Visit Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia
Ticked off in April 2011
A church still rising after more than 140 years, where stone columns branch like trees and stained glass sets the forest alight.
The adventure
From outside it is almost too much to take in: the Nativity façade dripping with carved stone foliage, animals and figures, cranes still swinging overhead, and a cluster of spires climbing higher year by year. Then you step inside, and everything goes quiet in your head.
Gaudí designed the nave as a forest. Slender columns rise and split into branches that hold up a ceiling of star-like vaults, and the stained glass washes the stone in colour: cool blues and greens on the east side in the morning, fiery reds and oranges on the west as the sun goes down. Take the lift up one of the towers, then wind back down a narrow spiral stair with Barcelona framed in tiny windows. It is still unfinished, and all the more thrilling for it.
Why it’s epic
- Antoni Gaudí took over the project in 1883 and worked on it until his death in 1926; he is buried in the crypt.
- When the central Tower of Jesus Christ is complete, it will stand 172.5 metres, making this the tallest church in the world.
- Pope Benedict XVI consecrated it as a basilica in 2010.
- The Nativity façade and the crypt are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site covering Gaudí's works.
What it is
Gaudí's Sagrada Família has been under construction since 1882 and is due to be finished in the coming years.
How to do it
Book a timed ticket online, ideally including a tower visit.
Top tip
Visit in the late afternoon, when the light through the stained glass is at its best.
Need to know
- Entry is by timed ticket only, and slots often sell out days or weeks ahead, so book online.
- Tower visits cost extra, aren't open to young children, and can close in bad weather.
- It's a working church, so shoulders and thighs must be covered.
Plan this trip
- Rough cost
- £750 to £2,000 per person, including flights from the UK
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Best time to go
- All year
- Fly into
- BCN airport
Flights and a Barcelona hotel are the main costs; the ticket costs more with a tower visit or guide.
Do it yourself
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My experience
Ticked off, but the full story is still to be written up.
Over to you
Is “Visit Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia” on your bucket list, or have you already done it? Tell me in the comments, and if you've got a question about it, ask away and I'll answer.