Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

More details outside of the birth of Jesus, and above the crucifixion. Another fresco shows the three kings and on the opposite side what seem to be local peasants in Adoration before the new-born baby.

More from inside the Sagrada. The sheer size of it is overwhelming, the columns towering high above supporting the roof with its decoration. The beautiful colours filtered through the stained glass windows and transmitted via the organ pipes are a painting in disguise.

It is possible to take a lift up some 65 metres on two of the façades of the Sagrada, The Nativity towers and the Passion towers. Recommended to include the lift charge if you buy online, otherwise it come to around 4€50 extra but tickets will be limited at the Sagrada. I went up the Passion façade as I believe it has the better views and also the fact that you come down by lift too. On the Nativity side you certainly go up by lift but come down by the stairs (400 steps). You can choose the option to come down the stairs on the Passion side too. I will say that the photo-ops are limited once you are there as there is no viewing platforms as such, just peep-holes between the towers and you also have the next lift-load of people coming up behind you so it becomes a bit of "sardines only".

The first impression I got when walking in here was awe. The sheer size of the inside is so overwhelming. The colours and light are astounding. I found the noise levels a little bit much though with so many people in there and so much concrete and It's a shame some of the artwork and windows are covered, presumably for the birds.

The Sagrada Familia is a massive Bascilica and contains many large and beautiful stained glass windows. My photos do not do justice to the stained glass.

Allocate time to this beautiful aspect of the Sagrada Familia.

I will not be so presumptuous as think I could better the many fine tips already here on Vt about the Sagrada Familia. Just that it is a must-do in Barcelona, and no trip to the city should be without a tour inside, outside and up it. I would certainly book on-line as it's cheaper and you get to enter the opposite side to the crowds, although of course, once you are in you'll find that not many have left yet. But a t least you get in quickly. We booked for the 10h00 entry and there were only 5 in the queue and then we had the 10h45 lift on the "Passion" façade up 65 metres and then a short flight of stairs. There is ot much of a viewing platform or places to get a decent photo, but I still felt it was worth the extra couple of euros. Here is the tarif list as of today :

http://visit.sagradafamilia.cat/?lang=en#tickets

This is one of the rare places in Barcelona where tickets for "Seniors" have a discount price that is available to over-60s, whereas most places class "Seniors" as over-65s

When we entered the Basilica our first impression was the size and symmetry of this unfinished Basilica.

An unfinished masterpiece!

Make certain you allocate enough time to enjoy your visit. At least 2 hours, many people stay a full day.

A startling image of Jesus on the Cross, a large monument to the left of the altar.

However, due the height of the Basicilia, the monument looks to scale.

Something that certainly catches the attention of most visitors.

Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece on which he devoted the last 43 years of his life.

The first stone was laid in 1882, Antonio Gaudi died in 1926 and we visited during June 2014 and The Sagrada Familia Basilica remains unfinished. The main reason is the lack of money to complete the project.

We visited twice during our stay in Barcelona, the first time by ourselves and made the mistake of not pre purchasing our entry ticket on the internet. We arrived around 10 am and the ticket line looked long, however we arrived at the ticket office after 45 minutes and advised no tickets available for immediate entry. We were informed tickets for entry at 1pm were available immediately purchased. Not a real worry as we had a guide book and there are plenty of attractions within walking distance.

We again returned 2 days later when we joined our coach tour Barcelona to Rome. This is when the main photo was taken, as the tour guide showed us a position in the park opposite which gave a full view which could be recorded on camera.

That was what my daughter and son-in-law said when we showed them the photos of this place. I was determine to see this church - so much so that when the lines for the hop on-hop off buses were EXTREMELY long, I got impatient and I walked across to the taxi line and got in a cab. My grandson was still in line and wasn't paying attention to what I was going to do, and I had to get out and go back to get him. But we got a cab to the Sagrada Familia church by Gaudia and got there about 11:20.

We started to walk around it, as we had landed at the group entrance to find the individual entrance and where red route bus stop was. The cheapest admission was 15€ each and I thought that was too expensive, so we didn't go in. Although I now see that people with disabilities and or above the 65 plus 1 companion have free admission. Since I am over 65, I might have been able to get in free.

While the church is fantastic and I'm glad I saw it, it is, of course, still under construction. I found the facade color to be kind of grimy - like Baltimore was before they sandblasted years of soot and pollution from the building facades and brought them back to normal. There was a line to get into the church, and ALSO a line to get on the buses. I asked my grandson if he wanted to have lunch, or go in the church or get back on the bus, and he said he didn't care, so since my back was really hurting me, I decided that we'd just had breakfast and we could have lunch later, and we got in line for the bus.

The Segrada Familia is a stunning piece of architecture and a must-see for any visitor to Barcelona.
Booking in advance is advisable, plan to go early before the crowds build. It's easy to book on-line, print off your entry bar-code and jump the queues!

I took the wrong bit of the e-mail confirmation, but the staff were very helpful and found my booking and printed my tickets without fuss. Be prepared for the usual high profile attraction, security checks, but once inside you will be amazed!

Everywhere you look is a delight of colours, angles and facets.

Although entry is timed to your ticket, once inside you can wander round at your leisure.

There is a Metro station right beside the Segrada and first views as you come up the subway steps are awesome!

The Barcelona Metro is an excellent service, with frequent and punctual trains. The T10 Metro ticket is an absolute bargain, easily bought from the big red machines at every station.

My son only saw the outside, but I paid to go in. The stained glass was so cool with the sun shining in.Open between 9.00 and 18.00 from October to March, and between 9.00 and 20.00 from April to September. Now I know where the term Gawdy comes from.

The price to visit the Sagrada Familia interior, museum and school designed by Gaudí, as well as one of the towers is 19.50€ It was good that I had good weather because sometimes the towers are closed during bad weather.

My son was so taken with this church that when I was in Barcelona, I decided to visit it myself. I bought the ticket that allows you to see the interior and one of the two towers. I went up the Nativity tower

The stairway was only as wide as me. Plus I got confused and ended up circling back up the stairs and ended up where I came out of the elevator. It only happened once tho After that I figured out only go down. Never go up!! Lower in the staircase where they had a railing and some light and there were not walls on both sides. My mother could not do this climb - People with reduces mobility or wheelchair are not allowed for obvious reasons and my son could not have done this when he was here because children under 16 have to be accompanied by an adult.

No visit to Barcelona would be complete without a visit to this magnificent structure. Construction began in 1882 and still continues with a projected completion date now of 2026. I am not really a fan of hiring a tour guide but here, I would strongly advise you to do so as they will highlight the various construction techniques, the symbolism of the construction, etc.

I found the ornate Nativity facade and austere Passion facade to be compelling contradictions. If you are a fan of photography, it is well worth returning early in the morning before the crowds in order to get some good shots.

Open daily 09:00 - 18:00 (winter), 09:00 - 20:00 (summer).

Admission: €23.80 (including a guide and visit to the towers.

For me, visiting that place was a dream comes true. Since I first saw the pictures of this church I was amazed. For me, before my visit, Barcelona meant La Sagrada Familia. So it was out of question not to see this attraction from all corners. Outside, inside, towers, museum… didn’t want to miss anything and you make sure not to miss anything when you go there. Another Gaudi chef d’oeuvre…