Tickets for Sagrada Familia & Park Guell in August

Posted by juice06870 on 06/23/25 03:58 PM

We will be renting a house outside of Barcelona in August with a total of 6 adults and 6 children (ages 9-14).

We plan to do a da trip into Barcelona as a group one day to see the Sagrada Familia and Park Guell (and likely some other stuff + lunch) Also my family and I will be in Barcelona for 2 days after we check out of the house and leave the other families, so we will have more sightseeing to do on that part of the trip.

I see that tickets are already available for both of these attractions, so I would like to try to get them booked sooner than later while there is still some flexibility with reservation times.

Looking for suggestions on our best course of attack. Which site would you recommend we do first, and which should we do second. Also how much time to allow at the first site, so that we have time to catch a cab to the other one.

We will probably need a bite either between sites, or after both. So if there are any good sit down or take-away recommendations near either one, I'm all ears.

Thanks,

Posted by acraven

Washington DC

06/23/25 07:18 PM

29102 posts

Barcelona can be rather hot in August, and if you hit a muggy period, you will be happier if you don't go to Parc Guell in the middle of the day. On the other hand, some folks like to try for a really early entry time at La Sagrada Familia, in hopes of avoiding the worst of the crowds. (But Parc Guell is likely to be very crowded, too.)

I'd opt for the park first, myself. It's not that I like crowded sightseeing venues, but most of what you're looking at in the church is above eye level, so crowding isn't as bothersome there as at smaller-scale sights.

I don't have a good memory of how much time I spent at La Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell, but the museum at the church is really interesting (it explains how Gaudi designed the building), and I imagine at least some of your group will want to see it. (Bonus: The museum was blessedly uncrowded for me.) The museum will require extra time. I'd suggest allowing 2 hours at the church. Warning: As of 2016, once you entered the shop at La Sagrada Familia, you couldn't go back into the church

If your tickets are not for the first time slot of the day, you cannot be sure when you will get into the key Barcelona sights. Visitor levels are so high they seem to allow X new people inside only after X people have left.

Posted by Enric

Barcelona (Catalonia)

06/25/25 12:54 PM

3214 posts

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/spain/infox-in-bcn-visiting-the-sagrada-familia-and-then-park-guell-or-the-other-way-around

Posted by juice06870 OP

06/26/25 02:49 PM

82 posts

Thanks for all of the feedback, and especially the link to the older discussion on this topic. That is VERY helpful, and we'll likely plan to follow that itinerary.

Second question: how strict is the Sagrada Familia about wearing shorts inside? It looks from instagram posts like a lot of people do this? I don't feel like walking from Park Guerll to the cathedral in August in pants.

Posted by acraven

Washington DC

06/26/25 09:01 PM

29102 posts

Here are the rules on the official website: https://sagradafamilia.org/en/rules-and-regulations

This church doesn't require that knees be covered, only that legs be covered to the mid-thigh. I'd carefully adhere to all the stated restrictions. It's an expensive ticket,,so I wouldn't want to be refused admission.