On my recent solo trip to Barcelona, I could’ve purchased advanced tours to Montserrat via Expedia, Viator, my hotel’s concierge service, or even get a private taxi, but I missed my chance due to last minute decisions. Luckily the front desk associate was able to suggest an alternate route: traveling to Montserrat from Barcelona by train.
If you want to save some money and get a feel for a local’s way of going, here’s how I did a day trip from Barcelona to Montserrat by train.
Getting to the FGC Train from Barcelona to Montserrat
I started my day trip from Barcelona to Montserrat by taking the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat (FGC) R5 towards Manresa from Espanya station. To get to Espanya station, take the Metro (TMB) L1 (red) or L3 (green) line. My hotel was right around the corner from Espanya station so it knocked a good amount of travel time off my plate. The total ride takes about an hour.
For timetables, maps and ticket prices for the TMB Metro, visit their website.
Purchasing your Ticket to Montserrat
The FGC train to Montserrat gives you two options to get to the top of the mountain:
- FGC Train + Cable Car (Aeri de Montserrat stop)
- FGC Train + Rack Railway (Monistrol de Montserrat stop)
When purchasing, you can buy a round-trip ticket or two individual rides, but tickets are not transferable from the Rack Railway to the Cable Car. The Cable Car is about a 5-minute ride less the wait time to get on/off while the Rack Railway is a 10-20 minute ride. There are tellers at the station to give you details on ticketing, but you can purchase at ticketing machines too.
For timetables and ticket prices for the FGC train, visit the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat website.
If you decide to take the Cable Car, make note that it stops at a certain time. My hike took longer than expected and I missed the last cable car down by about 15 minutes. I took the Rack Railway and walked into the town to get to the FGC back to Barcelona. Related: 15 Life Lessons Learned on the Hike to Sant Jeroni
For timetables and ticket prices for the Rack Railway, visit the Cremallara de Montserrat website.
Have you taken a day trip from Barcelona to Montserrat before?
