About 50 kilometers from Barcelona lies a mountain range, impressive with its picturesque landscapes, called Montserrat. No traveler has yet withstood the beauty of its unusual forms. And if you want to experience delight, awe, or even tranquility, we invite you to embark on a journey to these mysterious mountains, whose separate rocks and cliffs resemble gigantic idols.
It will be an unforgettable journey! You will see the enchanting beauty of the mountain stone peaks – a mysterious place with narrow channels creating patterns of whimsical shapes, gloomy caves, and lush greenery at the foot. All this beauty has been and remains a source of inspiration for painters, poets, and writers.
Here you will definitely want to spend the whole day, but a new discovery awaits you – an interesting car adventure and a visit to the ancient town of Sitges.
What you must see on Montserrat mountain
Your exciting journey will begin from Barcelona. By car, accompanied by a guide, guests will head to Montserrat mountain. For an hour, you will admire the incredible, changing landscapes outside the car window and listen to interesting stories from the guide.
Time will fly by unnoticed, and before your eyes will appear majestic massive mountains, resembling frozen fairy tale stone giants from afar. There is a wonderful legend associated with their appearance. The belief says that it was the work of bored angels who once lived at the very top of the mountain.
So, they were bored, and to entertain themselves, they split a monolithic block into pieces and then sculpted stone sculptures. If you look closely, you will see the outlines of figures – “God’s Finger”, “Elephant’s Head”, “Camel”. By the way, these names were given to these peaks later.
So what awaits tourists at the top of Montserrat mountain? Turning your gaze to the very top, travelers will see our main goal – the complex of the same-name male monastery. Getting to the Benedictine monastery, built more than 1000 years ago, is not easy – as it is located at the top of a mountain, whose height is over 700 meters!
Several interesting routes:
- Take the funicular leading to the summit of Saint John (976 m), from where various hiking trails begin and the nature museum of this area is located;
- Get your nerves tickled by taking the cable car, making a kind of aerial journey;
- Climb by train on the cog railway “Cremallera” or “Lightning”;
One way or another – you will reach the monastery, a religious center of Catalonia, known all over the world. Here you will find amazing relics and a lot of unforgettable impressions:
- You will immerse yourself in a world of soothing music, enjoying the singing of the famous choir Escolania de Montserrat. Boys come from all corners of the globe to listen to the singing. Its popularity is so great that you need to reserve seats in advance in the main temple of the monastery to hear the angelic children’s singing.
- You will definitely look at the most valuable Catholic relic – the statue of the “Black Madonna of Montserrat”. According to legend, if you touch it, every childless woman will soon know the happiness of motherhood.
A trip to a quiet town on the coast
Tired of the impressive beauty, you will again get into the car to reach another, fairy-tale, quiet place – the ancient town of Sitges in about 1 hour. It has hidden itself from prying eyes in a bay on the Costa del Garraf coastline, preserving its unique Catalan charm.
There is no need to specially time your visit – festivals, colorful carnivals, and other equally exciting celebrations are organized here year-round. Tourists can look forward to shopping, trendy boutiques, visiting seaside restaurants, and, of course, strolling through the historic center.
