How to Get from Barcelona to Montserrat (Train, Routes, and Tips)

Last updated on April 27, 2026

Montserrat Monastery in Catalonia, Spain, is one of the most popular day trips from Barcelona. Located roughly an hour and a half outside of Barcelona, the journey to Montserrat is not only stunning, but a route people have taken on pilgrimage for centuries to see the famed Black Madonna.

We knew we wanted to visit this unique destination on our last trip, but we weren’t sure how to get from Barcelona to Montserrat. Ultimately, we chose to take a guided tour, but if you want to spend more time exploring or save some money, this guide will share the five options of getting from Barcelona to Montserrat.

Learn exactly how to get from Barcelona to Montserrat on a DIY day trip by train, car, rack-rail train, or cable car with costs, time constraints, and tips to plan your trip.

Quick Answer: Best Way to Get to Montserrat

There are technically five distinct ways to reach Montserrat from Barcelona. However, the “best option” will largely depend on your time, interests, and budget.

Method	Time	Cost
Driving a rental car	~ 1.5 hours	€15 + car rental costs + fuel
Bus + rack railway to Montserrat	~ 1.5 hours	€27.5 round trip
Bus + cable car to Montserrat	~ 1.35 hours	€27.5 round trip
Train from Barcelona + rack railway to Montserrat	~ 1.25 hours	€28.80 round trip
Train from Barcelona + cable car to Montserrat	~ 1.10 hours	€28.80 round trip
Train + walking	~ 5+ hours (good idea to stay overnight)	€13.80 round trip
Guided tour	~ 5 – 6 hours	$55+

The easiest way to get from Barcelona to Montserrat is on a guided tour. It includes round-trip transportation from Barcelona’s bus station to Montserrat’s parking area. From there, you’ll hop on the rack railway train to eventually reach Montserrat.

However, many people want more time to spend at Montserrat (recommended if you want to go hiking) or want to DIY their own day trip to save money. In that case, the best way to get from Barcelona to Montserrat is to take the train, then buy a ticket for the rack-rail train.

• Easiest Way: Guided tour
• Fastest Way: Train + cable car
• Most popular: Train + rack railway

How to get from Barcelona to Montserrat

Montserrat Monastery is about an hour to an hour and a half outside of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. Nestled high in the striking Conserolla Mountains, visiting Montserrat requires a two-part journey.

The first is getting to the parking area, which can be accessed by train, car, or bus, then a rack-rail train or a cable car to the top of the mountain where the monastery lies. Below is a detailed breakdown of each route to help you understand the best way to get from Barcelona to Montserrat.

Train + Rack Railway (Cremallera)

If you want to do a DIY day trip to Montserrat, the easiest way to get there is by train. The train ride takes just over 1 hour, with routes starting as early as 7:26 am. The train departs from Barcelona to Montserrat every hour.

For most tourists staying in the center of the city, go to the Barcelona-Plaça Espanya station and buy a train ticket for the blue R5 line Manresa-Baixador (toward Manresa). Tickets from Plaça Espanya to Monistrol de Montserrat cost €6.90 one way. You can check timetables for your exact dates and up-to-date prices by clicking here.

This is a massive station, and it can be a bit confusing since there are also metro stops here. Just make sure you buy a train ticket with Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat and the following signs for the R5 train line.

The train does not take you all the way to the monastery. It takes you to a parking area where buses, cars, and public transport arrive and depart. If you plan to take the train from Barcelona to Montserrat and then the rack rail train (Cremallera), get off at Monistrol de Montserrat, which is 23 stops.

Once you arrive at the main area for Montserrat, you can head to the kiosk or counter to purchase your rack rail (Cremallera) tickets. If you prefer to book these online beforehand, you can, but you shouldn’t have an issue getting a seat, especially since the train goes every 20 minutes.

Tickets for the rack rail train are €7.50 for children aged 4 – 13, €15.00 per adult 14 – 64, and €13.50 for seniors 65+. Children under 4 are free to ride.

The rack rail train is how we got to the top of the mountain, and it was a really fun, scenic ride. It also has a lot of history. The first version of this rack rail train was introduced in the late 1800s and took over an hour to get to the top of the mountain! Today it’s about a 15-minute journey with air-conditioned interiors and comfy seats.

If you plan to do lots of activities inside Montserrat, you can purchase a tourist package which includes entrance to see the Lady of the Throne or tickets for the boys’ choir. These packages range from €48 to €71 per person with round-trip transportation included.

Train + Cable Car (Aeri de Montserrat)

If you plan to take the train from Barcelona to Montserrat, then take the cable car (Aeri de Montserrat), get on the blue R5 line Manresa-Baixador (toward Manresa) at Plaça Espanya. Ride this train 22 stops until you reach Aeri de Montserrat. It should take exactly 1 hour and cost €6.90 per trip.

From there, you can purchase your tickets to ride the Aeri cable car. It’s considered the fastest way to reach Montserrat, traveling 4,400 feet (1,350 meters) in just 5 minutes. If you’re afraid of heights and don’t do well in gondolas, I recommend taking the train instead.

One-way tickets on the cable car cost €10 for adults 14-64, €8.75 for seniors 65+, and €5.25 for children aged 4 to 13. Round-trip tickets on the Aeri Cable Car cost 15€ for adults 14-64, €12.50 for seniors 65+, and €7.50 for children aged 4 to 13.

