Montserrat

Montserrat is a great attraction and easy enough to get there without a tour. See Rick's directions. As for Park Güell, it's a fun and unique venue. Apples v. oranges. Choose your fruit.

Montserrat is super easy to reach by train. It's been a few years since I was there, so I can't remember the exact transport connections but I remember that there were large signs on the train station specifically for tourists going to Montserrat, with directions and instructions to the correct tickets and platform. Any good guidebook should have instructions on how to get there by public transport.
The monastery and the surrounding mountains are quite scenic, so in my mind it is very much worth a visit.
Parc Güell is also worth a visit. Yes there are many people, but it's a park, so there is room enough. And unlike the other Gaudi sights, the lines are shorter and the entrance doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

APPLES

Going to Montserrat on your own is very easy -and far more fun than going on an organised tour. Part of the fun is the trip in itself -which you wouldn't experience if you go on a bus with a flock of other tourists. It's more enjoyable by 'traditional' means which include train+cable car or train+rack train. Once in the mountain, there are funiculars to visit the different coves. There is a combined ticket (labelled "TransMontserrat") that can be bought at the departure station in Barcelona, located in Plaça Espanya, and includes all the necessary tickets. It can be also purchased online at the official Barcelona Tourism Information Board at the same price. Note that the decision to ride up the mountain to the monastery either by cable car or by rack train has to be made when purchasing the ticket as the transfer points are at different stations.

For a glimpse of what Montserrat is really all about --- I have to admit that the spectacular soundtrack makes it for a more dramatic video, lol!

Note that Montserrat is much more than the monastery complex, one major reason to visit is hiking in one of the numerous spectacular trails that the mountain has. More on an older post of mine at TA, read post #5 here.

ORANGES

Park Güell is a public park which was originally designed by Gaudí as a private community for the bourgeoise of the city -sort of what you guys call a 'gated community'. But the commercial venture didn't work out and its promoter, Count Eusebi Güell, decided to donate it to the City and its citizens.

The park contains numerous pieces of architecture (Sala Hipòstila, Plaça de la Natura, Viaducte, etc) reunited in one part of the park -the one that now requires a ticket to be visited and which amounts to an 8% of its total surface- called the Monumental area that has now a limited access (800 visitors each hour) thus making it an enjoyable experience -no endless flocks jamming it any more. This is not to say there aren't many visitors of course, after all, an estimated 2.3 million visit this area every year, yet far less than the 9 million that used to when the whole park was free. The vast majority in itself continues to be FREE. The Monumental area contains most of the monuments -but not all, a few can be seen in the free zone- and it's indeed well worth visiting: the Viaduct or the Turó de les Tres Creus at the top of the park and with an impressive view of the city. It's advisable to arrive a bit earlier to the park and venture to these sites. More info: http://www.parkguell.cat and for a glimpse.

Also for info, The Casa Museu Gaudí (Gaudí Museum) located in the park requires a separate ticket -as it's privately run by the Sagrada Família Foundation, while the park is public and it's managed by the City Council. There's a new attraction a stone throw away from the park, Gaudí Experience which is interesting for those particularly curious about the works of the great architect.

Enjoy!

We did Montserrat by ourselves two years ago and it was very easy. Got our tickets at the train station, opted for the cable-car ride. It's basically a commuter train, so no reserved seating. The stop for the cable car comes first. You get off the train, follow the crowd and get in line for the cable car-line moved quickly and the ride up felt very safe. There was a short (10 min.) concert by the boys' choir in the church at 1 pm, but check the website. We opted for the ticket that included a lunch- that was the only thing that didn't impress us.

Thank you all so much! I'm very excited to go to Montserrat, and you have answered almost all my questions.

How long does the rack railway ride take? (Not too long, I hope!) Is it terrifying? After looking at images, I'm not opting for the cable car. It's a little confusing. Both look scary to me (heights), but it will be an adventure. :)

I don't think we'll be able to hike, as my companion has some knee problems and I think uphill hiking would be too much, but we'll see.

It takes around 15' and it never goes faster than 20 mph so don't worry. If you're afraid of highs just sit in one of the seats in the middle section so you don't have the temptation to look down. In any case, the pictures from outside showing the rack train ascending are much more spectacular than the view you'll have from inside. Do have a peek of what you'll be seeing from inside during the journey.... and don't forget to thank those Japanese with their cameras "at hand all the time" for this. Too bad this one was experimenting with the video sets and speeded the footage 5-fold... it look as if it was running at 200mph! :))

We use the word "trails" because these are on a mountain, but don't be fooled, some of them are rather like a stroll in a city boulevard as there's little or no slope at all and you walk on a rather wide man-made path with seats every now and then so one can rest if necessary. Try the "Ruta del Santuari", which is very easy, flat and it's the most frequented by visitors or the "Via Crucis", also very easy with only a few steps here and there. The way is full of statues and other elements that help to better understand the religious symbology of Montserrat for the Catalans. And don't worry, you'll see these trails immediately, they're all very well signaled.

Then there are also two funiculars that take you to the Holly Grotto (la Santa Cova) and another to the top of the mountain (Sant Joan). A must do too!

Again, get the TransMonserrat combined ticket for this... it covers all the transportation tickets for this 'adventure' so you don't have to worry about getting this or that all the time. It's like a "pass", just stick it in the machine and you're set.

You can do both, in a long day. Rick's step by step instructions are invaluable. Take the guidebook with you!
The geology of Montserrat was most interesting to me. There were far more touristy shops than i expected. The longest line was for the Black Madonna, see this article: https://www.intltravelnews.com/2007/03/visiting-the-black-madonna-of-montserrat .
We took the rack train, very easy. I think it is worth it.
Park Guell should be seen especially since you are viewing other projects; we enjoyed seeing Gaudi's home there ( separate ticket, fairly short line).
Tarragona is also a nice day trip, if you find spare time.