Montserrat

Yes, we went by public transportation, train to gondola. We did the hiking above Montserrat and lingered a lot at the monastery and still got back by about 6pm.

I pretty much did the same day trip that Jules did but it was back in 2015. I’m guessing the logistics are pretty much the same now. Train and then cable car/ funicular up the mountain. Funny. So often I have to refer back to the timestamp on my photographs to figure out timing of my adventures because my memory of something that occurred 8 years ago can be fuzzy. My photos confirmed that the day trip from Barcelona took about 6-7 hours. So, yes, if you leave very early, it’s possible to be back in Barcelona by 4. You may cut it close so if you have a reserved timed entry to something in Barcelona at 4:00 pm, I would calculate that into the timing. Look at the train schedules to figure that out.

I spent a good deal of time, hiking/walking, using the funicular and visiting the church. There was a steady stream of visitors going into the church if memory serves.

Absolutely. My private guided round trip tour from Barcelona to Montserrat began at 9 and ended at 4. We had plenty of time to visit the sites, enjoy a leisurely lunch, take the funicular to the top, and an abundance of free time. We did not hike or walk down only because one individual in our group was not able to do so.

Sure. It’s very simple to do on your own.

Trip there is an hour train + ≈15-30 to queue & ride the gondola up, a bit faster coming back down the mountain via the cog loco. Earliest departure is 08:36 and your train back will be 14:41 so maybe 14:15ish trip down. So that gives you 4 hours. Not a lot of time for hiking, but plenty of time to see the buildings and enjoy the views

I went in April 2023. The longest delays were waiting in line for the gondola up and the crowd for the return train to Barcelona. Get there early to avoid the gondola crowd? Others here have suggested taking the cog wheel train down instead of the gondola to eliminate the train platform wait (You arrive at the return train stop ahead of the gondola return train stop). You also have a better chance of getting a seat on the return train. These 2 tips could save you some valuable time.

I did train and gondola (cable car) up there. I loved the cable car ride. Unfortunately - this was November 2019 - Montserrat itself was absolutely teeming with tourists. I guess I got there about 11. The church was full to bursting. I stood at the back for a bit looking at everyone’s mobile phone screens which were being held up. Then I had early lunch at the cafeteria, which was overpriced and memorably bad.

The weather wasn’t suitable for hiking and despite the amazing landscape, the whole complex was so unpleasantly crowded that I left about 90 minutes after I arrived and had a bonus afternoon of Barcelona sightseeing. I caught the cable car back down as there was no queue to get down the mountain - no one else was leaving as early as me.

To this day, I don’t know whether there was something special going on, but my arrival seemed to coincide with vast numbers of school parties and others.