalonia open up from the resting place of the Benedictine monks on Mount Montserrat. You will learn about the holy grotto where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared, the world-famous boys’ choir from Montserrat, and take mountain walks with breathtaking views. I recently traveled to Montserrat with my brother and this page summarizes the most basic impressions of the trip.
Do you have sound on?Click to hear the Montserrat church bell recorded from the mountain above the Benedictine retreat.
| Montserrat near Barcelona |
For many tourists a trip to Montserrat in Spain becomes the highlight of their holiday.
Montserrat is a breathtaking mountain retreat for Benedictine monks, located an hour northwest of Barcelona by train.
The monastery of Montserrat has not only significant religious significance. It is also surrounded by simply stunning natural beauty.
If you like walking, there are interesting paths through the mountains, with magnificent views of the most unusual mountain formations in all of Catalonia. You can take a funicular to the top of the mountain, and then you can walk along several different paths, enjoying the amazing views of Catalan nature.
Book tickets for a half-day excursion to Montserrat from Barcelona with return travel
There are two organized tours that will save you from having to organize your trip to Montserrat yourself. They include the return journey from Barcelona to Montserrat by air-conditioned bus. You can choose either a half day morning tour or a half day afternoon tour.
Morning tour
Click to book your tickets online for the Montserrat morning guided tour departing from Barcelona
Montserrat boys choir performance in Basilica, Spain
Click here to listen to the Montserrat Boys’ Choir at the Basilica
Another highlight of a trip to Montserrat is the chance to hear the Basilica’s famous boys’ choir perform Gregorian chant and other forms of religious choral music.
Performances in the basilica can be listened to for free at 13:00. The choir performs every day except Christmas, July and some other holidays.
The music of Montserrat is popular all over the world, and the boys’ choir of the monastery has already recorded more than 100 albums of choral music.
History of Montserrat in Spain – holy visions
| Barcelona, Montserrat, view from the cable car to the monastery |
The fascinating history of Montserrat began in 880, when a small group of shepherd children saw a bright light descending from the sky in the mountains of Montserrat. At that very moment the children heard the singing of the angels and the music filled their hearts with radiant joy.
Struck by what had happened, the children ran home, where they furiously recounted what they had seen to their parents. The parents were skeptical about the children’s stories, but their children were honest and trustworthy, so they went to the place where their children had a vision to see what all the fuss was about.
For a whole month after the first appearance, the parents also witnessed unearthly visions. They could only come to one conclusion. The visions were a sign from God.
| Black-faced Madonna in the Basilica of Montserrat |
The local vicar was brought to the same place and witnessed visions that appeared to children and their parents. The visions appeared in the same place, in a cave on Mount Montserrat. When the priests of this village explored the cave, they found an image of the Virgin Mary there. And from that moment on, the cave became a holy place for believing pilgrims.
Today, the place of visions on the mountain is marked by a holy grotto. You can go into the holy grotto and see the very place where everything happened. The holy grotto is named as a holy place and is visited by pilgrims and curious people from all over the world.
Accommodation in Montserrat
| Barcelona Montserrat Spain Cross |
Most visitors to Montserrat live in Barcelona and come here by train.
However, if you want to stay in Montserrat for the night, then you can probably get a room at Abat Cisneros. I don’t have any more details other than their website Official website Abat Cisneros
Visiting Montserrat in Spain is highly recommended. If you are planning a hike in the mountains, then it would be nice to set aside at least one day for this.
Book tickets for a half-day excursion to Montserrat from Barcelona with return travel
There are two organized tours that will save you from having to organize your trip to Montserrat yourself. They include the return journey from Barcelona to Montserrat by air-conditioned bus. You can choose either a half day morning tour or a half day afternoon tour.
Morning tour
Click to book your tickets online for a guided morning tour of Montserrat departing from Barcelona
Trip to Montserrat from Barcelona
To Montserrat from Barcelona by train or
Book your ticket for an organized tour of Montserrat
This page briefly describes the main attractions of Montserrat in Spain.
However, there are many attractions that we have not mentioned here, such as a museum, various mountain trails along with stalls selling local products, etc. Many tourists have told me that a trip to Montserrat has become the highlight of their holiday, so if you have time, I highly recommend going to Montserrat near Barcelona.
Additional information:
We have prepared a dedicated page with everything you need to organize your trip to Montserrat from Barcelona by train.
