Montserrat: from the Monastery to Sant Jeroni – Circular route

Beware everyone. Photographing went through with me as always 🤪🤪. But it was a really cool hike. I would do exactly that again anytime 😎

Wonderful tour starting from Montserrat Monastery. The parking lot was already crowded in the off-season at noon. Either come early in the morning or take the cog railway from the valley. 1st part of the route quite steep ascent, felt to 2/3 by stairs. Very very windy at the top, take appropriate clothing with you. The descent is then much more pleasant to walk, almost without stairs, towards the end with wonderful views of the monastery. From the cogwheel train station, the descent is very steep again, but everything is on a concrete path. Very nice tour, very die-hards can combine it with the ascent from the valley, but then it becomes a day tour (Hm and length then doubles).

After we arrived at Montserrat Monastery yesterday evening and spent the night there 🚐😴, today we went to the highest peak 1236m the "Sant Jeroni" of the "sawed mountain", that's what "Montserrat" is called in German. Very impressive the profile of the mountain and a beautiful monastery. "The old way of Sant Jeroni", which the monks used and we too, leads up more than 1000 steep steps via Les escales dels pobres (the stairs of the poor). The way back went via the "Camí Nou".

Montserrat, the magical mountain, today with fog is even more magical

The massif of Montserrat (sawn mountain) pushes itself out of the landscape like a molar and is visible from afar due to its characteristic shape. The myriad spiers and spiers emit a greyish-red color that comes from the conglomerate of caked river pebbles called Nagelfluh. The center of this mountain is the Benedictine monastery with its black Madonna (la moreneta), which is the patron saint of Catalonia. But the whole complex is sacred: everywhere there are small churches built into the rocks, hermitages, statues of saints, crosses stuck somewhere in the rock... it seems as if a deeper secret resides in every stone. The tour led mainly on the "new", higher San Jeroni path to the summit, which is really spectacular because of its grandiose view. Back to the monastery I chose the "old" San Jeroni way. Here it goes comfortably in a shady valley along a (now dried up) stream. There is one downside: the trail involves countless cemented steps, especially the way back. Also, you shouldn't go on the tour when it's raining, because the pebbles that have been trodden on are definitely very slippery. In dry weather, however, the tour is highly recommended: 10 out of 10 points!

A truly interesting trail that is peppered with magnificent views. Hiked up and ran down. Not particularly technical but climbs are sustained at some points. Done in summer, so conditions were dry and hot.

It was sooooo beautiful. Very touristy, but rightly so. Everyone is excited. I would gladly do it again anytime. 😀

Group hike from Monserrat Monastery to the brilliant Sankt Jeromi vantage point. Return with the funicular