Tickets for Hospital Sant Pau

Hello, no need to purchase tickets for Sant Pau in advance, you should not have any problem just going to the ticket office and buying tickets and audio guides the day of. It's a pretty large place and definitely not as well known as the other modernist sights in Barcelona.

P.s. know that Sept 11 is the national day of Catalonia, a political event more than anything else, if you are in Barcelona that day you can expect mass demonstrations, interruption with public transportation, and some restaurant/shop closures (although the touristy ones will probably be open) just thought I would give you a heads up :)

Thank you Carlos. Just yesterday I purchased tickets for Sagrada Familia for the 11th. I hope entrance won't be affected.

Hi Yvonne, the entrance to main tourist sights, like the Sagrada Familia, should not be affected by Sept. 11th holiday. However, it may take you a little longer to get there, a taxi would probably be the most reliable mode of transportation on that day.

It will be an interesting cultural experience!

Hi Yvonne, these days it depends on "which side your are on", unfortunately in recent years the national day of Catalonia, known as La Diada, has been appropriated by the separatist parties, it has since become a day of exclusion rather than inclusion. I prefer la Mercè, the major festival of Barcelona, later in September.

Here's the website I used to buy the tickets for my visit in June

http://tickets.santpaubarcelona.org/muslinkIII/venda/index.jsp?nom_cache=SANTPAU&property=SANTPAU&grupActiv=1&lang=3

Hope it works for you!

In October we had no trouble on a walk-up. In fact, not many people about at all.

No problem walking up as recently as Monday, May 20th, of this year.

I totally disagree with Carlos portray of Sep 11th... I agree in keeping politics out of the forum, but before making statements that distort reality one should know the background.

Sept 11th, known as LA DIADA, is and has ALWAYS been, a display of Catalan patriotism on a festive mood and has always, since its origins, claimed for the rights of Catalonia. Period.

La Diada celebrated in 1888, 1914, 1922, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1938...

After a parenthesis of more than 40 years (1939-1977) under the brutal dictatorship of Spanish general Franco, when displays of Catalan patriotism were banned and persecuted, the pseudo-democracy instated in Spain in 1977, allowed for a partial devolution of civil rights and La Diada was celebrated again.

... 1977, 1995, 1997...

Since 2010, Catalan patriotism has indeed gradually taken off and new fresh claims for independence have been on the raise returning, in fact, to its origins with the independentists parties created in 1916 to this effect, Unió Catalanista and later Estat Català. This is, for example, La Diada in 2014, 2016 or 2017

Regardless what's your stand on the matter -and, piece of advice, never have one when on a "foreign country"- La Diada is a festive day where families go out to celebrate the Day of Catalonia -except for those that continue to believe Catalans shouldn't exist!.

Many of them favour independence, while others might favour greater autonomy within Spain, but in any case, the streets are full, sardana dances are celebrated, flower offerings to fallen for Catalonia, music venues, castellers (human towers), re-enactions of the Fall of Barcelona to the Spanish troops in 1714, and also demonstrations -in the afternoon. But demonstrations as you have probably never seen: several million people in the streets on a festive mood, not a single incident ever (except, these past two years, for a few isolated scuffles provoked by small groups of Spanish ultranationalists).

If anything, any gathering of such amounts of people coming from all over Catalonia to its capital city, Barcelona, is bound to cause transport disruptions and it does. So mobility in certain areas of the city that day can be a bit more difficult indeed.

However, one should see this as an opportunity to mingle and see and experience how we Catalans understand patriotism and, like most visitors, I expect you'll be surprised. I should point out everybody is always welcome to join the festivities, regardless of your political stand.

Here some ideas on events happening that day: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/spain/infox-attention-for-those-in-barcelona-tomorrow-sept-11th , i.e. the parades of the "coroneles"

PS: not going to enter into any argument on this issue so don't expect any further replies from me.

We also walked right up to Hospital Sant Pau in late May, on a Saturday early afternoon.

Thank you all for the help. Looking forward to seeing this complex.