Montserrat from El Bedorc: how to get up and what to do in a day
Montserrat is about 45 minutes by car from La Casa Vella. You can drive up to the monastery, take the rack railway from Monistrol or the cable car, and the classic path climbs to Sant Jeroni, at 1,236 metres.
The mountain you see from the house is about 45 minutes away by car. There are three ways up to the monastery.
Getting up
- By car, to the monastery car park.
- Rack railway (Cremallera), from Monistrol de Montserrat. If you drive, leave the car at Monistrol Vila station, which has free parking. Monistrol Enllaç station connects with the R5 line of the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat.
- Aeri de Montserrat cable car, on the C-55 road at km 11.5. The ride takes five minutes and there is free parking too.
What to do
- Hear the Escolania choir. Its website says it sings every day in the basilica at 1 pm and 7 pm. Tourist guides give other times, so check escolania.cat before you go.
- Climb to Sant Jeroni, the highest point of the massif (1,236 m). The usual route takes the Sant Joan funicular to Pla de les Taràntules and follows a signed path past les Gorres and the Serra de les Paparres viewpoint to the chapel and the summit: about 7 km and two and a half hours. You can come back the same way or walk down the old Sant Jeroni path to the monastery. The Sant Joan funicular closes for a few days every January for maintenance.
- Walk down to the Santa Cova along the Camí del Rosari, a paved path of about 1.7 km (around 45 minutes one way) with sculptures from 1896 to 1916, some by Gaudí and Puig i Cadafalch. It is downhill on the way there and uphill back. The Santa Cova funicular is currently closed for works, so you have to walk.
Back at the house
El Bedorc is a small village among vineyards: dinner, a glass of Penedès wine and the outline of Montserrat from the window.