Montserrat Mountain Natural Park

Cultural information

The nature reserve is located near the city of Barcelona, some 60 kilometres from it. In the vicinity of the park there are numerous villages with elements of artistic and cultural interest. However, without a doubt, the most outstanding feature is the Monastery of Santa María, a majestic construction of which there are architectural elements from the 11th century to the 20th century, through its successive reconstructions and renovations. Moreover, the monastery and the image it houses, the virgin known as “la Moreneta”, are a symbol for Catalonia.

Environmental information

The Montserrat Mountain is structured as a clearly differentiated, individualised and homogeneous geographical unit. Its geological features make it unique, as it is a rocky massif with a very rugged relief, in which the action of erosion has created numerous forms of needles, cliffs and crests. The vegetation is sparse, but in the lower areas there is an abundance of Aleppo pines. Its wildlife is mainly made up of wild cat and wild boar populations, in the holm oak groves, and the reintroduced Spanish ibex or birds of prey such as the sparrowhawk, Bonelli's eagle or peregrine falcon, which are located in the less accessible areas.

Information for visits

There are tourist information points in the Monastery's main patio, in the middle of the mountain, and down in the village of Monistrol de Montserrat. To get to the monastery from Monistrol there are three options: By car, via mountain pass (9 km along the twisty BP-1121 road); by rack railway; and by cable car (aeri), the station at the lowest altitude being at a distance of 3 km from the village.