Cars depart every 15 minutes. You can purchase your tickets here, at the cable car station, or add them to your train ticket price at the Barcelona-Plaça Espanya station.

The cable car started in 1930 and remains the fastest option to reach Montserrat. It also climbs a huge distance, so it’s both fun, fast, and scenic. It’s also one of the only ways to get a glimpse of the Rosary of the Virgin without hiking!

To make the most of your trip, I would book one-way tickets for the rack rail train and the cable car so you can take both on your day trip to Montserrat. Both have train station entrances to take you back to Plaça Espanya, so you can choose which option you want to take out or back.

Driving to Montserrat

If you have a rental car or other mode of transportation with you, you can drive to Montserrat. The drive takes about an hour and a half to reach the parking area. Google directions should get you to the Monastery easily if you put in “Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey” in Google Maps.

We did not rent a car during our trip to Barcelona. Instead, we used public transportation (metro) and walked primarily. However, if you want or need to book a rental car, check out the prices below.

Prices will depend on the type of vehicle you are driving and the length of time you plan to stay. However, it costs € 7 to park a sedan for up to 24 hours, and the parking near the monastery can handle around 400 vehicles at a time.

Another option is to take the bus, Autocars Julià. Departures from Viriat Street. It leaves daily at 9:15 am and returns to Barcelona at 5 pm from October to May and 6 pm from June to September. The cost for tickets is €6.25 one way, and you can choose to take the rack railway OR the cable car from the parking area to reach Montserrat.

Guided Tours from Barcelona

One of the most popular options for how to get to Montserrat is a guided tour. We took the half-day tour to Montserrat with roundtrip transportation and a tour guide, which had an optional winery visit with wine tasting and lunch in the nearby wine region.

We didn’t include it since we wanted to make the most of our time eating in the city (check out where to eat in Barcelona in this post).

We did briefly stop at a winery on our return trip to the city, and the views were stunning! The wine we got to sample was also really good. If you’re into wine, I would recommend adding that to your experience. We regretted not doing it!

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We met at the bus station near the Arc de Triomf, which was really easy to reach since we stayed nearby. The tour company had a kiosk inside the bus station where we checked in and got our tickets. The bus ride took about an hour and fifteen minutes, but flew by because our tour guide shared a ton of history about Barcelona, Catalonia, and Montserrat on the ride.

Once we arrived, they passed out our rail rack train tickets and helped us board the right train. From there, the guide helped us get the “lay of the land” and understand our options and activities during our hour and a half of free time before needing to meet back at the bus.

We definitely liked going with a tour guide, but would have liked longer at Montserrat. There was so much to do and see at Montserrat that we would have loved an extra hour or two for exploring.

You can also take a look at some of the other amazing tours in Barcelona below.

Train + Walking

The last option for getting to Montserrat is by walking. Most tourists coming here on a day trip aren’t going to make the several-hour to several-day pilgrimage walking to the mountain. But it’s worth noting that it very much is an option.

If you plan to take the train from Barcelona to Montserrat and then take the rack rail train (Cremallera), get off at Monistrol de Montserrat.

The hike takes five to six hours, depending on your skill level, from this station, and you should be prepared with sun protection, food, water, and emergency gear. You can stay overnight at the hotel in Montserrat from here and return on the rack rail train or cable car, then take the train back to the city.

Is Montserrat worth visiting?

Montserrat is a great day trip, with plenty to see and do outside of the Monastery, making it well worth visiting. The breathtaking views surrounding the Monastery are a reason to come on their own. Many people come here to hike since there is a robust system of trails out here as part of the famous pilgrimage to the abbey.

We aren’t particularly religious people and really knew very little about the Madonna before visiting. But we loved diving into the culture, tales, and history here. What fascinated us the most, though, was learning about the important role this abbey has played in the evolution of Spanish civilization.

Montserrat Monastery (Brief Overview)

Montserrat Monastery is a part of the Order of Saint Benedict in the Catholic Church. It’s a practicing Abbey home to 80 monks along with the world-famous Escolania boys’ choir. While commonly referred to as Montserrat Monastery because of its location on Montserrat Mountain, its official name is Abadia de Montserrat or Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey.

This church has been a sacred place of worship for Catalonians for nearly 1,000 years and is where the cherished Black Madonna, or La Moreneta in Spanish, rests. Supposedly, the Black Madonna was discovered by a Spanish shepherd in a cave around 888 A.D.

The shepherd believed the Madonna had healing powers, and shortly after, people began making pilgrimages to visit the statue. The monastery has been a safe haven for this beloved Madonna for over 1,000 years.

This monastery is where Spain’s printing press was held, it was a battleground during the French-Spanish War, and where the Catalan language was secretly protected and preserved when it was banned during the dark days of the Spanish Civil War.

FAQ about Getting from Barcelona to Montserrat

Hopefully, this guide has made it crystal clear how to get from Barcelona to Montserrat. If you need help planning how to spend your day there, check out our Montserrat itinerary. It shares entry costs for the popular things to do, like hear the boys’ choir sing, touch the Madonna, or even a wine tasting.

If you’re headed to Barcelona and want more information, check out our other posts:

• The 15 Best Places to Eat in Barcelona Right Now
• The Perfect Montserrat Day Trip Itinerary (with map)
• What to Eat in Spain: 20 Must-Try Spanish Dishes
• Perfect Barcelona 3 Day Itinerary for First-Timers