Montserrat (Catalonia)

Start Town	Altitude	Elevation Gain	Length	Gradient	Difficulty	Rating
Monestir de Montserrat	735m	588m	8.5 km	6.9%	521	****

Climb Description

Montserrat is a spectacular climb situated near the city of Barcelona in north-east Spain. It is a fairly steady climb for cyclists, who flock here in there hundreds each week - many of them coming here from Barcelona itself.

Unforunately, it is not just cyclists who are attracted to Montserrat. The monastery at the top of the climb is a sacred site and is visited by millions of tourists each year; even more come to walk in the mountains here. At busy times of the year this makes Montserrat quite an unpleasant time to ride - so it's highly advisable to do the climb on a weekday - especially during winter.

Aside from the traffic though, which can be avoided on some other more rolling routes through the Natural Park, Montserrat is a stunning climb. The name literally means Saw Mountain in Catalan, and the jagged peaks which tower over the landscape for miles around are an incredible sight. Montserrat is one of the most distinctive climbs in the whole of Spain and even if you don't fancy braving the traffic on a bike, you should consider visiting it if you have the chance.

Montserrat is open throughout the year.

Roads & Traffic

The road surface is in very good condition throughout.

Montserrat is a very popular tourist destination and the road is busy with traffic in summer, at weekends and on public holidays. During the rest of the year there is still some traffic, but it is much less of a nuissance to cyclists.

Alternative Routes

This is the main way to climb to Montserrat. There are various other routes through the Natural Park, which are generally a bit more inconsistent in gradient and often having long rolling sections. One of the most popular is the gentle climb up from the village of El Calvet.

Nearby Climbs

Turó de l'Home

Santa Fe de Montseny

Alt de la Musara

Port del Compte

Cycling Holidays

Our Barcelona & Catalonia cycling holiday follows a more rolling route around the Montserrat Natural Park. The standard itinerary descends this climb, however, it can be adjusted to climb it if you would like to take on the challenge!

You can find our more information in the links below about this and some of other cycling holidays in Catalonia and neighbouring regions.