From Barcelona to Montserrat by train
We have also created an entire website dedicated to Montserrat. Read the guide to Montserrat
General information about the mountain, monastery and nature reserve of Montserrat in Catalonia, Spain
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View from Montserrat Monastery
Montserrat in Catalonia (Spain) means different things to different people. For some it’s a monastery, for others it’s a nature reserve, for others it’s a mountain, but for the rest it’s all combined.
For whatever purpose you come to Montserrat, you will be struck by the unique beauty and spirituality of this place – there is something special in everything, from the basilica to the flowers along the mountain path.
This page contains information about all sides of Montserrat. Here are links to detailed articles about Montserrat and its various attractions, Montserrat Mountain and the Montserrat Nature Reserve. These articles have information about the history, places of interest and what Montserrat is all about, plus here you will find practical tips on how to organize your trip there. It also has information on hiking and climbing at Montserrat, plus a description of how to get there from Barcelona.
Book your tickets for a half day excursion to Montserrat from Barcelona round trip
There are two organized tours that will save you time and hassle to travel to Montserrat on your own. They include round-trip travel from Barcelona to Montserrat by air-conditioned bus.
You can choose a half-day tour in the morning or in the afternoon.
Morning excursion to Montserrat
Click here to purchase tickets online for the morning excursion to Montserrat from Barcelona
Montserrat Monastery
Montserrat Monastery Square
Montserrat Monastery has existed on Montserrat Mountain since the ninth century. The monastery is proudly located on the mountain, almost on its top, and it seems that it is one with the mountain. People come to the monastery for a variety of reasons. Some admire the architecture, others come to get away from worldly life. Many come to see the statue of the Black Madonna located in the basilica.
Basilica of Montserrat
Read more about the history of the monastery, the life of the monks and the spirituality of this place in our guide to Montserrat.
If you are interested in a more practical guide to the monastery, with information on the shops, museum, restaurants and sights at Montserrat, then read our Guide to Montserrat Tourist Attractions.
There are links to more detailed pages that have information about opening hours and locations, plus other information regarding places of interest. There are also links to articles that describe the history and all the necessary practical information regarding visiting various attractions, such as the basilica or the statue of the Black Madonna.
Montserrat
Montserrat is translated as “jagged mountain”, and Montserrat was named so because of its bizarre shape. Approaching Mount Montserrat, you will see that this place has a natural and unique beauty, that it deserves special attention, despite the presence of a monastery there. For geologists, Mount Montserrat is of particular interest. You can explore the origin of its rocks and unusual climate. Or you can go mountain climbing and get to know the mountain on you (read more about mountaineering below).
Read more about the history of the mountain plus hiking trails on the mountain, about the climate and about certain places on the mountain, such as St Jerome (the highest peak) in our guide to Montserrat.
Nature reserve
Montserrat hermitage and nature reserve
In 1987 Montserrat was officially recognized as a nature reserve by the Government of Catalonia. This reserve is of great interest because of its fauna, flora and climate. Be sure to plan a visit to the reserve during your trip to Montserrat. You do not have to be physically fit to walk there on foot, hiking trails of different difficulty levels are at your disposal (more on this later). But only one of these routes will allow you to take a closer look at the flora and fauna of the mountain and, perhaps, see the famous hermitages of Montserrat (more on this later).
A flower in the Montserrat Nature Reserve.
For more information about the reserve, with information about what it is and links to articles about the villages located within the reserve, read our guide to the Montserrat reserve.
Montserrat mountain climbing and hiking
Montserrat mountain
If you like climbing or hiking, then Montserrat is the perfect place for you.
In the hostals and towns around Mount Montserrat, you can see a lot of climbers, cyclists and hikers who have come here for the charms of these places.
For more information on hiking trails from Montserrat, as well as the length of these trails, their duration and what you can see while walking, read our guide to hiking trails on Mount Montserrat.
Montserrat mountain – view from below
Montserrat mountain offers something special and unique to climbers. Read more about climbing Montserrat in our guide to climbing Montserrat.
How to get to Montserrat
If you are going to Montserrat from Barcelona, you can get there by car, bus or train.
For a complete route from Barcelona city center to Montserrat, see our article on driving from Barcelona to Montserrat.
If you want to get to Montserrat from Barcelona by bus, don’t be late, as there is only one bus per day. However, despite this shortcoming, the bus is an inexpensive way to get to Montserrat, and it will also take you directly to Montserrat.