Things to Do at Montserrat

Hours, prices and access verified by the Montserrat Barcelona Tours team — last checked 2026-09-16

Most departures give you between one and five hours on the mountain, and the difference between a good visit and a rushed one is deciding what to spend them on before you arrive. Every entry below keeps the same four lines, so you can compare them at a glance and then pick the Barcelona to Montserrat tour that gives you the hours you need.

The atrium in front of the basilica at Montserrat, its arches opening off the square

Inside the basilica, where nothing is ticketed

The atrium and the Plaça de Santa Maria

The open courtyard in front of the basilica and the square it opens off, which is where every visit starts whether you plan it or not.

What it takes: Fifteen minutes, or an hour if you sit.

Best for: Everybody, and the only part of the complex that works in a downpour and a crowd alike.

Worth knowing: There is nothing to pay and no queue. The basilica door is straight ahead; the stair to the throne of the Virgin is inside and to the right.

The basilica

Darker and more painted than the pale stone outside suggests, open 07:00 to 20:00 every day of the year.

What it takes: Twenty minutes to walk it; longer if you stay for the choir.

Best for: Anybody at all. It is the one thing nobody regrets making time for.

Worth knowing: Free to enter. Dress as you would for any working church: one operator states that tank tops, strapless shirts, very short shorts and sandals are not permitted.

La Moreneta, the Black Madonna

The Black Madonna, the image the whole mountain is arranged around, on her throne high above the altar behind glass.

What it takes: Twenty minutes if there is no queue, an hour if there is.

Best for: Anyone for whom Montserrat is a pilgrimage rather than a viewpoint.

Worth knowing: The abbey's reservation is free, and the throne shuts between 10:30 and 12:00 every day. Both facts, and how the queue moves, are set out on La Moreneta.

Out on the rock

The Creu de Sant Miquel

A cross on a spur with the classic view back at the abbey, reached on a level-ish path from the square.

What it takes: Thirty to forty-five minutes there and back.

Best for: Anyone with an hour spare and shoes they can walk in.

Worth knowing: This is the photograph everybody has seen. It needs no ticket, no funicular and no guide, and it is the best use of a free hour on the mountain.

The Sant Joan funicular and the ridge above

A funicular from beside the monastery that takes the steepest part of the climb off your legs and leaves you on the ridge paths.

What it takes: An hour and a half with a walk at the top; twenty minutes for the ride alone.

Best for: Walkers, and children, who remember the ride longer than the church.

Worth knowing: €11.40 one way and €17.50 return. The routes from the top are on the natural park page.

Under cover, when the weather turns

The Museum of Montserrat

A collection of Catalan painting and rather more besides, in a building off the main square, open 10:00 to 18:45.

What it takes: An hour, comfortably.

Best for: Wet afternoons, and anyone travelling with somebody who does not walk.

Worth knowing: It charges its own admission and we do not print a price: two official pages give different figures. Free on 27 April, the feast of the Virgin of Montserrat.

The Audiovisual Space

Espai Audiovisual Montserrat, which sets out the mountain, the community and the image in about half an hour, open 09:00 to 20:00.

What it takes: Half an hour.

Best for: Children who will not last a museum, and anyone who wants the story before the church.

Worth knowing: Inside the Tot Montserrat pass and inside one operator's fare. The rest of the complex is on the monastery page.

Eating, and taking something home

The mountain market

A short row of stalls beside the monastery selling mel i mató, mountain cheese, cured meat and liqueurs, run by producers rather than shops.

What it takes: Twenty minutes and whatever you spend.

Best for: Anyone who would rather bring something back than photograph something.

Worth knowing: The artisan cheese is the thing people carry home, and the stall is the easiest stop to fit into a short free hour.

Eating on the mountain

Cafeterias and a self-service buffet by the square, with vegan and gluten-free options.

What it takes: Forty-five minutes if you sit down.

Best for: Anyone on a departure that does not include a meal, which is most of them.

Worth knowing: If lunch matters more than that, the winery days put a proper Catalan meal in the fare — see Montserrat wine tours.

Two hours spare: three ways to spend them

The believer's two hours. Straight to the throne of the Virgin, then the basilica, then the market. Works only outside the 10:30 to 12:00 closure.
The walker's two hours. Basilica quickly, then the Creu de Sant Miquel and back. The best views for the least effort anywhere on the mountain.
The wet afternoon's two hours. Basilica, audiovisual space, museum, coffee. Nothing on this route is outdoors for more than a minute.

Want more than two hours up there?

The longer tours give you three to five hours on the mountain instead of one, and the cards say which is which.

See Montserrat tours Compare every tour

What costs nothing

The mountain, the square, the atrium, the basilica, the image, the market to look at, the Creu de Sant Miquel and every path in the natural park. What charges is the ride up, the two funiculars and the museum. On a mountain this famous that surprises most people, and it is the single most useful thing to know before you compare fares.

Frequently asked about what to do

How long do I need at Montserrat?

Two hours covers the basilica, the square and a look at the view. Four gives you the museum or a funicular ride as well, and a full day lets you walk. Departures here range from five to eleven and a half hours in total, of which between one and five are actually on the mountain.

Where do I eat at Montserrat?

There are cafeterias and a self-service buffet by the square, with vegan and gluten-free options, and a farmers' market selling mel i mato, cheese and cured meat. If lunch matters more than that, book one of the winery days, which put a proper Catalan meal in the fare.

Is the Montserrat museum included in my tour?

Almost never. The Museum of Montserrat charges its own admission and only the Tot Montserrat pass and a handful of listings cover it. Two official pages give different prices for it, so check at the desk on the day rather than budgeting from a figure you read anywhere.

Do children pay at Montserrat?

Not to enter, because there is nothing to enter through. They pay reduced fares on the rack railway, the cable car and the funiculars, and children under four ride the cable car free. On the tours themselves, child fares and minimum ages differ by operator and each listing sets its own.

Can I bring a pushchair?

On many of the departures, yes: several listings say stroller accessible even while saying they are not wheelchair accessible. The square and the basilica approach are manageable. The walking and funicular departures are not the place for one.

Next: the walks in detail are on the natural park page, the complex itself on the monastery page, and every departure on Montserrat Barcelona Tours.