My wife and I are spending four days and nights in Barcelona, starting midday, October 31st. We commonly follow Rick's recommendations, but at a slower (maybe half to two-thirds) pace. We will go to many of his most recommended sights for at least three days. For the other day, I think about three choices: 1) staying in town; (2) going to Montserrat; (3) going to Tarragona, where a friend recommended seeing the Roman ruins. (Afterwards, we will be spending four more days in the countryside near Girona and the Costa Brava, so we won't want to go in that direction.) I have a CD compilation that has a piece from the Montserrat choir, so I have a bias toward that, but I read that they practice in public for only about 10 minutes and it seems like nearly an all-day experience to go there, visit, and come back. Any thoughts?
Posted by
4 posts
We are doing a Cava Tour and Montserrat one day...you hear the choir and all. It is a whole day thing so its very leisure and different i thought.
Posted by
Bay Area
3551 posts
I enjoyed monserrat very much. Yes it will be all day . There is a reasonable cafeteria on sight for convenience. Many find the visit quite spiritual. There is a hike surrounding the monastery and a portion of st james way. The views and some scultural pieces are very nice. It can be very crowded with visitors/pilgrims so take note. We stayed overnight to enjoy the solitude.
Posted by
169 posts
We spent a week in Barcelona a year ago and we wished we had more time in this amazing city. You might just enjoy the 4th day just experiencing the city. With your comments about "going to his most recommended sights" . Consider doing something untouristy, or go back to a spot you only spent a short time at or places you haven't made it to. Explore other neighborhoods. Walk around. You can spend a year in Barcelona and not see everything.
Posted by
Barcelona (Catalonia)
3075 posts
Hi,
Montserrat isn't only about the choir or even the monastery, it's also very much about the landscape and the nature around that area. There are a myriad of paths (from very easy to more advanced levels) to walk and embrace the magic of this place. There are even two funiculars to the coves around the monastery. The paths are a very popular activity for many Catalan families on week-ends: hiking (or just a slow lazy walk ;)... and a pic-nic, perfect day! Even the ascension from the train station to the monastery is already an adventure, either by cable car or by rack train.
Check out: http://www.montserratvisita.com/en/index.html
And in other parts of this mountain range you have other wonderful sights to explore, like the impressive saltpetre caves in Collbató (video), on the southern side of Montserrat. But for this you need a car.
Yet, as travelguymiami mentioned... in three days you're not going to even scratch the surface on the things you can see/do in Barcelona.
Posted by
Lubbock, TX
417 posts
I was just in Barcelona for a month this summer and saw all the sights/cities you're talking about. Montserrat is pretty much an all-day experience but was totally worth it. The boys choir does only sing for a short time and it's completely packed inside the cathedral but the mountain itself and the hiking trails are worth it, if you're into that kind of scenery. Tarragona was great as well, the focus there is obviously the Roman ruins and history of the town. I would say they are both a full day-trip, since that's how I saw both sights, but they're both equally enjoyable. It's a decision between nature and the boy's choir and Roman ruins and the sea. Both are excellent choices you'll enjoy!!
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
368 posts
We went to Girona last Friday, 1 hour AVE train eu26 round trip from Sants, leaving at 9:25, return 3:11 train. Gave us plenty of time to see the Cathedral, Jewish quarter, wonderful views along the Onyar river and time for a sit down lunch.
Posted by
Port St Joe Florida
513 posts
Another option you might consider is a daytrip to Zaragoza. There are several trains each day from Barcelona Sants. and it usually takes less than 90 minutes. Among the many places to visit here are the two main churches (El Pilar and the Cathedral), a variety of Roman sites, El Tubo (the tapas and bar district). etc. Take a look at all that the city has to offer in MOST Spain guidebooks (I'd recommend Lonely Planet or Frommer's) - I say most because Rick doesn't recognize Zaragoza as a viable place to visit.
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
Montserrat and Tarragona are very different so you'll have to choose based on your own interests. As noted, Montserrat is much about the hiking and vistas, or as a Catholic religious site. It is quite pretty there and the buildings are nice but mostly early 20th century reconstructions. If you hike, expect to spend the better part of a day there. If just seeing the monastery, it can be done in a little over half a day as there really isn't much to see at the monastery (unless you wait in the very long line for the black virgin or whatever it is).
Tarragona is all about the Roman ruins. The coliseum is very dramatic along the coastline and it has an excellent museum with artifacts, mosaics and history of the Roman settlement (the oldest in Iberia). The other ruins are somewhat less inspiring but the walk along the old Roman walls is nice. Expect a full day there to see the sites and have a lunch.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thanks, everyone, for your replies.
Based on the abundance of things to do in the city and Enric's info about Montserrat--the nature, view, walks--it seems like either spending the fourth day in town or going to Montserrat would work very well. Perhaps we should let good weather be the tie-breaker and stay in town if it is raining and the visibility is bad?