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Montserrat on a Saturday?

Posted by on

My husband and I are two weeks away from our Spain tour and will have a free day on a Saturday before starting our Rick Steves Barcelona/Madrid tour on a Sunday. We were thinking of trying to get to Montserrat that day but didn't know if it would be wicked crowded on a Saturday or if we would have trouble getting tickets on Saturday for train/cable car or train/rack. I know we can buy tickets now, but not knowing if there might be any flight snafus affecting our Friday arrival in Spain, or just a case of terrible travel jet lag, I kind of hate to commit this early. We should arrive in Barcelona on the Friday morning, so it might be possible to purchase tickets some time during the day on Friday if all goes according to plan.

Can anyone give advice on if Montserrat would be a mistake on a Saturday or train ticket availability on Friday for Saturday or on Saturday morning?

Thanks

Posted by
23626 posts

It is open seating on the train to Montserrate so buy your tickets anytime. If you cannot find a seat you stand as we did on the return trip.

Posted by
894 posts

As a former traveler on that RS tour, our fourth day of the tour - the "Picasso Museum" day provided a free opportunity in the afternoon to go it alone in Barcelona - a city which, by this time in the tour, we felt comfortable navigating. Our guide made a few suggestions - one of which was the location in Plaça de Catalunya where Montserrat tour buses parked. Several of us followed that recommendation. As an alternative, one might consider visiting Salvador Dalí's place near Cadaqués (an easy day trip from Barcelona) as a "pre-tour" destination.

Posted by
27 posts

We were just there in early August and went to Montserrat on a Saturday. It was no problem at all. I heard Sundays were very crowded. We got our combo tickets (train then cable car) at the station and hopped right on. There were plenty of people up top, mostly in and around the cathedral and retail area. There was quite a line to go up behind the altar to visit the black Madonna statue up close. We hiked along a couple different trails and only occasionally encountered other people (but maybe in September, when it's a bit cooler, there will be more folks hiking). You should definitely go. It's beautiful!

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