Sagrada Família
Gaudí's unfinished basilica, under construction since 1882 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its forest of columns and coloured stained glass is a unique experience; book your ticket in advance.
Over a century under construction
Gaudí took over the project in 1883, a year after the first stone was laid, and led it until his death in 1926, when a tram struck him a few metres from the temple. By then he had spent years practically living on site. Almost a century and a half later, the basilica is still unfinished: on 30 October 2025 the central Tower of Jesus Christ reached 172.5 metres and made it the tallest church in the world, still ringed by cranes.
What you'll see inside
The interior is the real blow. Gaudí designed the columns as trunks that branch upward to hold the vault, and light pours through stained glass that shifts from blues and greens on the Nativity side to oranges and reds on the Passion side: late in the afternoon the stone forest turns to colour. Outside, the three façades tell the life of Christ —Nativity, Passion and Glory— and the styles clash: the Nativity façade is the one Gaudí left almost finished, crowded with figures; the Passion façade, carved by Subirachs from 1987, is angular and bare, and not everyone likes it. When the temple is complete it will have eighteen towers.
Price, hours and tickets
Tickets go by time slot and are bought online; there is no longer a physical box office. The basic ticket with audioguide is around €26, and going up one of the towers by lift pushes it to about €36; guided visits cost a bit more. There are reduced fares for under-30s, students and seniors, and children under 11 enter free. Hours change by season: from April to September it opens Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 20:00, closing earlier the rest of the year. Since prices and hours are adjusted each season, confirm them at sagradafamilia.org before you go (official site, checked in 2026).
When to go and what to pair it with
We recommend booking the first morning slot, around 9:00, or the last one of the afternoon: by mid-morning the nave fills with groups and it gets hard to move. If you're going for the stained-glass light, the afternoon wins, because the sun comes through the Passion side. Book several days ahead in high season; the slots with tower access sell out first. A combination that works: the Sagrada Família first thing and then, by metro (line L2/L5, Sagrada Família stop), up to Park Güell, which also needs a timed ticket. And an honest warning: if the works and scaffolding bother you in photos, this isn't the year.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Sagrada Família's opening hours?
How much does a Sagrada Família ticket cost?
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How do I get to the Sagrada Família by metro?
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