Funicular Aeri de Montserrat — Attraction in Esparreguera

The Funicular Aeri de Montserrat, also known simply as Aeri de Montserrat, is a historic cable car system that offers breathtaking views as it transports passengers to the Montserrat Monastery, one of Catalonia's key spiritual and cultural sites. Opened in 1930, this funicular was developed to provide a direct and efficient access route to the monastery from the valley floor, complementing the railway service available then. The construction of this aerial lift marked a significant achievement in engineering for its time, showcasing innovative design to navigate the challenging terrain of the Montserrat mountain.

Geographically, Montserrat is a unique and striking mountain range located approximately 45 kilometers northwest of Barcelona, Spain. Known for its jagged peaks and unusual rock formations, the mountain reaches a height of 1,236 meters at its highest point, Sant Jeroni. The Aeri de Montserrat ascends the eastern face of the mountain, providing panoramic views of the surrounding Catalonian landscape, and highlighting the sharp, tooth-like ridges that make Montserrat distinctive. This location not only serves as a significant religious pilgrimage site but is also famed for its natural beauty and popularity among hikers and rock climbers. The funicular itself plays a crucial role in balancing accessibility with conservation, offering visitors an opportunity to experience the breathtaking views and cultural significance of Montserrat with minimal...

only two cable cars!! 1.5 hour wait mid-day

We visited Montserrat on Thursday, December 28, 2023 around 12:30pm. The cable car ride itself was cool. The downside and reason for my 2/5 review is that there are only two cable cars and we had to wait in line for an hour and a half just to get up the mountain. This really ate up the day.

The cable car ride only takes about 5 minutes. We were lucky enough to get spots by the window. BUT they pack around 20 people into the gondola car. So you might be straining to see out the window.

Maybe we didn't come early enough in the day or it was an especially busy day. My recommendation would be to take the rack railway train up to Montserrat instead. The ride takes a little longer but you may save a lot of time in the end by not having to wait to actually get on the aeri.

We bailed on our return aeri ride down the mountain because we couldn't deal with another long wait. We got a one way rack railway ride down instead. This conveniently links up with the rest of the metro system. Which to be fair, so too...

There is a combined ticket called TransMontserrat that you can buy from the vending machines. It costs 35.30 EUR and gives you two single tickets to Barcelona Metro to and from the station Espanya, the train trip from Barcelona and back, the two funiculars on top of the mountains - one going from Monastery to the Santa Cova cave and also to the top of the mountain (as described above) to San Joan and then depending on which kind of ticket you chose, either the return trip by the cable car or a return trip by a funicular which both take you from the train to the Monastery and back. Just beware that you must choose this form of transportation in advance and you cannot combine them. The only difference is in the station where you leave your train. If you choose the cable car, get off at the Montserrat Aeri station and if you choose the funicular, leave at Monistrol de Montserrat station. It's the same if you go back.

Just make sure that you return down with some time to spare for you may end up quite some time for the cable car. It only fits 30...