Basilica, the Moreneta and the Escolania Choir

The basilica is the centre of Montserrat: the church of the Benedictine monastery, in the square the rack railway and cable car arrive at, and the place where the Virgin of Montserrat, the Moreneta, is venerated, a Romanesque carving that you see up close by climbing to her camarín, behind the high altar. At midday, the monastery's boys' choir, the Escolania, sings the Salve and the Virolai in the basilica. It is the scene most visitors come to see, and it is worth organising the morning around it.

Going up to the Moreneta's camarín

The basilica opens every day from 7:00 to 20:00. The camarín, the Virgin's throne room, can be visited from 8:00 to 10:30 and from 12:00 to 18:25. At midday the reopening coincides with people leaving the singing. Between 10:30 and 12:00 the camarín is closed: if you arrive mid-morning, hear the singing first and go up afterwards.

When the Escolania sings

The Escolania is one of the oldest boys' choirs in Europe: documents from the 14th century already speak of a singing school at Montserrat. According to the sanctuary it sings as follows:

• Monday to Friday, at 13:00, the Salve and the Virolai.
• Monday to Thursday, at 18:45, Vespers, the Salve Montserratina and a polyphonic motet.
• On Sundays and religious holidays, at 12:00 the Salve and the Virolai, and at 18:45 Vespers.
• On Saturdays it does not sing.

It also does not sing during its school holidays, which the sanctuary places from St John's day to the end of August, after Christmas and after Easter, and the timetable changes with liturgical celebrations. Check escolania.cat the week you go. Arrive early if you want a place on the benches.

The tourist ticket and who does not pay

Since May 2023 the sanctuary has charged a tourist ticket for the atrium, the basilica and the camarín. It is not paid by those attending mass or other services, guests staying at the sanctuary, and residents of Catalonia, the rest of Spain or the European Union who come independently (not groups or organised trips). If you are a resident, book free on the abbey's booking website, reserves.abadiamontserrat.cat, to attend the singing, mass or to go up to see the Virgin. If you are not a resident, buy the ticket on the Montserrat Visita website, where combinations with the Escolania and the museum are also sold.

Museum, buffet and Degotalls around the singing

The Montserrat Museum is in the same square and opens from 10:00 to 17:45: it is the place for the hour left between the camarín and the singing. After the singing, the Buffet Montserrat serves from 12:15 to 16:00, and if you want a table with a tablecloth, the restaurant of the Hostal Abat Cisneros serves lunch from 13:00 to 15:00. In the afternoon, the Els Degotalls path is a flat 50-minute walk.

The sanctuary's information office opens Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 17:30 and at weekends and public holidays until 18:45; there they answer questions about the ticket and the day's timetable.