Montserrat is a multi-peaked mountain thirty kilometres inland from Barcelona. The mountain is famous for its 13th Century Monastery, which was built to house a statue of the Virgin Mary, discovered in a cave more than a thousand years ago.
Although the monastery is impressive, the main reason for visiting Montserrat is to experience the mountain, visit its jagged peaks, see the unusual rock formations, and marvel at the remarkable vistas that stretch as far as the eye can see.
The best way to enjoy the scenery is on foot, and no end of trails will take you all over Montserrat. Many of the most popular hikes are well-marked and suitable for walkers of all ages, while others are more remote and challenging.
This post describes eight of Montserrat’s most popular walking routes. I’ve included a mixture of short, easy walks, ideal for families, and longer, more demanding trails, which will challenge more experienced hikers and trail runners. The post also includes links to my Wikiloc profile, where you can view maps and photographs of the routes and download the trails to your phone or GPS.
All the routes start either near the monastery or at the train station in Monistrol de Montserrat, both of which are easy to reach by public transport from Barcelona. For more information about the monastery and how to get there, check out my Guide to Visiting Montserrat.
The durations shown in the tables below are approximate walking times and don’t include breaks for enjoying the scenery, taking photos, resting, etc.
Short walks at Montserrat (Less than an hour duration)
If you don’t have much time, these popular short walks take less than an hour. All three routes follow wide, well-maintained footpaths suitable for all the family, including small children in strollers/pushchairs.
1. From the Montserrat Monastery to St Michael’s Cross and return
St. Michael’s Cross stands atop a headland that offers excellent views of the monastery and the mountain (see photo above).
The cross is less than a kilometre from the monastery and can be reached on foot in about fifteen minutes by following the concrete footpath that starts behind the cog railway station. Along the way, you pass several viewpoints and monuments.
If you have limited time, the walk to St. Michael’s Cross takes about thirty minutes and has excellent views. On the way to the cross, it is uphill, but it’s not too steep, and the wide, concrete footpath makes it suitable for all fitness levels.
| Starting point | Montserrat Monastery |
| Distance | 2 kilometres |
| Duration | 30 minutes |
| Track | here |
A slightly longer alternative to this walk would be to take the Sant Joan Funicular up to the Pla de les Taràntules and back down to the Monastery via St Michael’s cross, following the route shown here.
2. From the Montserrat Monastery to the Santa Cova
The Santa Cova, or “Holy Grotto”, is a small chapel built to house a statue of the Virgin Mary, which was found in a cave on the mountainside in 1239.
The chapel was built in the 17th century. At the turn of the 20th century, a path leading to the chapel was built called El Rosari Monumental, with a series of religious monuments created by key architects and sculptors of the time, including one by Antoni Gaudí.
Walking to the cave takes approximately twenty minutes, following a concrete path downhill past the cable car station. The footpath leads fairly steeply downhill until you reach a junction with the trail to Monistrol de Montserrat. Here, you turn right and continue downhill to the start of the Rosari Monumental.
If you prefer, you can skip the steep sections by taking the Santa Cova Funicular, which runs from just behind the cog railway station to the start of the Rosari Monumental.
The Santa Cova Funicular is covered by the Trans Montserrat and Tot Montserrat travel passes.
| Starting point | Montserrat Monastery |
| Distance | 3 kilometres |
| Duration | 45 minutes |
| Track | here |
3. From the Montserrat Monastery to El Camí dels Dogatells
The Camí dels Dogatells is a tree-lined footpath which starts beside the car park, approximately five minutes from the monastery. The path is lined by a series of plaques and sculptures dedicated to the Virgin Mary and other saints.
Although the views may not be as impressive as the other routes, the Camí dels Degotells is almost entirely flat and is shaded from direct sunlight, which may be an advantage if you visit during the summer.
| Starting point | Montserrat Monastery |
| Distance | 3 kilometres |
| Duration | 40 minutes |
| Track | here |
Medium-length hikes at Montserrat (Two to three hours duration)
The mid-length hikes below are signposted and follow marked footpaths, so you shouldn’t have difficulty finding your way. To be on the safe side, I’ve included links to GPS tracks, which you can download to your phone.
The paths are well maintained, but there are some rocky sections, so you should wear comfortable footwear with a grippy sole, either trainers or lightweight walking shoes.
