Train/Tren: Pl. Espanya to Aeri de Montserrat, ev. 2 hours. Then cable car. Car: From Barcelona take the B20, then A2 (exit Martorell). Bus: Julià bus company from Pl. dels Països Catalans (next to Sants station) at 0900, returns at 1800 (summer), 1700 (winter). Tourist Office: 93 877 7777/ Tren: Pl. Espanya hasta Aeri de Montserrat, cada 2 horas. Entonces coger teleférico. Coche: Desde Barcelona tomar la B20 y la A2 (salida Martorell). Bus: Compañía Julià desde Pl. dels Països Catalans (junto Estación de Sants) a las 0900, vuelve a las 1800 (verano), 1700 (invierno). Oficina de Turismo: 93 877 7777.

Montserrat is only about forty-five minutes by train from Barcelona, but seems like a world apart from the busy city. The quiet town is the spiritual, cultural and historical home of Catalonia, and stands at an imperious 1,220m high. The sparsely vegetated, rocky mountains, with smooth grey surfaces, can be seen from many miles away. Legend has it that the rocks have human or caricature features. The centrepiece is a Benedictine monastery on the edge of the mountain, which receives thousands of pilgrims every year. The main interest for visitors is La Moreneta, or Black Virgin, a small wooden sculpture from the twelfth century, made apparently by St. Luke and brought to Montserrat by St. Peter in AD 50. In 1881 it was crowned in accordance with Canon Law and she was proclaimed patron saint of the dioceses in Catalonia by Pope Leo XIII. The town is accessible by car, bus or train and there is a cable car that takes you up and down the mountain, stopping a little more than half way to drop you off at the monastery. The nearby hills with small churches and spectacular views across the Catalonian countryside invite visitors to discover the surroundings by foot.