During a stay in Barcelona, you must of course visit the Sagrada Familia! A true must-see in Barcelona, the famous Sagrada Familia exceeds all expectations that we can have of it. Exceptionally rich, filled with symbols, unparalleled technique and know-how, not to mention the beauty once inside. This visit was a very nice surprise and a sumptuous discovery.
In this article, I present you all the practical advice to organize your future visit to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona: prices, guided tours, purchase of skip-the-line tickets, …
Finally, I will briefly return to the history of this incredible place, its construction but also its famous architect, Antoni Gaudí, and what you can admire during your visit to the Sagrada Familia!
Visit the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona:
> Presentation of the Sagrada Familia
> Visits and prices of the Sagrada Familia
> Visiting the Sagrada Familia: practical advice
> History and construction
> My opinion on this visit Book your visit:
This link allows you to directly book your skip-the-line ticket and an audioguide in French for the Sagrada Familia. Book your visit
Presentation of the Holy Family
The particularity of this basilica is that it is still under construction, since the 1870s. After more than 40 years working on it, Gaudí died before its construction was completed. Completion is currently scheduled for 2026.
Currently, only 8 out of 18 rounds have been completed. Each of these towers symbolizes a character from the Bible: Mary, Jesus, 4 evangelists and 12 apostles. Gaudí was very attached to religion and many symbols can be found on the facades of the Sagrada Familia and inside this monument. We will elaborate on this point in the last part of this article, devoted to the history of its construction.
When you visit the Sagrada Familia, it is first and foremost about admiring the exterior, which is as important as the interior. The Sagrada Familia has 3 facades retracing the life of Jesus: his birth, his death and eternal life. The fourth "side" has no facade, it is the apse.
In 2005, part of the monument was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. These are the Crypt and the Facade of the Nativity, both built during Gaudí's lifetime.
Then in 2010, this cathedral was consecrated as a basilica by the then Pope, Benedict XVI.
Gaudí wanted his tallest tower to be the tallest building in Barcelona. It is true that when we take a step back from the city, the Sagrada Familia is unquestionably the only building that stands out as much because of its grandeur and its size, both imposing.
Tours and prices of the Sagrada Familia
So that you can make the most of your visit to the Sagrada Familia, different options are available to you to choose the ideal visit!
Skip-the-line ticket and audio guide
The first option we would like to present to you is the one we chose during our visit. This is the skip-the-line ticket and the audioguide in French. This alternative is ideal for enjoying a visit in complete freedom while benefiting from commentary on this historic place.
When making your reservation, you must choose a time. Indeed, the influx of visitors is so important that regulation is necessary. You can choose an entry approximately every quarter of an hour. Arrive early as there is a security check at the entrance. At peak times, this check can take around 30 minutes.
Personally, we arrived about 15 minutes before our scheduled time, at the beginning of March. We got through security in less than 5 minutes.
This link allows you to directly book your skip-the-line ticket and an audioguide in French for the Sagrada Familia. Book your entry
For this self-guided tour accompanied by an audioguide in French, it will cost €26 for over 30s, €24 for under 30s and students, €21 for over 65s and €8 for people with disabilities. Access is free for children under 11 years old.
Guided tours
Another possibility to visit the Sagrada Familia is to opt for a guided tour in french. A guided tour allows you to learn more about this place, but also to be able to ask questions and interact with your French-speaking guide.
If you choose a guided tour, you have the option of choosing to climb one of the towers of the basilica.
| Guided tour and access to the towers This link allows you to book your guided tour for the Sagrada Familia directly, with skip-the-line ticket and access to the towers (please note English-speaking guide for this visit). |
From € 64 | Buy |
| Simple guided tour If you don't want access to the towers, then opt for this guided tour in English and skip-the-line access to visit the Sagrada Familia. |
From € 54 | Buy |
For the guided tour including access to the towers, the prices will be €64 per person from 11 years old, €50 for children aged 3 to 10 and free for the youngest.
As for the guided tour without access to the towers, the prices will be €54, €49 for seniors and €26 for the youngest.
Combo Tours: Sagrada Familia and Park Güell
Then, you can opt for a combined ticket giving you access to both the famous Sagrada Familia, but also to Parc Güell, another emblematic place designed by Gaudí.
This option includes a skip-the-line ticket and a guided tour in French for these two tourist sites, but also the transfer between these two sites.
Book your combined visitFor this combined visit, it will be necessary to count 82€ per person from 11 years old, 49€ for children up to 10 years old and free for children under 4 years old.
City-pass Barcelone
I will end this part by telling you about the Barcelona city-pass. The latter includes a visit to the Sagrada Familia. Different options are possible: simple visit, guided visit, with or without audio guide, with or without access to the towers.
In addition to this access, this city-pass includes many other advantages. To find out more about city-passes and other possible alternatives, I invite you to read our dedicated article on Barcelona city-passes.
Book your city pass for Barcelona
This city-pass is more complete so logically, a little more expensive than the previous alternatives. In addition, you can customize it according to various criteria such as the options for visiting the Sagrada Familia or the validity period of the ticket for the Hop On Hop Off tourist bus.
Prices will start from 80€ for an adult (simple visit to the Sagrada Familia and ticket valid for 1 day for the tourist bus) up to 100€ (guided visit to the Sagrada Familia and ticket for the tourist bus valid for 2 days ). A different rate exists for children aged 4 to 11 years old. And always free for the youngest.
Visiting the Sagrada Familia: practical advice
Now that you have chosen your ideal visit, let's move on to some practical points to organize your trip to visit the Sagrada Familia.
Visit the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona:- Access to the Sagrada Familia
- When to visit the Sagrada Familia?
- How long is the visit to the Sagrada Familia?
