From certain points of Barcelona you can see the peaks of the Montserrat mountain range which lies 50 kilometers northeast of Barcelona. Easily accessible by bus, a day trip to Montserrat (the “Jagged Mountains”), is well worth it. From the bustling city, to the outskirts of Barcelona you will be exposed to a completely different terrain slowly climbing up-up-up to the base of Montserrat where the ominous peaks loom over you.

You arrive to an absolutely beautiful Basicilica and Monestary nestled amongst the amazing backdrop of steep rock peaks. The stone of the basilica has a slightly pink hue which is very pretty in combination with the grey of the stone behind it. Here there is a nice cafeteria style eating area and gift store.

From this point you begin your hike up the steep path and steep stairs (excellent for the behind!). As you climb you are encompassed in the billowy clouds which are eerie and cool, but as you climb even higher you rise above them to one of the most beautiful vistas I have ever seen. The jagged rocks become even more are dramatic as they drop straight down to a beautiful undeveloped valley. From the summit you have a 360 degrees vista and can see for miles. It makes all the huffing and puffing well worth it. Pack a nice lunch or snack because if you hike to the top, you will want a break and, more importantly, to enjoy the amazing view before you head back down.

This is a tough hike where you will see hikers with walking sticks dressed in hiking garb, but anyone can do it and should do it if you have more than a few days in Barcelona. There is even a funicular from the base of the mountain to the basilicia (which we did not do). Since we went in January and it was (very) cold, there weren’t as many people as there are in Spring. It also appears to be a very hot spot for rock climbers, plenty of sheer rock to climb!