Montserrat from above: cable car, funicular and the summit.

Most people who go to Montserrat stay in the monastery square. This Sunday is for seeing the mountain from above: you ride up in the 1930 cable car, with the conglomerate wall in front of you, take the Sant Joan funicular and walk along the high side to Sant Jeroni, the summit, at 1,236 metres. You come down to the monastery for lunch and go into the basilica when the morning's groups have left. From Manresa it is half an hour; from Barcelona, an hour, and it can also be done by train.

The Day, Hour by Hour

8:30 · Departure. From Manresa, take the C-55 towards Abrera, 25 minutes to the lower Aeri station, at km 11.5, in the municipality of Monistrol de Montserrat. From Barcelona, the A-2 and the C-55, an hour. The car park below is free and at weekends it fills up before the one at the sanctuary: arrive early.

9:00 · The Aeri. A cabin leaves every quarter of an hour and climbs in about five minutes, hanging over the Llobregat valley. A return ticket costs €15, €7.50 for ages 4 to 13; under-4s do not pay. Dogs ride free, on a lead and muzzled. The timetable calendar changes with the season: check it on its website.

9:30 · The Sant Joan funicular and Sant Jeroni. From the monastery, the Sant Joan funicular climbs to the Pla de les Taràntules. From the top station, take the path on the right and follow the signs: you pass les Gorres, four pinnacles, the tallest with a cross; then the viewpoint at the Serra de les Paparres, the forest, a walkway over the Santa Maria torrent and a paved stretch uphill. At the Sant Jeroni chapel you turn left towards the summit. At the top, an orientation table points from the Pyrenees to Els Ports and, on clear days, Mallorca. To return, go down by the old Sant Jeroni path, along the valley floor and the Pla dels Ocells, to the monastery. It is about 7 km and two and a half hours as a circuit.

12:45 · Lunch at the Buffet Montserrat. On the second floor of the Mirador dels Apòstols building, at the entrance to the complex, with the dining rooms facing the mountain. You take a tray and choose among Mediterranean and international dishes, with no reservation. It is open every day from 12:15 to 16:00. Eat early: from half past one the groups arrive.

14:00 · The basilica and the Moreneta. The Virgin of Montserrat, the Moreneta, is in a niche above the high altar, and you climb a side staircase to see her. On Sunday afternoons the queue is usually shorter than mid-morning. The Escolania sings from Monday to Friday at 13:00, so on Sunday you will not hear it at that session.

15:15 · Return. Go down in the Aeri. In Manresa around four; in Barcelona, at a quarter to five.

What to Order

The buffet is the practical choice at Montserrat: quick, with no reservation and reasonably priced for such a busy place. If you prefer tablecloths and table service, the Hostal Abat Cisneros, in the square, has its dining room in the 16th-century stables, with traditional à la carte cooking; book. Wherever you eat, for dessert ask for Montserrat mató with honey: the local farmers also sell it at the stalls on the way to the monastery.

With Children and Dogs

The Sant Jeroni circuit has climbs and stony ground: it suits children of ten and over who are keen walkers. With smaller ones, swap the summit for the Camino de Els Degotalls, 3.2 km flat there and back, about 50 minutes, with memorial plaques and ceramics to keep them amused. All ages love the Aeri. Dogs ride the cable car muzzled; on the route, the park does not publish rules for them: keep yours on a lead and stay on the marked paths.