Montserrat

Montserrat is the one day trip from Barcelona that nearly every visitor should consider, and the setting explains why before you even reach the monastery. The mountain rises abruptly from the plain north-west of the city, a jagged ridge of pink conglomerate rock eroded into towers, fingers and rounded knuckles, and its name, which means serrated mountain in Catalan, describes it perfectly. Halfway up, wedged onto a ledge beneath the cliffs, sits the Benedictine abbey of Santa Maria de Montserrat, a working monastery for close to a thousand years and the spiritual heart of Catalonia. Inside the basilica is La Moreneta, the small dark-faced Romanesque statue of the Virgin and Child that is the patron of Catalonia; pilgrims queue to pass behind the altar and touch the orb she holds, and the queue moves slowly on busy days. The other great draw is the Escolania, the monastery's boys' choir, one of the oldest music schools in Europe, which sings in the basilica on many days during the school year. Beyond the abbey, the mountain itself is the reward. Two funiculars climb from the monastery terrace: the Sant Joan funicular rises steeply to trails across the upper plateau, including the walk to the summit of Sant Jeroni, the highest point of the massif, with views on clear days to the Pyrenees; the Santa Cova funicular descends towards the path to the Holy Grotto chapel, where legend says the statue was found. Getting there is part of the experience: from Plaça d'Espanya, regional trains run to the foot of the mountain, where you change either to the Aeri, a vintage-looking cable car that swings up the cliff face, or to the rack railway, which climbs more gently through the gorge.

Choosing how to go matters more than at most sights. Doing it yourself by train is straightforward and lets you stay as long as you like: combined tickets bundle the regional train, either the cable car or the rack railway and, in fuller versions, the funiculars, the museum and a meal, and they save working out each fare separately. Organised tours from Barcelona add a guide and a fixed schedule, and many pair the mountain with a cellar visit and tasting in the nearby Penedès or Bages wine country, which suits travellers who want an easy, sociable day. The cable car is quicker and more thrilling, the rack railway is calmer and better for anyone nervous of heights, and both arrive at the monastery square. Note that the funiculars and the cable car close for a few weeks of maintenance each winter, usually in January, while the rack railway keeps running; check the operator's timetable if you travel then.

At the top, plan your time around the choir and the crowds. Tour coaches arrive mid-morning, so an early train gives you the basilica and the Virgin's chapel before the queues build; the Escolania usually sings around midday on weekdays during term time, but it does not perform during school holidays and on some days of the week, so check the schedule before you build your day around it. The Museu de Montserrat, near the basilica, is better than most visitors expect, with old master paintings, Catalan modern art and an archaeology collection, and it makes a quiet refuge when the square is busy. Then go up: the Sant Joan funicular and an hour or two of walking on the upper paths are where Montserrat stops being a busy shrine and becomes a mountain, with rock pinnacles, hermitage ruins and huge views.

Practicalities: wear proper shoes rather than sandals if you plan to walk, carry water and a layer, because the mountain is cooler and windier than the city, and check the forecast, as low cloud can swallow the views entirely. Food on site is limited to a cafeteria, a buffet restaurant and a market selling local cheeses and the sweet mató curd cheese with honey, so a picnic is a good idea for hikers. Allow a full day: an hour each way in transit, at least two hours for the monastery and its museum, and as long as you like on the trails. Montserrat is busiest at weekends and on religious holidays, when Catalan families and pilgrims join the tour groups, so a weekday visit is noticeably more peaceful.