La Sagrada Familia Visit

Went to Sagrada Familia in February. You get a timed entry which includes an app on your phone with guided tour at various points at the touch of your phone. We were a little clueless on the app, but a guide there helped us get it loaded and explained how it worked when we got through the turnstile. Tower was closed when we were there due to high winds.

Any legitimate ticket purchased in advance will allow you to skip the ticket line. Forget "skip-the-line" tickets, because that is meaningless (I'd say "scammy") terminology. I always buy tickets from the official website. Whether you opt for a guided tour or use of the audio guide is a matter of personal preference.

I liked having the first entry period of the day, because it meant I walked into a nearly-empty church, with no holdovers from previous entry groups. However, I did not ascend a tower. I think if you pay for that option, you ascend the tower soon after entry, so you don't have a lot of time in the church before heading to the elevator. If that's still the procedure, it may not matter too much what your entry time is. Folks who've done a tower ascent fairly recently can be more helpful.

I purchased tickets from the official website opting for a guided tour for my group of 5 people. Due to accessibility for a couple of individuals we excluded the tower tour. Our tour isn’t until the last week of May so I no first hand experience to provide other than when I walked by it in 2010 it was stunning. However, after selecting a specific tour time the option was also given to select a time that we wanted to enter the Sagrada Familia. We’ve also chosen a private tour to/from Monserrat.

I don’t usually deal in “musts” (it all depends on what you like), but this was one of the things I enjoyed most in Barcelona last March. If you enjoy music, they are superb. https://proticketing.com/maestrosdelaguitarra/es_ES/entradas/evento/9037

We didn’t know about this ahead of time and just bought a ticket day of when we walked past the small Basilica Santa Maria del Pi. However when I saw the sign, I remembered that someone here had been and recommended.

We didn’t have any trouble using the Sagrada Familia app for the audio guide. Took our own earbuds for our phones.

Any legitimate ticket purchased in advance will allow you to skip the ticket line.

Agree. But you still need to go through security to access the building. That took us almost 15 minutes in February 2023.

Thank you everyone! Love church concerts - excellent idea!

Be sure you understand the tower tour. There is a lift up but you walk down. There is stuff up there you cannot appreciate from the ground and not many folks brave the heights. You may have a great time.
Me, I could not do it.

Just my opinion: The stairs down are, erm, probably not what you were expecting. Do the research, see the clips on the yootoobs.

We chose to book first thing in the morning, which as mentioned previously allows you some time before the place is mobbed. (highly recommend) The audio guide was great and allows you to meander as you wish, rather than being at the mercy of a tour guide. We did do the tower and for my money, found it rather disappointing. The stairway down was narrow and winding in places. I had absolutely no problem with that part, however a woman ahead of us on the stairs was in quite a panic. It made for an interesting journey.

I got there for the 1st tour of the day at 09:00 and thought it was really good. We could ask questions and the guide offered interesting tidbits that you don't get from an audio guide. I usually like audio guides in churches, but this church is way, way different than other churches. Being there early, I got fantastic photos as there were hardly any any people there yet, and the sun was streaming through the windows. it was easy to take photos while the guide talked as they use a whisper system there. You can walk around and listen to the guide. After the tour, I spent about 3 more hours walking around, inside and out and in the museum. The towers were not open yet, cause Covid was still a thing in Sept. 2021.

On our visit, September 2019, we booked the first AM entry. Entry was easy-peasy. We had the audio tour, which I am sure was helpful, but what is most memorable is being in the awesome space with few others. Incredible beyond words! Did not do the tower. Went instead to Sant Pau Recinte Modernista which we highly recommend!

If you are in Barcelona on a Sunday, a strong suggestion: Try to go to the international Mass at 9 am at Sagrada Familia. This may mean getting in line no later than 8 am. But it is amazing to see the Sagrada Familia in the way it was intended to be used and seen.

Excellent ideas - thank you. The Sant Pau Recinte Modernista Museum looks beautiful and fascinating! Early or first tour sounds the best! Thank you all!

Just back from Barcelona. One quick cautionary note about Tower visits to La Sagrada Familia. Although there is elevator service to the top of the Nativity Tower, the trip down is via a long, winding, narrow stairway. Unfortunately, you're not told this until you board the Up elevator. As a healthy adult, I still found the trip a bit harrowing and a lot exhausting.

I too just got back from Spain, including Barcelona. I bought my 915 entry, tower 1000 ticket from the official Segrada Familia website. The security line was not very long. With the tower visit you are able to see (up close) the decorative pinnacle tops, the in-process construction, dramatic city views and down to the church interior. Well worth it! There are places to stop on the way down that allows you to go at your own pace. I enjoyed the museum in the basement too. Beautiful church!

I opted for a full day visit to Montserrat. The Basilica was impressive and the cable car ride a bit unnerving. I survived. I also took the Sant Joan funicular further up the mountain. Well worth the day trip.

I had reservations about visiting Barcelona, with the potential property crimes. I experienced none of that and really enjoyed myself there.

We actually bought timed entry tickets for near the end of the day and I enjoyed that time slot quite a bit and didn’t find it to be too crowded. Although this was in May 2022, so not sure how different crowd sizes might be a year later. Where the sun was on its descent in the late afternoon had a beautiful effect with the windows. We did the audio guide on the official app and I was very satisfied with it,

Side note, we did have a terrible time trying to purchase the tickets online. Both me and my friend tried several times to purchase our tickets on our phones as we got closer to the date we wanted, and the purchase would not go through for either of us. We did eventually get them, but it was after several tries on multiple days. We never figured out what the issue was, but just leave some time in advance for purchasing your ticket in case it doesn’t go through the first time you try.

Hopefully, you get to experience this also: When I was there on the Monday after Easter, there was a 3 piece band playing Latin music at the park across from the main Familia visitor entry. Their band name is Rumbakana. They were very good and they entertained to a large crowd. I recorded a minute video, but I wish I had stayed longer and recorded more.

We did Barcelona in 2011, I guess before much of the present crowd crush. I think we waited in line maybe half and hour and spent a couple hours inside. We also went up the tower. I am not a huge fan of heights in buildings, but I did enjoy the perspective and the view. We really enjoyed Montjuic Hill with the greenspace and Olympic stadium. Much quieter up there--almost by ourselves at times, at least back then. Walked along the beach and had drinks at the top of the W Hotel. Besides the popular shopping and walking districts, we also liked the Cathedral, Santa Caterina market hall, and Cuitadella Park. Did day trip to Sitges.