Here’s the best time to visit Sagrada Familia

I loved my visit to Sagrada Familia. It’s not often that I’m completely wowed by an experience but Sagrada Familia did just that. The architecture and thoughtfulness in design will seriously wow you. But with any popular destination, planning your visit in advance will help you have the best time. Here’s my guide to the best time to visit Sagrada Familia:

Is Sagrada Familia worth visiting?

Sagrada Familia is a great place to visit on a trip to Barcelona. It’s iconic and worth seeing! Though you can just visit the outside, it’s well worth the time and money to see the basilica from the inside, too. Personally, I wouldn’t plan a trip to Barcelona without visiting Sagrada Familia.

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What is the best time to visit?

Because the tickets are timed there really isn’t a bad time to visit. If you are an avid photographer, I’d recommend the first tour time to have the least amount of people on the grounds. However, there is plenty of space to spread out once inside that makes any tour time feel open and easy to navigate.

How do I plan a visit to Sagrada Familia?

You first need to decide which type of ticket you want for your visit. Anyone can visit Sagrada Familia from the outside for free. (Placa de la Sagrada Familia is the perfect place to take some nice pictures with the basilica in the background.) But if you want to see the basilica from the inside, you need to choose in advance between a self-guided tour, a guided tour, and if you want to add-on visiting the towers to your ticket.

Tickets open three months in advance. I’d recommend booking at least month in advance, especially if you have a strict schedule in Barcelona. But if you’re traveling during high season, booking three months out will ensure you have your ticket.

Sagrada Familia is more than 2 miles from the Gothic Quarter. Keep in mind your travel time when planning your visit, too. You can take the subway or the local bus to Sagrada Familia from the Gothic Quarter pretty easily.

Is it worth booking a guided tour?

That’s totally up to you. Personally, I booked the non-guided tour so I could visit at my own pace. The tour includes a guided audio guide tour, which is more than enough for most people. But if you are extremely interested in history and architecture I’d opt for the guided tour.

Travel Tip! If you don’t want to pay for a guided tour but want more information, consider a self-guided tour and watch a document on Youtube the evening before. This will give you a lot of the same context as a guided tour but allow you to do the experience at your own pace.

How do I get tickets?

You can buy tickets to visit Sagrada Familia online up to three months in advance. All tickets include access to the official Sagrada Familia app and optional audioguide. I recommend booking your tickets at least a month in advance to ensure you have access to your ideal visit time. But if you’re planning to travel in summer consider booking your ticket as far in advance as possible.

Tickets are timed, with tickets given in 15-minute increments. Once sold out, there are no longer tickets available through the official Sagrada Familia website.

If all the official Sagrada Familia tickets have sold out, you can pay a premium for a “fast track” ticket on 3rd-party sites. If you’re last minute, you’ll still likely have access to the site – just know you’ll have to pay for it. These “fast track” tickets are generally not necessary, so only book them if your travel day is sold out.

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Is it worth visiting the Towers?

For an additional 10 Euros you can add the towers to your Sagrada Familia ticket. The towers are really only necessary if you want access to the view, but you can get a similar (and probably better) view from Park Guell or Montjuïc. Personally, with other options (some of which are free) I don’t think it’s worth the additional expense to visit the towers.

How long should I plan to visit?

I’d plan on around 1.5-2 hours to visit Sagrada Familia. The standard audioguide is 45 minutes but you’ll likely spend more time at each of the stops than the audioguide’s length. Additionally, you’ll have to go through security upon arrival and a gift shop when exiting the basilica.