Montserrat from Barcelona

The usual way is the FGC R5 train line, which leaves from Plaça Espanya station. It has two stops for Montserrat: 'Aeri de Montserrat', next to the cable car station, and 'Monistrol de Montserrat', next to the rack railway. The train ride takes about 50-60 minutes, so counting the climb the whole trip runs around an hour and a quarter.

From there, two ways lead up the mountain: the rack railway, which climbs in about 15-20 minutes and is barely affected by wind, or the Aeri de Montserrat cable car, running since 1930, which makes the crossing in about 5 minutes suspended over the valley but closes when the wind picks up. Those who prefer to drive can take the BP-1103 road, though parking is paid and limited, especially in high season.

The Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat was founded in 1025, building on an even older tradition: legend has it that shepherds found the image of the Virgin in a cave on the mountain in the year 880. Ever since, Montserrat has been Catalonia’s great sanctuary and one of Spain’s most visited pilgrimage sites.

At the heart of it all is the Black Madonna (La Moreneta), a 12th-century Romanesque carving darkened by centuries, patron saint of Catalonia since 1881. She's kept in the Cambril, a small chapel behind the basilica's main altar reached by a narrow staircase; entry is free, but queues build up by mid-morning, so the earlier you go, the better.

The Escolania de Montserrat is the monastery's boys' choir, with a tradition going back to the 13th century that makes it one of the oldest choir schools in Europe. On school days, its voices fill the basilica singing the Salve and the Virolai, the hymn to the Virgin of Montserrat.

The performance is brief — just a few minutes — but it's one of the most special moments of the visit. On weekdays it sings at 1pm, and on Sundays and holidays at noon; the schedule changes during school holidays and special celebrations, so it's worth checking the official website before heading up. The basilica fills up, so arrive early to find a spot.

Montserrat is more than the monastery: the whole mountain is threaded with trails between the rock spires that give it its name ('serrated mountain'). The most popular route takes the Sant Joan funicular, running since 1918, up to about 1,000 metres; from there a wide, fairly flat trail of 40 to 60 minutes leads to Sant Jeroni, the mountain's highest peak at 1,236 metres and its best views: on a clear day you can see much of Catalonia and, in the distance, the Pyrenees.

Another option, shorter and just as charming, is the Santa Cova funicular, which descends towards the cave where tradition places the finding of the Virgin's image. The path down to the cave — on foot or combined with the funicular — is lined with a set of early-20th-century sculptures depicting the Mysteries of the Rosary, with names from Catalan modernisme among their authors.

Large groups and tour buses arrive by mid-morning, so the earlier you go up, the calmer the visit — and the easier it is to see the Black Madonna without a queue. Weather on the mountain can change fast: even when it's sunny in Barcelona, Montserrat often has fog or is noticeably colder, so it's worth bringing a layer.

For food, there’s a self-service restaurant by the monastery and picnic areas; you can also bring something to nibble, like mel i mató, a local honey-and-fresh-cheese dessert. If you only want to see the monastery and hear the boys’ choir, half a day is enough; if you also want to hike up to Sant Jeroni, it’s better to set aside almost the whole day. Combined tickets (Trans Montserrat and Tot Montserrat) bundle the train, the rack railway or cable car and the funiculars into a single pass, handy if you plan to move around the whole mountain.