Spain hiking – Montserrat mountain, Barcelona
Looking for a nice hike near Barcelona? Montserrat is the place to go! Meaning “serrated mountain”, this massive hunk of rock rises abruptly from the surrounding countryside, crowned with pillar-like peaks and a picturesque abbey perched high on a cliff. There are many hiking options on Montserrat Mountain — the most popular of which are around the Santa Maria de Montserrat abbey (aka the Montserrat monastery).
The walk described here is to the highest point, Sant Jeroni. It’s a lovely climb up through forest and scrub, with rocky pillars towering all around. Apparently on a clear day you can see from the Pyrenees to the island of Mallorca in the Mediterranean Sea, but it was too hazy the day we were there.
Both the abbey and the summit are very popular: on a week day in April, we were not alone.
Highest point: 1,236 m
Height gain: approx 550 m
Technical details: steep stairs in parts
Distance: 9.5 km
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| ► Photos ► How to get there ► San Jeroni trail description ► Other hiking options ► Where to stay and eat ► What to bring ► Dangers & annoyances ► Hiking trail map |
Photos from our hike – Sant Jeroni, Montserrat
How to get to Montserrat from Barcelona
Monserrat by train
The easiest way to get to Monserrat from Barcelona is to catch the R5 train from Plaça d’Espanya station. This takes you to the base of the mountain, where you have two choices to get to the Montserrat monastery. The most popular is to get off at Montserrat-Aeri and take a cable car. Alternatively, get off at the next stop, Monistrol de Montserrat, and take a rack train (called the Cremallera de Montserrat).
The tricky thing is that you need to decide which route you’ll take in advance, and then buy the corresponding ticket at Plaça d’Espanya station in Barcelona. In both cases the ticket includes the train to the bottom of the mountain, plus either the cable car or second train. Other options are available that let you use the funiculars on the mountain. We took the cable car option — you buy the ticket from the yellow vending machines at Plaça d’Espanya station.
One other tricky thing: the rack train is sometimes called a funicular, and there are two real funiculars on the mountain, both leaving from the abbey.
► Directions to the cable car station
► Directions to Montserrat monastery via the rack train
Driving to Montserrat
It takes around an hour to get to Montserrat from Barcelona by car. If you’d like to take the cable car or rack train up to Monserrat monastery, then park at their respective stations (Montserrat-Aeri for the cable car; Monistrol de Montserrat for the rack train). Otherwise drive all the way up to the Santa Maria de Montserrat abbey, where you can park for a fee.
► Driving directions to Montserrat monastery (Santa Maria de Montserrat abbey)
Hiking trail description – Sant Jeroni hike, Montserrat
We originally planned to hike up from the bottom, but ended up not having enough time — so instead we started from the Santa Maria de Montserrat abbey.
The trail starts behind and to the left of the abbey. You basically follow the signs to Sant Jeroni, then walk back the same way. The path is more of a footpath than a hiking trail — with lots of stairs. Lots and lots of stairs.
Apart from the steep stairs, it’s a very easy walk with beautiful views of the mountain most of the way. The trail is mostly well-marked, though not always at key junctions. Some of our group took a wrong turn coming down and ended up at the top of one of the funiculars instead of back at the abbey. I recommend you take a map — you can get maps of the different trails in the area at the information office at the abbey.
Other Montserrat hiking options
Easier hikes: Start the walk from a higher point by taking the Funicular de Sant Joan from the abbey. Note that this starts out as a different trail from the one we did; the two join together further up.
Alternatively, there are many options that don’t take you to Sant Jeroni but which still offer fabulous views. For example, you can walk down from the abbey to see the cave of Santa Cova, and then take another funicular, the Funicular de Santa Cova, back to the abbey. There are many viewing points along the paths, as well as other chapels to see, so you can easily tailor a walk to your interests and time. Plus there’s the Santa Maria de Montserrat abbey to explore as well!
Longer hike: Start from Monistrol de Montserrat, a train station at the bottom of the mountain, and/or do a partial loop walk via the San Joan funicular.
More difficult hike: Sant Jeroni can be climbed by the via ferrata Teresina.
Where to stay & eat
There are no restaurants or shelter on the trail. There are a couple of eating options at the abbey — including places where you can buy a picnic lunch — as well as hotels.
What to bring
You don’t need any special equipment to do the hike. Be aware that even though Montserrat is not very high, it still is a mountain — so you must be prepared for sudden changes in weather.
Essential:
- Good walking shoes
- Water- and windproof clothing
- Warm clothing, according to the season and forecast
- Water
- Picnic lunch & snacks
- Sunscreen
- Hat
- Map
- First aid kit
Optional:
- Hiking poles
Dangers & annoyances
- Sunburn: Apply plenty of sunscreen every two hours — and even better, cover up as much skin as possible. Note that you can still get burnt on an overcast day!
- Heat stroke/dehydration: If the weather is clear then you’ll be in the sun for most of the hike. It was a hot walk in spring — I imagine it’s very hot in summer. Wear a hat and make sure you bring enough water for the weather conditions — there is none along the trail.
- Exposure: The weather could quickly turn cold and windy. Take warmer clothes, even if it’s sunny when you start out.
Hiking trail map – Sant Jeroni, Montserrat
(This is the route recorded by James’ watch, which doesn’t exactly follow the path – it jumps around a bit, due to problems with the GPS signal from time to time.)
4 comments
I saw as well this post, hiking to Sant Jeroni ,the top of Sant Jeroni and i wanted to know if it’s possible to go with a dog!
Thanks!
Hi would you say the hike is suitable for very young children – aged 2 1/2 years old?
Hi Aarti, There are a lot of steps up to the top of San Jeroni so unless your child is a very good walker then I would say no, it’s not for a 2.5 year old. It might be better to take one of the funicular trains on the mountain instead – maybe walk down and take the train up. Enjoy your trip!
[…] Montserrat is the perfect antidote. Located just an hour from Barcelona, this series of tooth-shaped mountains combines nature and stunning views with the fun of a cable car and funicular railways – plus an 11th-century abbey perched high up on a cliff. You can drive there, but for a more relaxing day I recommend taking the R5 train from Barcelona’s Plaça d’Espanya station to Montserrat-Aeri station, followed by the cable car to Santa Maria de Montserrat abbey. You can buy a combined train-cable car ticket at Plaça d’Espanya station, as well as other tickets that include the funiculars as well. […]