Heading to Spain and thinking about adding La Sagrada Familia to your Barcelona itinerary? Here’s what you should know before you visit La Sagrada Familia.
La Sagrada Familia is one of the most visited sights in Spain and certainly the most popular tourist attraction in Barcelona. The basilica welcomes about 13,000 visitors a day and about 4 million visitors per year. Antoni Gaudi began working on this UNESCO World Heritage site in 1883 but construction remained largely unfinished at the time of his death in 1926. It is still under construction!
But that doesn’t stop visitors from lining up in droves to catch a glimpse of the soaring cathedral. Due to the sheer number of tourists who visit this stunning work of architecture every day, it’s important to plan your visit well in advance.
If you are planning to visit La Sagrada Familia, follow these basic tips to ensure that you are actually able to enter the Sagrada Familia during your time in Barcelona.
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Visit La Sagrada Familia: Buy Your Tickets in Advance
This is our number one tip. You absolutely should buy your tickets in advance. Do not just show up and get in line or you may not make it inside the Sagrada Familia.
There are only a certain amount of people let in every day. And remember – 13,000 people visit La Sagrada Familia each day. Visitors to the Sagrada can wait hours for entry. Buying your tickets ahead of time ensures that you will actually get a ticket and cuts your wait time down.
Know which entrance you’ll be entering through and make sure you are on time. Click here to buy tickets through the official website.
Visit La Sagrada Familia: Do a Skip the Line Tour
You can schedule a guided tour with VIP entrance through various tour companies, including Viator. While these tours cost more than tickets purchased directly through the Sagrada Familia, they allow you to skip the long lines and you will also have a knowledgeable tour guide guiding you through the experience. Tour guides can be hit or miss but in this case even if you have a terrible guide you’re still in the Sagrada, you’ve still skipped the line and you’re still going to be awed and amazed by the sights.
Visit La Sagrada Familia: The Towers Are Not Included in Basic Tours
If you want to go into the famous towers at La Sagrada Familia you have to pay an additional fee. You can pay for an upgraded ticket through the Sagrada ticketing office or you can pay for a guided, skip-the-line tour that includes tower access. Again, these tickets and tours will be more expensive but you won’t be able to see the breathtaking views from the towers of la Sagrada without the upgraded tickets or tours.
You have to choose whether to access the tower on the Nativity facade with views over the east of Barcelona, or the tower on the Passion facade facing the city center.
Each side has its own elevator to go up, but visitors must take the stairs to go back down.
Kids age 6 and under cannot go up the towers and an adult must accompany teens 16 and under.
Visit La Sagrada Familia: Follow the Dress Code
Yes, it might be hot and yes, you’ll be doing a lot of walking, but people do get turned away from the Sagrada Familia for being dressed inappropriately. Don’t miss seeing one of the most breathtaking sights in Spain because of your clothes.
Shoulders, back, cleavage and midriff must be covered. Shorts and skirts should come to mid-thigh – think fingertip length. Hats are not allowed unless they are for religious or health reasons.
For more info on dress codes at churches and religious sites in Europe, see my post “Yes, there is a Vatican dress code.”
Visit La Sagrada Familia: Best Day and Time To Go
What is the best day to visit La Sagrada Familia? As with most major tourist attractions, weekdays are best. If you can, visit La Sagrada Familia on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.
What is the best time to visit La Sagrada Familia? Again, best practices are always early morning, late day. I know this doesn’t always work out because when you are visiting Europe, you’ll have a busy itinerary to get through every day and not everything can be scheduled for first thing in the morning. But again, if you can, to to visit La Sagrada Familia first thing in the morning, before the tours show up, or after 4:00 pm, when the tours have mostly gone for the day.
If you are considering a guided tour, search for evening tour slots. Many tour companies specifically set up late day tour times and those can be some of the best tours to take.
How Much Does it Cost to Visit La Sagrada Familia?
Wondering how much it will cost your family to visit La Sagrada Familia? If you purchase tickets directly from the Sagrada Familia website, tickets will cost between 26€ to 40€ per person, depending on whether you choose a guided tour or not and whether or not you include the towers in your admission.
If you are purchasing tickets to visit La Sagrada Familia from a third party vendor, such as a tour company, packages will start around $60 per person and increase depending on what is included in the package and which tour company you are using.
In Conclusion
As with any European travel, it helps to manage expectations for a visit to Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia if you know about crowds and wait times before you go, and approach your visit with a little patience and your sense of humor intact.
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