We did a day trip from Barcelona on our own. Are with the rack railway up to the monastery. We then visited the cathedral, the black Madonna, the museum and the audio vision. At 1 p.m. the boys' choir performed, which was also a great experience. However, there you have to enter the cathedral at 12:30 p.m. if possible and then wait the 30 minutes. Otherwise groups are let in first and all other visitors only last. After that we took the funicular to the top and walked back. A steep path , but the view of the monastery and the surrounding area are gigantic. The food and drink options are rather modest, but a few crackers and olives do the trick. So if you're in the area or in Barcelona, head to Montserrat - it's definitely worth it.

Had an incredible time visiting Montserrat. This place was breathtaking. Be prepared to get there first thing in the morning. It gets busy. The audio guide and map was confusing at first the red numbers verses the blue numbers. However we loved it. We got there at 10.00 from the metro and rail tram from the San Pau metro stop in Barcelona. I wasn’t informed about not being able to enter the Bascillica for the audio tour from 10.00 to 12.00 because of mass. Therefore out timed slot with visiting the Black Madonna was at 12.00 and when we got out the line to enter the Bascillica was already in the courtyard. We didn’t finish the audio tour. All in all we loved visiting. It was inspiring and breathtaking. If your an art lover visit the miss. If not don’t waste your time. Definitely walk the grounds and see the stairs to heaven and take in the views.

The museum’s collection was too varied and the display of the paintings was chaotic to say the least. The paintings weren’t displayed in a way to enhance their beauty and there were little to no descriptions to tell the story of the art or the artist. Which was a real shame because some pieces were quite beautiful. The monastery was alright, and the chapel quite beautiful. The people weren’t particularly kind or helpful. And there were quite a few (very expensive) shops and souvenir boutiques and restaurants, but at over €7 for an ice cream, we didn’t buy any. The very best thing were the little stalls near the cable cart where local people sell local products like cheese and honey. They were super nice and very willing to explain their products and any questions you have about them. I highly recommend visiting them once you are there.