Sagrada Familia Basilica on our own

The wife and I went to Sagrada Familia on our own when we were in Barcelona, without booking a tour or anything. We got our tickets from the website about 3 or 4 days in advance. This was May 2024. There were plenty of time slots available. We picked a time in the afternoon because I wanted to see the sun coming in through the stained glass windows. They have blue windows on one side and orange on the other. The sun coming through the orange side was spectacular.

We didn't feel like we needed a guided tour because we (well, really I) had watched a dozen lengthy videos about the place already.

You'll be glad you went. It's incredible. I can take or leave the outside of it, but the inside is one of the best things I've ever seen. Really, I've never seen anything like that. I love cathedrals, and this one is so different.

We bought our Sagrada Familia guided tour tickets on our own. No problems at all. Just set a reminder to buy the tickets 60 days before your dates and buy them then.

Thanks for your helpful replies. Marty, what time was your afternoon tour that allowed you to see the light coming through the stained glass windows? We were hoping to book a time in the afternoon at 4:00 or after as well on the day we arrive there so that sounds perfect. Did you do a guided tour or self guided with just the audio from their app?

I see you didn't do the guided tour now that I looked at replies again. There are more time slots for self guided from what I can tell so the timing for the light through the windows is my question now! Thanks!

Same as derek. We went on our own. Purchased tickets online on the day the they were available. We had our choice of times. This was for August 2024, and I checked back a few days later, and tickets were still available for our date/time, so they didn't sell out immediately.

We were there right at 9 am and the light was coming through the windows beautifully. That being said, if it's a cloudy day, you may not see such amazing lighting. You can't predict the weather! Just go when it works for your schedule and you can get tickets. We did the 9 am entrance with the 9:30 am guided tour. The light was still great by the end of our tour. We stayed a while longer, and left around 11:30 am.

My family and I went to La Sagrada Familia last April. We went 1st thing in the morning at 9 am. I would suggest going early as by the time we were done 90 minutes later it had become extremely crowded with organized tour groups. I just looked at their website and they are offering tickets to visit tomorrow!

We also went on our own, no tour. It remains one the favorite places we have visited in Europe.

I booked their English language tour at 09:00. This was in Sept. and the light coming through the windows was perfect. We were the 1st people in the church, so got lots of beautiful photos with no people in them. Learned a lot of interesting facts about the church, and then after the tour, explored on my own with the audio guide you get. The church rapidly filled up, so was so glad to have been there early morning.
I do recommend the tour, it was well worth it. They point out things you probably would not notice on your own.

I don't particularly appreciate going on tours—unless it's a one-to-one tour—but there's the option to have an audio guide. Thus, one doesn't miss important bits and pieces of information that otherwise wouldn't even be noticed.

Another place lots of visitors to the city don't get to see that much is Recinte Modernista Sant Pau -the former Hospital de Sant Pau. It's a stone's throw away from Sagrada Família and it's certainly a must-see... https://santpaubarcelona.org/en

By genius architect Domènech i Montaner, designer of the famous Palau de La Música Catalana and another dozen significant buildings in Barcelona, this is a piece of art worth visiting. Domènech i Montaner is considered the "father" of Gaudí, from an architectural point of view and he's often referred to as the first "modernist" architect in Catalonia.

Enric, the former hospital is beautiful! Thank you for mentioning it, as I'd never heard of it before, but have added it to my list of places to see when I eventually make it to Barcelona.

Another plug for Hopital Sant Pau. It’s very close and it’ll be blessedly uncrowded. Recharge with a stop at one of the outdoor restaurants along the way between the two sites.

DPalmier53, what I did was get the time of sundown, then subtract about 3 hours. I think my time might have been 4 in the afternoon. We were in there for quite a while, anyway. We were entirely self-guided, no audio tour or anything. I have lots of pictures of the sun coming in the west side of the cathedral, and all the columns and walls bathed in orange.

And for those who mentioned the hospital- what we did was go to the hospital first, then walked back to the basilica. The hospital was really something. That's one of the highlights of Barcelona. And it's right up the street from the basilica.