What is the most beautiful sightseeing in Barcelona? The famous church Sagrada Familia is one of the most important sightseeing in Barcelona, despite still ongoing construction. The view over the city to the Mediterranean Sea is gorgeous.

How much is the entrance fee to the Sagrada Familia? The single entrance fee is EUR 15.00. If you want to experience the view from one of the two possible towers, you also get an audio guide and pay EUR 29.00 in total.

Tips for visiting the Basilica of Barcelona

The Sagrada Familia is a special highlight for every visitor of Barcelona. The Catalans call the church Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família – which means the “Atonement Church of the Holy Family”. If there is one “designer” and builder associated with Barcelona, it is Antoni Gaudi. It was precisely this Gaudi who designed the construction of the Roman Catholic basilica.

Construction of the church began in 1882 and is scheduled to be completed by 2026 (100 years after Gaudi’s death – he died as a result of a streetcar accident). Of course, when you visit the church, you immediately notice all the cranes and construction work. However, you don’t get the feeling that you’re just visiting a construction site. The church is also as it currently stands absolutely worth seeing and beautiful.

Before I tell you a little more about the Sagrada family, I want to tell you more about the towers. Whenever the topic comes to the Sagrada Familia, the question also comes up:

Is the view from the towers worth it?

Which of the two towers should you visit? Once you have seen the church from the outside and the inside, you can queue up for the elevator to one of the towers. Again, you have a very specific time so not too many people line up at once.

When I visited, the time to get in line was about an hour after the church admission time. You wait about 20 minutes before you can use the elevator to go up to 65 meters. You can also choose the elevator for the way down, but I also had the possibility to go down the tower by stairs in a spiral.

I was extremely curious to see whether the view would be blocked with wire mesh, similar to the observation deck of Cologne Cathedral, or whether there would be an unobstructed view.

To visit a tower, you need the “Top Views” combination ticket and use it to find the appropriate entrance for the tower you want to visit. One currently has the choice between the Nativity Facade tower (facade of the Nativity) with a view over the east of Barcelona – or the Passion Facade tower (facade of the Passion) with a view over the city center. Children under 6 are not allowed and under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

I chose the more popular tower at the time – the Nativity Facade tower, because you get a beautiful view over all of Barcelona. You can see the sea, the W Hotel and the whole city between the church and the beach.

You can see in all directions, but in some places the Sagrada Familia is in between. I found the view down and through the street canyons beautiful. For me, one of the most beautiful viewpoints in Barcelona.

When all the towers are finished, there will be 18 towers. Twelve are dedicated to the Apostles (four on each side of the facades at 90-112 meters high). Four more towers will be dedicated to the Evangelists, one to Mary with a height of about 125 meters and one to Jesus Christ with a height of about 172 meters.

This would make this tower the highest church tower in the world. They did not want to build higher, because the mountains would be higher than the man-made work.

Online tickets for the Sagrada Familia

Already at my mention in the hotel at that time that I wanted to visit the Sagrada Familia, they immediately offered me help to organize the ticket online in advance, so that one would not have to stand in the queue. Those who want to visit the Sagrada Familia will see a long queue in front of the ticket office and will be happy if they have bought their ticket online in advance.

One can choose between different tickets and combination tickets. However, if you want to visit one tower, you can only choose the Top View ticket for EUR 29.00. This ticket gives you admission to the church, including the entrance fee. You get admission to the church including an audio guide (from 12 years) and the choice between the Passion or Nativity Tower. For the tour a time of about 90 minutes is calculated.

The simple Basic Ticket with one entry into the church (without guide) is EUR 15.00 and is recommended with a visit time of about 60 minutes.

Online tickets for the Sagrada Familia can be purchased at: https://tickets.sagradafamilia.org.

Opening hours of the Sagrada Familia & address

The opening hours of the Sagrada Familia vary depending on the month.

April to September: 9.00 – 20.00 h
October: 9.00 – 19.00 o’clock
November to February: 9.00 – 18.00 hrs
March: 9.00 a.m. – 7.00 p.m.
December 25, 26, January 1, 6: 9.00 a.m. – 2.00 p.m.

For those who are free to schedule your visitation time, avoid noon, as this is when most people want to go to church. I would choose early morning or early evening each time, as you can enjoy the church more then.

Address of the Sagrada Familia: Carrer de Mallorca, 401, 08013 Barcelona
Location: north of the old town, district: Eixample
Coordinate: N 41º 24′ 283″ | E 2º 10 ‘486″.
Local transport: stop Sagrada Familia – metro line 2 and line 5 – bus 19, 33, 34, 43, 44, 50, 51, B20 and B24.

The most beautiful modern church

By the way, the most beautiful photo of the church can be taken from one of the forecourts from the park. When you enter the church, you might be surprised that so many people are sitting and waiting in front of the church. However, the audio guide begins here and of course it also goes into the towers and facades, which are best seen from the outside.

Inside the Sagrada Family, a bright and modern vault awaits, bearing the signature of Gaudi, who designed the church in the Modernisme style. Although the Roman Catholic basilica is still unfinished, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005 – more specifically, the Nativity façade and the crypt. In 2010, the church was consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI and elevated to the status of papal basilica minor.

Conclusion – Is a visit to the Sagrada Familia worthwhile?

Yes – for me, the Sagrada Familia is one of the most beautiful churches I have visited so far. The bright and modern interior, which however does not look plain but very playful, is unique. You don’t have to be closely rooted to the church to feel fascination for this building.

I would go to the beautiful and eye-catching church in Barcelona again at any time, even if the entrance fee with the towers has its price. However, if you pay EUR 15.00 for admission to the church, you’d better add another EUR 15.00 and have a much more emotional experience with the tour and the tower.

For me, the Sagrada Familia Church belongs next to the Gaudi Park, the market and Las Ramblas to the top sightseeing of Barcelona.