We get into Barcelona in the AM on Saturday, Sept. 5th. We plan to book tixs in advance to La Sagrada. Any day better, such as Sunday versus Monday or Tuesday. Same question for the Picasso Museum. Thanks!
As long as you book tickets in advance, you should be golden. I would assume services are plentiful on Sundays, so visits might be limited. I went on a Monday in the late afternoon (16:30) and went up the Passion tower at 18:00. It was full but I enjoyed the slower pace of descending by foot and the stairs (scary for anybody with vertigo) didn't seem crowded.
The Picasso Museum is free on Sunday afternoons. The line is several blocks long. If going to the museum is important to you, don't go on Sunday afternoons or line up extremely early.
Nope, mass is celebrated in the chapel which doesn't share the same space than the visitors' area -in fact entrance is by a different gate- therefore Sunday or any other day it does not make any difference to the casual visitor.
As per Museu Picasso, note that on Sunday after 3PM entrance is free -therefore queues are considerable and no, you can't book when is free :) My view: it's best to pay and ensure I don't have to wait a long time in line to get in.
Note too that, as in any other public building, both SF and Picasso Museum have limited capacity and a certain number of tix per hour are sold. Pre-booking ensures you'll get in when you need to get in.
Thank you Emily and Enric. Compay