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Barcelona Visit 2025 Day 5

Our fifth day in Barcelona was taken up with a visit to the Montserrat mountain range.
A view of a mountain with a rocky peak and trees growing below.

We started our fifth day in Barcelona with a quick stop at Plaça d’Espanya. The Venetian Towers flanking Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina were impressive, as was the fountain covered with statues. We even spotted a familiar spooky Pokémon stickered on a pole.

The Venetian Towers, two tall brick towers flanking Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina in Barcelona.
Two children face each other in a courtyard in front of a building.
A monument fountain in Plaça Espanya can be seen in front of Catalonia Barcelona Plaza Hotel. Statues can be seen atop the fountain's columns.
A pole with a sticker of the Pokémon Mimikyu on it.

We next hopped on a train heading out of Barcelona to the Montserrat mountain range. We were on a train for about an hour before we reached our next transportation method.

A view from a train travelling through Barcelona. A brick building can be seen close to the viewer, and trees and other buildings in the distance.

The Aeri de Montserrat cable car was across from a train stop, so we were quickly at the base looking up at the mountain. The view from the ground was beautiful but we were soon rising into the air with better sights moment by moment.

A sign for Aeri de Montserrat attached to a wall. It depicts a cable car with mountains in the background.
A view of a mountain with a cable car in front of it. A bridge can be seen flanked by trees in the foreground.
A view of a mountain in front of a blue sky. A road and a bridge can be seen in the foreground.
A man with shoulder length red hair stands in front of stairs in the foreground and mountains in the background.
An aerial view of a road and a river running in parallel.
An aerial view of a road and buildings.
A view from a cable car that shows another cable car descending over trees on a mountainside.
A view of a tree-covered mountain.

We were now far enough up the mountain to briefly walk around the religious complex and see the train that also climbs that high into the mountains.

Two women walk beside a green train on a mountainside.
A view of a tree-covered mountain.
A metal lion head is attached to a wall.
A modernist/cubist sculpture of Saint George in an alcove.
A statue of a hooded woman holding book in an alcove.
A view of mountains in the background and brick buildings in the foreground.
A photo of the Sepulchre of Juan II de Ribagorza including a kneeling figure statue on the left and a statue of a reclining figure on the right.

We were quickly on to our next method of climbing higher, the Funicular de Sant Joan. I don’t think I’d ever been on a funicular before, but it’s a mechanically fascinating device that uses two cable cars to climb a steep incline efficiently.

A view of a funicular with a brick monestary visible through its window and riders below.
A view of a mountain with many trees on its slopes.
A view of a mountain with tracks approaching the viewer.

We looked around a visitor centre at the top and followed a trail to a higher point to take in the views before descending by the funicular.

Two children drink Fanta while sitting outside at a window frame.
A view of a tree-covered mountain from a gravel path.
A view of a mountain with a rocky peak and trees growing below.
A landscape view of a mountain with trees growing on it.
A view from a rocky area down from a high point on a mountain.
A view of a mountain below a blue sky.

Back at the lower level we walked around the complex and had a lunch. The art and architecture at the Montserrat monastery and basilica were stunning.

A salad and a package of gazpacho sit on a table in a restaurant.
A mural depicts a multicultural group viewing paintings.
A view of a courtyard of a brick building. Atop the centre wall is a clock and below that a circular window.
A statue of a slender monk sits amid trees and other greenery.
A statue of a woman raising her hands and wearing a dress stands in front of a wooden wall.
A statue depicing Joan I holding a sword, wearing a crown, and accompanied by a greyhound.
A view of the basilica at Montserrat, showing an ornate ceiling with a skylight and alcoves to either side of pews.
a statue of a nun holding a dove and a staff flanked by two other statues, a man holding a child on the right and a woman holding a lamb on the left.
A metal statue of an angel stands in a hallway.
A view down at the Aeri de Montserrat upper station and down into the valley below.

We descended on the cable car and after a wait were back on the train and headed to Barcelona. Once back we visited some stores to collect supplies for the next day and got groceries.

A storefront sells fruit and vegetables. Prices are written on paper below each product. Pineapples, avocados, melons, sweet potatoes, oranges, and peppers can be seen.
Three tall buildings can be seen beyond a grassy area. The middle building is red and has a curved exterior. The Buildings to either side are boxy and rectangular. An elevator can be seen in the foreground.
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