We ventured here on a day tour coupled with a wine and tapas stop. The abbey and its surrounding area is beautiful. We arrived in the early morning when the clouds had not yet parted, so the abbey was hidden away from us for some time; however, as the clouds disappeared, the abbey impressed. We took advantage of a hike to the cross situated across from the abbey; though the hike was worth it, going there was mostly uphill, so definitely was a bit more strenuous than walking on a level path. It was well worth the hike though, as the views were spectacular. We also had a chance for a quick view into the abbey where we saw the Black Madonna and another mini-chapel. As it was a guided tour, the time allowed to visit was quite abbreviated. For those looking to visit, recommend taking the train, as it will give you more time to spend in this beautiful area.

If someone asks what heaven looks like, Montserrat might be one of the places that is close to it - beautiful, peaceful, quiet, and panoramic. We went with a tour bus, so it was a lot easier, but there's also public transportation to get there as well, which is by train and a gondola up to Montserrat. It's a monastery and a school for choir boys, in which they have to live on campus. This place is where you can see Black Madonna, which is well respected and protected by Spaniards. When you're inside Montserrat, every corner is beautiful, every building is rich with ancient architecture, as if it were heaven. If God lives here, I think he probably feels comfortable! If you are in Barcelona, don't miss this place, all you have to do is plan your trip well with time. Another stunning place.

We went on our own on the train from the Espanya station in Barcelona. It makes a very nice day trip. The natural setting is spectacular—much more impressive than I imagined based on photos. The two funiculars that run from the abbey are closed for the season, but there are still several hikes you can make with beautiful overlooks of the monastery and the valley far below. The lines at the abbey were very confusing. It was not at all clear where to go if you wanted to visit, as there were a few separate queues, and we ended up in the wrong one more than once. We did not realize that you can make reservations online for the boy’s choir and the black Madonna. Make a reservation for 12:15 for the Black Madonna, so you will finish in time for the choir performance at 1:00. There is no charge, but you need to make separate reservations for each on the official abbey website. Since it is off season, we were lucky to get in without reservations, but you should not count on this. With regard to transportation: as several reviews have mentioned, it is very easy to get off one stop early if you are taking the cogwheel train instead of the cable car. They don’t always announce the stop! In fact, this happened to us. We accidentally got off at the “Aeri” station. It turned out well, because we then purchased tickets for the arial tram and enjoyed it very much. We went up on the aerial tram and came back on the cogwheel train. The only downside was the 30-40 minute wait to board the tram. I would definitely recommend not coming back on the aerial. It is on the second train stop, which means standing room only on the train back to Barcelona! Even if you take the aerial up, take the cogwheel train down. Sit on the right side for the best views.

What an incredible place; take the train to the top of the mountain. We had a short visit and wish we had more time you could spend the whole day there. The cathedral was great, but it will close from 10:30am-noon (mass) and may not open again until 1:30 pm. Food and shopping are available along with local vendors on the strip.

From the train journey from Barcelona, to the funicular journey to the top, this experience is one not to miss. The brave amongst you might try the cable car journey instead. The Basilica is stunning and the views to die for. The audio guides are a must and visitors are advised to touch the Madonna’s right hand. We only did a small portion of one of the available tours. It would take days to complete them all. Energetic visitors could either walk or cycle to the top. An amazing experience.

It was wonderful experience to visit there by train and cable car. Breathtaking views everywhere even if you do not enter the Abbey or the museum. You can spend hours just enjoying the views or hiking nearby. It should be placed as top must do activity if you visit Barcelona.

Arriving on the first cable car in the clear blue sky morning gave superb vistas of the mountain and approaching Monastery, in stone not dissimilar to the background peaks. It was marvellous visiting such a revered holy place. A lovely courtyard is surrounded by Abbey buildings. Great panoramas, upwards to the mountains and down to the valley, were memorable. There was no queue delay in visiting the Black Madonna. Afterwards it was delightful to spend time in the great Basilica.

We visited Montserrat as part of a large bus group from a cruise ship port call in Barcelona. Montserratt is about a one hour drive from Barcelona and largely on winding mountainous roads. Founded in the 11th century, this is a working monastery with about 80 monks. We were told to not speak to the monks if we saw them, hence our feeling that this was not what we were expecting. We enjoyed our visit, and were astounded at the age and size of this place. However, it was not what we were expecting. We were allowed to visit the cathedral during services to see the "Black Madonna" but other than the brother conducting the service we did not see monks. The brothers have turned this into a miuti-million dollar tourist attraction. The crowds were large. Parking is at a premium. Views are spectacular.

We stayed at the hotel next to the monastery our last night in Barcelona and drove from there 45 minutes to drop off our rental car and fly home. The hiking trails are great, the hotel restaurant was a beautiful setting with an arched stone ceiling. There are hordes of visitors at the monastery so it was nice to be there in the quiet of the evening once they were all gone!

We spent three hours here and were barely able to take in the highlights. The Abbey, of course, is stunning inside. And the views from the mountain are picture perfect. We did a short hike but definitely wished we could have spent more time and hiked farther and explored some of the other buildings here.