Guide: Barcelona to Montserrat Mountain by Train
One of the most popular tourist attractions outside Barcelona are the Montserrat Mountains and its monastery, and this guide shows how you can easily get there by train.
Barcelona to Montserrat train
Although many Barcelona sightseeing tour companies offer Montserrat day trips by bus, it’s actually easy to visit these mountains and monastery on your own by train.
I started my journey at Barcelona’s Plaça d’Espanya, where there’s a dedicated Montserrat ticket office located in the underground area of the metro and railway station.
This ticket office sells combined tickets for the train to Montserrat, the rack railway or cable car up the mountain, and the Montserrat funiculars, though you can also purchase them from one of the ticket machines at the station.
There are different combined tickets available depending on what you plan to do in Montserrat, all of which are detailed on the Cremallera de Montserrat (Montserrat Rack Railway) website.
Check the Cremallera de Montserrat website as well for the latest, up-to-date prices of these combined tickets.
Return tickets, which include all transport by train, rack railway, or cable car, along with entry to the Montserrat Sanctuary, currently cost between €46.45 and €69.90, depending on the package selected.
In the YouTube video below, I’ll explain how easy it is to buy combined tickets and also show the train journey from Barcelona to Montserrat.
The train journey
The narrow-gauge train service from Barcelona to Montserrat is operated by Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC).
From Barcelona’s Placa d’Espanya station, take the R5 service to Manresa.
You can either get off at Aeri de Montserrat for the cable car up the mountain or at the next station, Monistrol de Montserrat, to connect to the rack railway.
The train takes about 1 hour and 17 minutes to reach the foot of the Montserrat Mountains, with departures every hour.
Although the trains are fairly comfortable and have toilets, don’t expect amenities like power sockets or Wi-Fi.
The views after leaving the Barcelona suburbs are stunning, especially as the mountain landscape begins to appear.
The train from Barcelona to Manresa brings you to the foot of the Montserrat Mountains. ©AndyBTravels
Rack railway
I took the train to Monistrol de Montserrat, where I simply transferred across the platform to the rack railway up the mountain.
The climb up the mountain is stunning, and you can enjoy lovely views from the rack railway.
On the rack railway to Montserrat. ©AndyBTravels
Montserrat funiculars
Once you reach the upper station of the rack railway and take the escalator out of the station, you’ll find yourself in front of the Montserrat Monastery.
With your combined ticket, you can also use the Montserrat funiculars at the Monastery, which will take you further up into the mountains.
I highly recommend taking one of the two funiculars up the mountain, as the views from there are even more impressive.
The Montserrat Monastery. ©AndyBTravels
Montserrat funicular. ©AndyBTravels
Conclusion
Getting from downtown Barcelona to the Montserrat Mountains is easy if you want to visit the monastery or enjoy the stunning scenery.
You can take a train from Barcelona’s Placa d’Espanya to Aeri de Montserrat for the cable car up the mountain, or to the next station, Monistrol de Montserrat, for the rack railway.
Combined tickets are available that include the train, cable car or rack railway, entry to the Monastery, and access to the Montserrat funiculars.
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