Montserrat from Barcelona: which station to get off and when the Escolanía sings

Two different stations: don't get down where it's not

This is the most expensive mistake of the day, and it happens because the two stations are on the same line.

From Barcelona you take the train from FGC, line R5, at square of Spain. From there you have to decide before you go up:

• If you're going up by zipper train: Get off. Monistrol of Montserrat

• If you are going up on the cable (the Aeri): Get off. Montserrat-Aeri, which is the previous stop

They're not interchangeable. If you get off at Montserrat-Aeri with a zipper ticket, or the other way around, you'll have to wait for the next train to correct it.

The full journey from Barcelona, with the link included, round the hour and a half.

Zipper or cable: what are they different about?

The zipper train It takes about 15 minutes to get up and it's on the hillside. It is the comfortable option, the one that works with any time and the one that choose most organized excursions. The simple ticket is about €6.90 and the round-trip ticket is about €11.50.

The Aeri, the cable, it goes up in 5 minutes and the experience is quite more spectacular: it crosses the valley hanging with the mountain facing the front. Part of about €7.50. From March 1 to October 31, it runs every day from 9: 40 to 19: 00; outside that season the schedule is reduced and the last service may fall between 17: 00 and 18: 00.

The prices are indicative and updated per season, so you should check them when booking.

If you drive, the zipper station in Monisrol has free parking with more than 200 places.

When the Escolania sings (and when not)

The Montserrat School is one of the oldest children's choirs in Europe and, for many people, the main reason for the visit. Interprets the Hail and Virolai in the basilica:

• Monday to Friday: 13: 00

• Sundays and religious holidays: at 12: 00

And here's what no one tells you: the Escolanía has a holiday 25 June to 22 August. I mean, right at the peak of the tourist season doesn't sing.

If listening to the choir is your reason to go, that date commands above all else. And if you go every week, keep in mind that the performance is at 13: 00: you have to be up first.

The Brunette and the Shrimp

The Virgin of Montserrat, the Moreneta, is in the Camarínwho is accessed by a side hall that passes behind the main altar of the basilica.

Access to the Camarín has broken schedule: opens first thing in the morning, closes in the middle of the morning and reopens at noon until the afternoon. The basilica itself opens from the first hour, because there are masses.

The access system to the Sanctuary was recently reorganized and works with slot reserve for the tour, with different conditions for residents and for other visitors. As it is a point that has changed and continues to generate confusion, the sense is check the official website of the monastery what manner you have and book before you go up, especially in high season and if you want a specific time for the Camarín.

Reservations can be made up to one month in advance.

The combined banknotes: Trans Montserrat and Tot Montserrat

These are the two official packages that are bought from Barcelona and avoid taking out separate notes:

• Trans Montserrat, around €50. Includes round-trip transport from Barcelona, mountain funicular, audiovisual space and access to the basilica

• Tot Montserrat, around €71,50. Add the entrance to the Montserrat Museum and a buffet lunch

Both are bought in advance. They come out if you plan to make the full visit; if you are just going to go up, see the Brunette and go down, it is cheaper to take out the train and zipper separately.

A logistical detail of packages that include train: tickets usually pick up at the station of Ferrocarrils of the Generalitat of Plaza España, on schedule tomorrow. Outside that schedule you can't make the exchange.

And organized excursions

The tours with bus and guide from Barcelona take a little longer, about an hour and a half to travel, and are much more expensive than going for free.

What you buy with them is not transport, it's not to have to manage anything:: no stations, no links, no time slots, no morning exchange of tickets. And a guide that explains what you're seeing, that in a place with a thousand years of Benedictine history is not little.

If it's your first trip to Barcelona, you go just in days and you don't want to spend the morning solving logistics, it makes sense. If you drive with public transport and want your rhythm, going for free is simple and much cheaper.

What else is up there?

Montserrat is not just the monastery. It's a natural park with the conglomerate rock mountain that gives it the name, and up there are funicular that link with hiking routes.

• Sant Jeroni, the highest peak, with 360 degree panoramic

• Sant Joanshorter, with views over the monastery and the plain

• The Santa Cuevathe place where, according to tradition, the image of the Virgin was found, on a way down

If you are going to make a route, calculate the full day and look at the time of the last zipper or cable downhill. Staying up is not a comfortable option.