The Sagrada Familia is Barcelona's most iconic structure, and potentially one of the most famous and beautiful churches in the whole of Europe.
While it still hasn't been completely finished due to the architect's untimely death before construction was fully finalised, it's still renowned as one of the most spectacular buildings in Barcelona.
In this extensive travel guide, you'll find out everything that there is to know about the Sagrada Familia, why it's so famous and all the best tours to embark on while you're there.
| Tickets Type | Price |
| Admission Ticke | 20 €* |
| Entry Ticket + Audio guide | 26 €* |
| Entry Ticket + Audio guide + Tower | 33 €* |
| Entry Ticket + Guided Tour in English | 44,50 € |
| Ticket + Guided Tour in English + tower | 62 € |
The below table includes a brief description of various handpicked Sagrada Familia tickets & skip the line guided tours of the Sagrada Familia. They're based on users reviews, cost, customer experience as well as all the best ways to see the famous Sagrada Familia Barcelona sight.
We've compared prices from a variety of skip the line Sagrada Familia guided tours & tickets, websites and have handpicked the most affordable Sagrada Familia combination tickets, but utterly enjoyable Sagrada Familia tours & tickets below:
Duration:
5 hours 30
Duration:
4 hours
Duration:
1 hour 30
Duration:
1 hour 30
Duration:
6 hours
Duration:
4 hours
Duration:
90 to 120
Duration:
4 hours
November to February: 9 AM to 6 PM
March: 9 AM to 7 PM
April to September: 9 AM to 8 PM
October: 9 AM to 7 PM
December 25, 26, and January 1 and 6: 9 AM to 2 PM
The construction of the Sagrada Familia began in 1882 but it didn't actually open until 2010.
It is a symbolic expression that's set in stone of the Christian faith; it's an international centre for spirituality and symbolises everything that's synonymous with love, peace, faith and harmony.
The meaning of Sagrada Familia literally translates to 'Holy Family' or 'Scared Family' and it perfectly encapsulates what the cathedral is intended for. The design of the church symbolises true magnificent and grandeur and is famed for being a towering masterpiece in the city of Barcelona.
The impressive church is so famous and so important, simply due to its incredible design and expansive dimensions. The beloved architect, Antoni Gaudi, worked on the Sagrada Familia for most of his life, until his death in 1926.
Even though the church isn't actually home to a bishop's seat (which is usually the deciding factor on whether or not a building is classed as a cathedral), Gaudi made it abundantly clear that he thought the city of Barcelona would someday be known for his "cathedral".
In almost every travel guide that you read about Barcelona, you will see that the Sagrada Familia is nearly always stated as the number one must-see attraction in Barcelona.
The medieval cathedral is a true wonder to behold and despite it still being under construction, it's still a truly impressive sight to see.
La Sagrada Familia attracts over 3 million visitors each and every year and is the most visited monument in the whole of Spain.
While the Sagrada Familia is absolutely beautiful to visit at any time of year, during any season, there are certain times that are considered better to visit the world-famous structure.
As a general guideline, you'll probably need around an hour and half to get a good feel of the Sagrada Familia, in order to see both the interior of the basilica as well as the two towers.
The Sagrada Familia is open just before 9am every single morning so it's a good idea to get there at least 15 minutes before as queues will have already started by that time. Between 9am and 12pm is generally considered to be the best time to visit the Sagrada Familia, especially if you've booked tickets in advance.
If you're looking to capture the basilica in the most beautiful and natural sunlight, you should aim to be inside the cathedral between 10.30am and 11.30am as this is when the sunlight enters the basilica at the most spectacular angle.
The evening time between 5pm and 6pm is also a good time to visit the Sagrada Familia as the sunset casts a truly gorgeous light through the windows.
However, if you're not actually too interested in going inside the cathedral, and just want to take pictures of the exterior then pretty much any time of day or night is ideal to capture epic shots. The crowds do tend to get extremely busy around the Sagrada Familia at pretty much all times of day, but early mornings or later into the evening is probably the best time to capture a picture with as few people in it as possible.
The Sagrada Familia really is one of the most incredible structures in Spain and for good reason; its architectural design is truly phenomenal.
The interior of the church building is thought to be based on a five-aisled basilica, with the middle part obviously towering above the other four.
Each of the five aisles are assigned to a gate that belongs to the unfinished glory facade. The flooring of the church is covered in a smattering of religious symbols, as well as almost every single door, column and individual area having their own unique symbolic significance.
A large proportion of the interior is made up of a vault-and-pillar system, the nave, and the apse where the altar resides.
The Sagrada Familia is also actually one of the largest church buildings in the world, with the entrance to the apse (one half of a dome roofed area) at 90 metres, and the five naves totally 60 metres long and 45 metres wide each.
The interior of the Sagrada Familia really is just as astonishing as the exterior and you can be assured that you could spend hours getting lost inside and admiring the impressive feat.
Antoni Gaudi intended for there to be 18 towers present at the basilica of the Sagrada Familia but only eight of them are actually fully completed as of now; four on the Nativity facade and four on the Passion facade.
The Nativity Towers offers stunning views over the east side of Barcelona and are considered to provide some of the very best views of the whole of Barcelona.
Passion Towers on the other hand, face the city centre of Barcelona and give an unparalleled view of the stunning streets of the city.
