I plan to purchase tickets to La Sagrada Familia and I wonder if you veteran travelers can tell me if the last entrance time of the day (18:45) will allow for enough time to go up to the Nativity Towers and back down again to tour the church. Their website says the hours are 9:00 to 20:00. Many people say they spend as much as 3 hours in the church, so I'm wondering if an 18:45 visit time will limit us.
Will they shoo us out at 8pm?
As always, thank you for taking time to help your fellow travelers.
Posted by
Washington, the State
107 posts
Hi, Marti,
We were just there a few weeks ago. One thing to know about the tower visits is that they are weather dependent. It was rainy and windy when we were there and people were not allowed to go up. We hadn't planned to do so, but there were lots of disappointed people. I understand construction can cancel tower access as well. I also suspect that the pace you can climb and descend depends on the folks in front of you.
As for how long to spend in the church itself, we were there about 90 min., maybe two hours. (We had just arrived, so jet lag makes it hazy....) They were strict on entry time, so I expect they would be strict about closure as well. By the way, we enjoyed using the audio tour devices and could go at our own pace.
One advantage of going late in the day is the afternoon light coming through the stained glass. Astonishingly breathtaking!
Enjoy!
Polly
Posted by
Washington DC
27176 posts
That would not be enough time for me. I spent about 90 minutes at La Sagrada Familia, and I did not ascend a tower. I did use the audioguide, which typically takes considerably more time than just wandering around aimlessly. On the other hand, I am not at all religious, so I'm sure there are aspects of LSF that others would spend more time on than I did.
Posted by
Seattle
41 posts
FYI. We were just there a couple of days ago, and unlike our last visit two years ago there is now construction going on in the interior of the church. They are redoing the floors and a large section in the middle is now behind solid, high walls. Can’t see a thing. Pretty disappointing. I saw no signs saying how long the construction would last, but it looked pretty major. Still worth seeing the interior if you’ve never been, but definitely effects the view and the feel of the place. The towers were still open.
Posted by
California
1 posts
Sidney, do you have some photos you can post to show the construction zone? I'm going in 2 weeks and that's a bit disappointing to hear a lot of it is blocked.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
For me I consider these the minimum times for a good appreciation ...
60 mins for the basilica
30 mins for the towers ... ALSO ADDING 15-30 mins for getting up and down
Posted by
Barcelona (Catalonia)
2942 posts
La Sagrada Família has been under construction since its inception in 1881 (yes, 1881!). It's being totally financed by private donors, benefactors and visitors. It's expected to be finished by 2026 coinciding with the anniversary of the death of Gaudí, its architect. There's always one part or another that's being built.
Still, every year there are 4,5 million visitors to the basilica.
Just sayin'
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
44 posts
I do have a few photos, but don’t know how to post them on this site. I don’t recall seeing photos posted here. If you want to PM me with an email address I could send them to you. Please don’t skip this site based on my post. It is amazing, interior under construction or not. You will still see a lot. I just wanted to let people know what was currently going on.
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
5640 posts
There is a museum below ground level of history and architecture. We didn't have enough time for one of my daughters who really enjoyed reading about the architecture. We didn't know about the museum ahead of time, I'm guessing information was available, I just missed it.