Montserrat and Penedès motorhome route

Montserrat is a mountain of rock shaped like nothing else, with a Benedictine monastery halfway up and trails climbing to Sant Jeroni, its summit. At its feet lies the Penedès, the home of cava and Catalan wine, where cellars open their doors and villages run to the rhythm of the harvest.

From our base in Les Franqueses del Vallès, Monistrol de Montserrat is roughly 1 h away via the AP-7 to Martorell and the C-55, without going through Barcelona. The full route, returning via Sitges, is about 260 km: well under the 300 km a day included on 3 to 6 day rentals with Segimon Rental. Pick-ups are in the afternoon, so on day one you drive to Monistrol and sleep near the mountain. For other short trips, see our motorhome getaways from Barcelona.

Route plan

What you will see

Day-by-day itinerary

Day 1 · Pick-up and drive to Monistrol

Collect the motorhome in the afternoon, between 16:00 and 19:00, and in roughly an hour you are at the foot of Montserrat via the AP-7, Martorell and the C-55, without crossing Barcelona. Sleep at a campsite or authorised area nearby so you can start early the next day, before the car parks and the rack railway get busy. If you arrive in daylight, the outline of the mountain at dusk from the Llobregat valley is a fine start.

Day 2 · Montserrat: monastery, rack railway and funiculars

There are two ways up. You can drive the road from Monistrol, a winding mountain road but used daily by coaches, to the paid car parks at the top; with a larger vehicle, check the conditions beforehand and arrive early, as they fill up at weekends. The more relaxed option is to leave the motorhome at the car park by Monistrol Vila station and ride the rack railway. At the top, visit the basilica and the Moreneta, and if timing allows, hear the Escolania boys' choir (check the schedule). The Sant Joan funicular takes you towards the trails to Sant Jeroni, at 1,236 m; the Santa Cova funicular drops down towards the cave chapel.

Day 3 · Sant Sadurní d'Anoia and Vilafranca del Penedès

Head south on minor roads through the vineyards: in under an hour you reach Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, the capital of cava. Big houses such as Codorníu, with modernista cellars by Puig i Cadafalch, and Freixenet sit alongside dozens of small producers. Almost all visits and tastings are by advance booking, so arrange them before you set off. In the afternoon carry on to Vilafranca del Penedès, a quarter of an hour away: the Vinseum tells the story of wine in Catalonia, while the basilica of Santa Maria and the castellers monument are reminders that this is one of the birthplaces of human towers. If your rental is 3 days, spend tonight in the Penedès: the AP-7 gets you back to the Vallès in roughly an hour to return the motorhome in the morning, between 9:00 and 12:00.

Day 4 · Sitges and the Garraf

If you have a spare day, the C-15 from Vilafranca runs down towards Vilanova i la Geltrú and Sitges in about 30 minutes. Sitges has a whitewashed old town by the sea, the church of Sant Bartomeu i Santa Tecla on its headland and the Cau Ferrat, Santiago Rusiñol's house museum. Park outside the centre: the streets are narrow and spaces are scarce in summer. For a walk, the Garraf Natural Park has limestone hills dropping towards the sea. Spend the last night on the Garraf coast or in the Penedès and, the next morning, head home without passing through Barcelona: take the C-15 back up to the Penedès and the AP-7 to the Vallès to return the motorhome between 9:00 and 12:00.

Where to sleep

There are several campsites and a few motorhome areas around Montserrat, in the Penedès and along the Garraf coast. In summer those in Sitges and Vilanova fill up, and September brings extra visitors to the Penedès for the harvest, so book ahead. Park4Night and Campercontact show facilities and recent reviews.

Montserrat and the Garraf are natural parks, and camping is only allowed at campsites; wild camping is generally not permitted in Catalonia. Parking wherever any vehicle may park is legal in Spain (DGT instruction 08/V-74), but without awning, chairs or levelling ramps, and without emptying any water.

Where to sleep with a motorhome in Catalonia

Practical tips

• At Montserrat, go early or on a weekday: the top car parks fill quickly, and the rack railway from Monistrol saves you the drive up.
• If you are tasting in the Penedès, the driver should not drink. Any bottles you buy fit nicely in the V66's 78-litre fridge.
• Book cellar visits well ahead, especially at weekends and during the September harvest.
• The Garraf coast road between Sitges and Castelldefels is full of bends, and do not take the motorhome into the old centre of Sitges.
• Fill up with water and empty grey water at campsites or service areas; in the natural parks there is no other legal option.

Frequently asked questions