Sant Joan Funicular in Montserrat: Funicular to Viewpoint of Montserrat.
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The Cremallera is name given to the rack railway service that will take you from the bottom of Montserrat Mountain to arrive at the Montserrat Monastery (for further details, see our Montserrat Rack Railway page). Once you have arrived at Montserrat Monastery, you have the option of taking two more funicular journeys: the Funicular de Santa Cova (for details see our Funicular de Santa Cova page) and the Funicular de Sant Joan.
This page will give you a comprehensive overview to the Funicular de Sant Joan: how to use the service, ticket options available, operating times, prices and disabled facilities.
Book tickets for your half day tour to Montserrat from Barcelona with return journey
There are two organized tours that save you the time and trouble of organizing your own trip to Montserrat. They include return journey from Barcelona to Montserrat in an air conditioned bus. You can choose either a half day morning tour or half day afternoon tour.
Morning Tour
Click here to book your tickets online for the Montserrat Morning guided tour leaving from Barcelona
What to expect from the Sant Joan Funicular
There are two reasons why you might decide to take a journey on the Sant Joan funicular. Either for the views of Montserrat or as a starting point for some of the walks around the natural park.
The base of the Sant Joan funicular is just above the Montserrat Cremallera station, in the heart of the Montserrat Monastery. The funicular will take you on a steep journey even further up the mountain to its very peak. A glass ceiling on the funicular allows you to enjoy views of the whole of Montserrat as you climb up the side of the mountain.
On arriving at the top of the Sant Joan Funicular you will be at a viewpoint allowing you to get a bird's eye view of the entire Montserrat Monastery. You will also have the opportunity to get views of the other side of the mountain and, on clear days, you will enjoy uninterrupted views of the whole of Catalunya.
For nature enthusiasts, you will also find a small museum as you exit the funicular station building called 'Aula de la Natur' - the Nature Centre. Here you can find out facts about the flora and fauna in the natural park surrounding Montserrat. The museum has the same opening hours as the operating times of the funicular (see below).
From the top of the funicular you can begin a variety of walks around the Montserrat natural park. See our Guide to Walks in Montserrat page for details on all of the walks that you can take around the top of the Montserrat natural park. The walks are all well sign-posted from when you leave the funicular station. Some of the walks will allow you to visit the hermitages that we have detailed on our Montserrat Natural Park page.
Tickets for the funicular
You can buy tickets for the funicular at the ticket office in the funicular station at the bottom of the funicular. You can buy either a single (if you plan on making your way back down the mountain on foot) or a return journey.
It is possible to buy a ticket for the Funicular de Sant Joan as part of a combined ticket if you take the Cremallera. This may be worth considering if you plan on buying other tickets (for example, for the Funicular de Santa Cova), as combined tickets will offer cheaper prices than buying tickets individually. For these options, check our Rack Railway to Montserrat page page.
Timetable
Operating times for the Funicular de Sant Joan vary, depending on the time of year and whether you come during the week or at weekends.
Funicular de Sant Joan general running times:
Less busy times
Starts: 10:00
It runs every 20 minutes.
Finishes (between): 16:30
Busier times
Starts: 10:00
It runs every 20 minutes.
Finishes: 18:24
The journey time is 7 minutes.
Disabled facilities on the Sant Joan Funicular
Unfortunately the funicular is not adapted for wheelchair users. The train travels up the mountain at a 65% gradient and there is very little space in the train carriages. There are only a few seats in the funicular, the rest of the train is standing room only.
The Sant Joan Funicular offers you the opportunity to travel right to the top of Montserrat Mountain, 1000 metres above sea level. It was first opened in 1918 to help monks and pilgrims to visit the hermitage of Sant Joan. Taking the journey is an exciting experience in itself - travelling up the steep mountain to reach its summit. And once you are there you can take the opportunity to enjoy some peace and quiet away from the crowds at the Monastery, whilst taking in the whole of the sanctuary and beyond from afar.