A 680m/745yd long cableway (difference in height 535m/1,55ft), the oldest of its kind in Spain, runs up from the Manresa road to the Capilla de Sant Jeroni, from which it is a 5minute walk to the summit of Sant Jeroni, the highest peak in the Montserrat range.
The Montserrat Rack Railway is a mountain railway line that was originally opened in 1892. A permanent exhibition presents the history and evolution of the Railway track from its creation to present day. Visitors will enjoy a short but spectacular and comfortable journey to the monastery.
Address: Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya, Commercial Department Avenida Pau Casals, 24, 8 , E-08021 Barcelona, Spain
From the Plaça de la Creu, a road goes past the upper station of the cableway from the valley road to the Cueva Santa, with a 17th century chapel. In this "Sacred Cave" the image of the Virgin of Montserrat, hidden during the Moorish period, is said to have been rediscovered by shepherds.
In Plaça de la Creu is the lower station of the cableway to the Ermita de San Juan. Nearby, by the roadside, is a monument to the Catalan cellist Pau (Pablo) Casals.
San Juan is one of the many hermitages round Montserrat, originally thirteen in number. From the upper station of the cableway there is a fine view of the monastery. There is a rewarding walk from here to San Jerónimo (Catalan Sant Jeroni).
In the Plaça de l'Abat Oliva is the beginning of the Via Crucis, with fourteen large statuary groups set up between 1904 and 1919 and restored after the Civil War.
Virgen de la Soledad
At the end of the Way of the Cross is the chapel of the Virgen de la Soledad. At the 14th station a path goes off to the Ermita de San Miguel (Catalan Sant Miquel), a 19th Century chapel replacing a 10th century predecessor.