Our trip to Montserrat was definitely a highlight of our stay in Barcelona. It´s an easy day-trip from Plaça Espanya. I recommend a combined ticket (several are available at the train station) which gets you on the train, the rack rail, the funiculars, the cable car, and a few Metro rides for about 18 euros. We started with a quick overview of the basilica and the monastery, although we missed the choir at 1 o´clock. Then we headed up the mountain. There are walking/hiking trails for all skill levels with great views everywhere. Bring a jacket, because you might find yourself within a cloud. You could spend more than one day hiking around the mountain, but about four hours was enough for us. Then we headed back down to see the famous statue, the Black Madonna, in the basilica, after the line had mostly dispersed. About an hour and a half travel time from Espanya to the monastery. Definitely worth the trip, even in overcast weather.

I visited Barcelona for the second time last July, the first time we did not have enough time to make the journey to Montserrat - which i regretted. This time we got the train from Placa d'Espanya, and the ticket includes the cable car journey up the mountain, from what i can remember it took us an hour or so to get there - journey went quite quick. i know from travel guides that there are companies that offer tours but as it is so easy to get there, i would suggest making your own way there. We only had a few hours there but it would make a nice day out of the city, especially if its hot. The views are spectacular and is is really tranquil. I would definately recommend visiting Montserrat, especially to those who have seen and done Barcelona a few times and want something a bit different. The only downside of the visit was as we went late in the afternoon and wanted to have something to eat, we found the restaurant had not very much to choose from.

We took the half day Julia tour to Montserrat. The trip itself was quite beautiful. But the tour at Montserrat amounted to a quick discourse on the exterior of the buildings of the monastery. Services were going on in the Basilica so this was unavailable for good viewing.
The children's choir was on vacation. The tour guide left the group on their own for the bulk of the time at Montserrat. Viewing the black madonna required waiting in a hot, crowded line for 75 minutes (with no apparent exit). Due to the long wait, we nearly missed the tour bus; three others participants were left at Montserrat as the bus left without them. This is the worst tour operator we have experienced. I would never book another Julia tour.

I went to the monestary by accident, a few Brits I met on a bus in Barcelona told me my girlfriend and I must see it....to get there we took a bus to the base of the mountain and then a gondola to the Monestary. Montserrat is perched on the side of a rocky mountain, there are hiking trails & rock climbing all over the mountain. Also, there is a rock pathway leading up to a restaurant that burned down years ago, exploring the old buildings was fun, although dangerous (walking along a three foot wide rock path with a 300 ft drop on one side - no railing). People were also camping up there to avoid paying for a room, though I remember accomadations were cheap, about $15 for two in an old dormatory. If you are to be there for three or more days call ahead and rent a small apartment, it's cheaper and more spacious with a kitchen. There are shrines hidden all over the mountain, and a long pathway (I forget the name) cut into the rock with amazing statues and shrines along the way. I was told this is a very special trip for Christians around the world, though even for the non-religious (such as I am), it was mind-blowing. I saw women who must have been 100-years-old hiking this path. The monestary is also home to the black virgin.

This place was great, especially for those who climb or hike. Also, prices may have gone up, as I was there four years ago.