Barcelona planning

You can certainly do both in one day.

Do you plan to ascend one of the towers at La Sagrada Familia?

Do you want to see a lot of the park, or just the pay-to-enter part, called the "Monumental Zone"?

We spent about 2 hours at Sagrada Familia doing one tower and the interior, did not go down to crypt. It was a good amount of time especially because we had two kids with us. If I was by myself I probably would’ve spent at least 30 more minutes going down to the crypt.

Thanks very much to you both. In answer to the questions...no, we do not plan to go up the tower. And, re Park Guell, frankly I am not aware of the distinction between the whole park versus the part we have to pay to see!

There's a small, blissfully uncrowded (in 2016) museum in the crypt that explains Gaudi's design techniques. I found it worthwhile, and more technically-inclined people would probably like it more than I did. I think I spent about 2 hours at the church, seeing the museum but not ascending a tower.

I can't tell about the free part of the park because I haven't seen it myself. It's hard to estimate how much time someone else may spend somewhere. I'd guess 90 minutes in the Monumental Zone would be enough for some people but others might need more like 2 hours. However, there's a small building you have to line up for. I think it's called the Gatekeeper's Cottage. I didn't see it because--though I had either the first or second entry time for the park--the line was already 45 minutes long when I noticed it. Obviously, going inside that cottage would add appreciably to the time needed at the park. I imagine that line gets longer as the day goes on.

... just a suggestion for planning the itinerary: check WED16 in this old post of mine... http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187497-i44-k7350676-First_Timers_Help_With_5_Day_Itinerary-Barcelona_Catalonia.html#57433425 and this is the map mentioned in that post: http://bit.ly/DIYroute-pg-sf

Enjoy!

I also spent over 2 hours at SF, not including the time for a tower (which was not spectacular). There is a lot of detail work in the doors, for instance. I got there when they opened and had about 10 minutes of relatively quiet time sitting in the central nave to enjoy the detail work and contemplate the majesty. I also spent a good bit of time photographing the effects of sun rays through the stained glass windows.

If you are thinking about visiting San Pau, it's a 10-15 minute walk from SF. You may want to visit there with SF and Park Guell on another day . . . maybe there's time for Park Guell later, I've never been there.

Hi Tj,

A couple years ago in late September, my husband and I did the Sagrada Familia and Park Guell in the same day. We visited the tower and the advantage of the tower is you get to see some of the spire work up close. The disadvantage of the tower is you have to walk down very narrow stairway. Overall with the tower we spent about 2 hours. We then went to lunch and took at taxi up to Park Guell (you can take public transport, but we were lazy). We spent about 2.5 hours at the park, about 1.5 hours in the monument zone (extra fee, but well worth it) and the other hour in the park. There were some amazing musicians, so we had a drink and listen to them.

The main thing about Park Guell is there are limited bathrooms, so plan accordingly as the lines get long, especially with the tour buses.

Enjoy your trip.

Sandy

Wonderful! Thanks to all for the very helpful information, much appreciated.

One more question please. I am assuming the advance tickets are needed for admission to the park in general, at specified dates/times, correct?

At this point you absolutely must buy a Parc Guell ticket in advance, because they no longer sell any tickets at the park. Tickets have been timed for years. Your entry ticket includes a ride on a shuttle bus, I think from one of the Metro stations.

I do not know how far in advance you must buy your ticket. Often the first time slot is especially popular, because you can just head there first thing in the morning without trying to allow time for visiting a previous sight. During the summer, mid-day can be quite hot at the park.