All three mid-length hikes involve a fair amount of uphill hiking, but they’re not too strenuous and are suitable for people of average fitness.
4. From the top station of the Sant Joan funicular to Sant Jeroni and the Monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat
The summit of Sant Jeroni is the highest point in Montserrat, and this hike is probably the most popular in the area.
Although you can hike directly from the monastery, I recommend taking the Sant Joan Funicular to the Pla de les Taràntules.
From the Pla de les Taràntules, you follow the “Camí de Sant Joan a Sant Jeroni” past El Cigronet, to Sant Jeroni. Along the way, there are spectacular views of the peaks and rock formations that make up Montserrat.
Approaching the summit of Sant Jeroni, there is a concrete staircase with an iron handrail leading to the viewing platform at the mountain’s highest point. On a clear day, the views are spectacular, and you can see as far as the Pyrenees Mountains to the north. To the east, there are distant views of Barcelona and out to sea.
To return to the monastery, you begin by retracing your steps back to the Sant Jeroni hermitage before turning left, downhill through woodland to the Pla dels Ocells and finally, the “Stairway of the Poor”, a series of stone steps leading down towards the Monastery.
| Starting point | Sant Joan Funicular |
| Distance | 8 kilometres |
| Duration | 2 hrs 15 min |
| Track | here |
5. From the monastery to the Santa Cova and return via St Michael’s Cross (circular route)
This hike is an extension of the Santa Cova hike described above.
In this case, after visiting the chapel, as you walk back along El Rosario Monumental, you’ll see a footpath off to your right, leading to the Turó del Tron d’Espasa.
From here, you join the GR5 long-distance footpath, which you follow uphill back to Sant Michaels Cross and onwards to the monastery.
| Starting point | Montserrat Monastery |
| Distance | 6.5 kilometres |
| Duration | 2 hrs 30 mins |
| Track | here |
6. From Monistrol de Montserrat to the monastery and return (circular route)
This hike starts from the train station at Monistrol de Montserrat and is described in more detail in this post.
Monistrol de Montserrat is on the mountain’s lower slopes, and the hike starts by following a footpath amongst farmers’ fields.
From here, you follow the GR96 footpath uphill for about forty-five minutes until you come to the concrete path leading from La Santa Cova to the monastery.
For the return, you can either retrace your steps or follow the Wikiloc trail below, which follows the Cami de les Aigües.
| Starting point | Monistrol de Montserrat train station |
| Distance | 9 kilometres |
| Duration | 2 hrs 30 min |
| Track | here |
Longer Hikes at Montserrat (More than four hours duration)
If you have time to spend an entire day at Montserrat, these longer and more challenging hikes take you to some of the most spectacular parts of the mountain.
7. The Hermitage Circuit
The Hermitage Circuit is a circular route that takes you to some of the mountain’s most beautiful, remote, and least visited areas.
Along the way are fifteen ancient hermitages, many of which are in ruins and pre-date the Santa Maria de Montserrat Monastery.
I don’t recommend hiking this route if the weather is bad. Unlike the other routes in this article, parts of this hike follow unmarked trails, and several sections are quite exposed. Please read my full disclaimer here.
| Starting point | Montserrat Monastery |
| Distance | 17 kilometres |
| Duration | 4 hrs 30 min |
| Track | here |
If you don’t feel up to hiking the entire circuit, this shorter route takes you to five of the best-known hermitages and is also very beautiful.
8. From Monistrol de Montserrat to Sant Jeroni’s peak and return (circular route)
Last but by no means least, the longest hike on this list takes you from the train station at Monistrol de Montserrat to the summit of Sant Jeroni and back.
Covering just over twenty kilometres and with an accumulated altitude gain of almost one thousand three hundred metres, it’s not for the faint-hearted.
However, despite the distance and the incline, it’s technically not difficult, and all the paths are marked and easy to follow.
If you decide to hike this route, I recommend you start early and carry a packed lunch to eat along the way. You could also stop at the monastery, where there are several restaurants and a snack bar.
| Starting point | Monistrol de Montserrat train station |
| Distance | 20 kilometers |
| Duration | 5 hrs |
| Track | here |
Conclusions
I hope this post was helpful. If you have any questions, leave a comment below, and I’ll reply as soon as possible. If you’ve already hiked any of the routes, I’d like to hear your thoughts. Similarly, if there are any routes which you think I should add to the list, I’m eager to hear about them.
