We had a tour Friday and arrived on the mountain around 10:30 via Bus and Rack Railway (Cremallera)…read morefor the last 10 minutes. You get some breathtaking views as you climb towards 1236 ft. and also experience the railway car that has been around since the 1800s with the original car on display at the station. Once we got to the main area of the mountain, there is quite a bit to do and you can spend a full day if you took the time to take it all in. The jagged rock formations of the mountain range give a few photo ops. The main event was the Basilica/Abbey with the Black Madonna and hearing the Escolania Boys Choir. Peaceful, serene and listening to this choir for a few minutes before bed has to help with insomnia. There are plenty of hiking options with a 15 minute hike to the top for more breathtaking views. Would recommend visiting the museum. Many shopping and food options (Cafes) with our tour guide recommending a Buffet restaurant. I tend to stay away from Buffet spots and should have followed my instincts. It was ok and really was at a disadvantage after the meals we had in Barcelona-stick with the Cafes. Overall, well worth the time and visit!

Beautiful monastery, located against the backdrop of the Montserrat mountain where the peaks are…read moreliterally surrounding the monastery. The Cathedral that is at the heart of this monastery is very ornate and gorgeous with classic European craftsmanship from an age gone by clearly visible throughout the cathedral. As beautiful as the monastery is, the elevated views from this location are drop dead gorgeous and worth the trip alone. Unfortunately, on the day we visited, there was a mass going on where they closed viewing of the black Madonna for the day to not be in conflict with the mass which is standard practice. So you need to keep an eye on this if you plan to visit this site. The other negative thing is that the place was slammed with tourist and I felt that the outlying buildings were completely commercialized to sell trinkets to the tourist that visit. I personally am not a fan when places of worship do this, but I do understand that this type of operation probably funds the maintenance and operation of monastery year-round and is probably a necessary evil in this case. All in all, this is one of the main attractions in the Barcelona area and should be included on any itinerary during your visit here. Opportunities to see beauty like this along with it's historical relevance are far few and in between and should be taken advantage of anytime you're given this opportunity.

Great place for pictures on top of a small hill. The architecture in Spain is magical and this…read morecathedral is nothing less than spectacular.

We are cathedral buffs, and we enjoyed the "no rush" style of the self run tour. Usually, with a…read moreguide, we feel rushed and therefore enjoy it less. Overall, an excellent experience.

The 'New Cathedral' was built between 1761 and 1781, to serve the new town which had been relocated…read morefrom the hill around the old cathedral, when the 18th century ramparts were erected. After the wonderfully light gothic of the old cathedral, the new cathedral is a bit oppressive: built in a severe 'French Classical' style, its exterior is plain and forbidding and, although the interior has a certain elegance, it is rather gloomy, due to having few windows all betraying its origins in a time of war. The few windows that exist are high up in the clerestory, and are filled with vivid stained glass, though this only serves to add to the gloom. The interior is conventional in plan, with five bays to the nave, wide aisles and side chapels. The arches of the bays are supported on tall square piers, decorated on each side by corinthian pilasters. The ceiling of the chancel is covered in rather overblown 18th century biblical scenes by José Serrasanta, and the cathedral furnishings are mostly in the heavy baroque style of the Counter-reformation, although some of the alter-pieces are impressive if you like this kind of thing. At certain times of the year, however, the roofs (and especially the towers) are the favoured nesting sites for families of cranes, providing a lighter side to the building.

This is the best way to reach the Old Cathedral and Castle of Lleida from the town below: take the…read moreoutdoor escalator from Plaça de Sant Joan up to Carrer Canyeret, and the entrance to the lift is 100m in front of you to your left. The lift itself is nothing to look at a brutalist triangular concrete tower with a viewing cage and a ramped walkway to the plateau on which the cathedral is built - but it saves a long and steep uphill walk. There's a small charge you pay EUR0.20 into the machine at the entrance, take your ticket and go immediately through the barrier you have just ten seconds to do this, or you have to pay again! Once inside, the lift takes you straight to the viewing platform a rather perilous-looking cage-like affair which, despite offering stunning views, is not for the faint-hearted and a caged bridge which leads to the fortifications around the cathedral. It's another EUR0.20 if you want to go back down again.

Situated on an impressive and commanding site at the northern end of the Parc de Foix, with superb…read moreviews over the impressive Foix reservoir, the Castle of Castellet dominates the small (and rather well-to-do) settlement that has grown up around it. The castle, heavily restored, is famous for its attractive grouping of square and round towers, and the adjacent (and separate) hillside chapel. Built in the 10th century, it is first referred to in a document dated 977AD, although most of what you see today is the result of a series of mediaeval rebuilding, reflecting its major strategic importance during the period of the reconquest of Catalonia by the Christians from the Moors, when it was owned by the Counts of Barcelona, and through the mediaeval period (when it was a possession of the joint Catalonian and Aragonese Crown) until the 16th century. Thereafter, the castle slowly fell into ruin. Restoration began in the 1920s and 1930s, but what you see now is essentially the result of its acquisition in 1999 by the Albertis Foundation, itself sponsored by the large Spanish infrastructure group of the same name, which acquired the castle as a home for its research work on the environment and transport. The renovation has produced a thoroughly modern corporate presentation inside while respecting the fabric of the original castle. It's not an approach normally adopted in the UK, but it at least ensures a safe future for the building. The most notable features are its oval 10th century tower and walls from the 15th century. The castle itself is only open for guided visits on rather limited hours around lunchtime at week-ends. Inside, there is a small museum of the site's history. There's a small car park next to the castle, with a rather larger car park at the foot of the hill. Slightly closer access can be had by parking close to the village's classy restaurant, although this is reserved for patrons when the restaurant is open. Alternatively, the castle lies on a number of long distance footpaths between Sitges, Vilanova i la Geltrú and Vilafranca del Penedès.