- Attend Mass at the Sagrada Familia
Access to the Sagrada Familia
Personally, we had taken a 48-hour pass for public transport. The Barcelona metro is very convenient and stops right outside the entrance to the Sagrada Familia.
To get to our visit to the Sagrada Familia, we took line 2. You can also take line 5. You just have to get off at the "Sagrada Familia" stop.
When to visit the Sagrada Familia?
You can visit the Sagrada Familia throughout the year. Depending on the period, the opening hours will be different:
- From November to February : open from 9 a.m. to 18 p.m.;
- March and October : open from 9 a.m. to 19 p.m.;
- April to September : open from 9 a.m. to 20 p.m.;
- Exceptions : open from 9 a.m. to 14 p.m. on December 25 and 26 and January 1 and 6.
Beware, however, of the various celebrations and events that take place within the cathedral throughout the year. This may bring some changes in terms of opening and schedules. I advise you to consult the official website of the Sagrada Familia beforehand to find out the times and events that take place during your visit.
How long is the visit to the Sagrada Familia?
Whether you choose a self-guided tour, with or without an audio guide, or a guided tour, the visit to the cathedral lasts approximately 1 hour and a half. During this visit, you will have time to see the facades, the interior or the cloister. If you wish, you can also climb to the top of a tower.
Attend Mass at the Sagrada Familia
It is quite possible for visitors who wish to attend a service in the Sagrada Familia. International masses are also offered. Find the plan of the different offices, as well as the timetables, on the official website of the Sagrada Familia.
History and building
Visiting the Sagrada Familia is an extremely interesting moment. Whether you choose the audioguide or the guided tour, this cathedral is filled with symbols. I suggest you come back to the history of this monument, its still unfinished construction and its architect, one of the greatest architects in history, Antoni Gaudí.
The beginnings
It was in 1883 that Gaudí joined this considerable project. He was 31 years old. At this time, only the columns of the crypts were built.
Joining a project already in progress, he had to conform, at the beginning, to the directives of the project. But Gaudí very quickly imagined an unprecedented place: an immense temple, taking up a large part of the symbols of the Bible, centered on the life of Jesus. He wanted this place to be a real link between the human world and the divine world.
The facade
We talked about it quickly at the beginning of this article: the Sagrada Familia has 3 facades. Each of them represents the key moments in the life of Jesus: his birth with the Facade of the Nativity; his death with the Facade of the Passion; and his eternal life with the Facade of Glory.
When you enter the enclosure of the Sagrada Familia, the first facade that you will be able to admire is the Nativity facade. Probably the most impressive and laden with sculptures and symbols.
Narrating the story of the birth of Jesus and his youth, the Facade of the Nativity is made up of 3 portals. They represent the members of the Holy Family, each associated with a pillar of the religion. The middle portal is dedicated to Jesus and Charity. The one on the right, to Mary and the Liver and finally, the one on the left will be dedicated to Joseph and Hope.
You can only be impressed by the size of this construction, the multitude of symbols and above all, the richness of all the details.
La Facade of the Passion, on the other hand, is much more refined and perfectly conveys the desired message, namely the suffering of Jesus at the time of the Passion.
You can also admire different sculptures representing the last scenes of the life of Jesus.
The last facade, the Facade of Glory, has the distinction of having inscribed on the central door the Our Father in full and in Catalan, as well as a sentence of this prayer in 50 different languages.
Towers
In the end, no less than 18 towers will overlook the Sagrada Familia. Each tower is dedicated to a person from the Bible. Currently, in 2020, only 8 rounds have been completed.
The tallest tower, the central tower dedicated to Jesus, is precisely 172,5 meters high. Indeed, Gaudí wanted this cathedral to be the tallest building in the city, without, however, surpassing the Montjuïc mountain because "the work of man must not exceed that of God."
The other towers are distributed around that of Jesus in a hierarchical fashion. Their height is also proportional to their hierarchical importance.
The interior
When entering inside this imposing building, we all had the same astonishment and the same surprise. The interior is very light and sober, contrasting sharply with the exterior and the Facade of the Nativity that we had just admired.
Gaudí was largely inspired by nature and the forest to build the interior and draw the different pillars. Indeed, he was inspired by the architecture of trees to design the columns that support the rest of the building. The columns open upwards like trees and their branches. This ingenious technique allowed Gaudí to design an extremely imposing building without having to resort to external reinforcements. A real technical feat! In addition to being effective, this technique is also very aesthetic!
As you can imagine, the interior, like the exterior, is filled with religious symbols. If you choose an audio-guided or guided tour, you will be able to learn more about all of these symbols and the construction of the interior of the cathedral.
The rest of the visit will take you to discover many other places in this cathedral such as the crypt, the cloister, the apse, etc.
Gaudí
Gaudí devoted 43 years to the construction of this monument, including his last 12 years exclusively. It was in 1926 that the architect lost his life in a way that was stupid to say the least: by being run over by a tram! At this time, only one tower was finished, as well as the crypt. The Nativity Façade had already been started.
Today, visiting the Sagrada Familia also means participating in the financing of the latest works, but also discovering an absolutely extraordinary universe and a unique art.
Many other buildings thought and designed by Gaudí can also be found in Barcelona. Among the most famous, we visited Casa Vicens, La Pedrera and Parc Güell.
My opinion on this visit
I think you will have guessed it through this article: the visit of the Sagrada Familia was a crush. I really enjoyed this place. First of all, there are so many things to learn that you won't be bored for a single second during the visit. Then, we must admit that the architecture is special. It changes from the traditional cathedrals that we can see. And then the interior is really beautiful.
My only regret is that we couldn't climb to the top of a tower due to strong wind that day. But it will be with pleasure that I will make a second visit.
