The Sagrada Familia, Spain

La Sagrada Familia

A small group guided tour of La Sagrada Familia, perhaps one of the world’s most iconic buildings, including the Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (otherwise known as the Sagrada Familia). This is a Roman Catholic church in Barcelona designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (also known for famous architectural works in Barcelona city such as La Pedrera, Casa Batlló and Park Güell). This is Gaudí’s masterpiece and our tour of the Sagrada Familia provides an understanding as to why. Its Nativity façade and crypt are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site for the works of Antoni Gaudí, and the church now receives close to 5 million visitors a year. It has become an emblematic monument of the Spanish city, yet it remains an unfinished masterpiece. On our Small Group Tour of Spain & Portugal, we visit the Sagrada Familia with a local guide on Day 3, during our three days in Barcelona, and Discover Spain includes it at the end of its route.

The History of La Sagrada Familia

Sculpture on the Nativity façade

The foundation stone of the Sagrada Familia was laid on 19 March 1882 but when the architect Antoni Gaudí became involved with the project the following year, he changed the original plans for a neo-Gothic church in order to create something much more visionary. He wanted the inside of the basilica to look like a forest and envisioned it being able to seat 13,000 people with a central tower, dedicated to Jesus Christ, 172.5 metres high above the transept. The tower would be surrounded by 17 smaller towers representing the twelve apostles, the Virgin Mary and the four evangelists. Gaudí also imagined three façades, for the Nativity, the Passion and the Glory, showing scenes from the life of Christ and other biblical elements. The Sagrada Familia, along with Gaudí’s other work in Barcelona, showcases his unique style that combines elements of Art Nouveau, Catalan Modernism and Spanish neo-Gothic design.

Antoni Gaudí worked tirelessly on the project until his untimely death in 1926 but less than a quarter of the church had been completed. Finishing Gaudí’s architectural wonder has relied on private donations and, today, on visitors’ tickets, and as a result, the Sagrada Familia’s construction has progressed slowly, particularly following a hiatus during the Spanish Civil War. In July 1936, revolutionaries broke into the crypt (where Gaudí is buried) and set it on fire, destroying many of Gaudí’s original plans and drawings and smashing his plaster models. It took many years for those working on the project to put fragments of the master model back together and continue fulfilling Gaudí’s vision. In recent decades, technology advancements have allowed construction to progress at a quicker rate. Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church as a basilica in 2010, and on 10 June 2026, the centenary of Gaudí’s death, Pope Leo XIV blessed the Tower of Jesus Christ. At 172.5 metres, it makes the Sagrada Familia the tallest church in the world. At the time of writing, the work is not finished: the Glory façade, the main entrance, is still to be built, and completing the basilica is expected to take around another decade.

Visiting La Sagrada Familia

Inside La Sagrada Familia

No trip to Barcelona is complete without a tour of Sagrada Familia. It is a unique experience, reflected in its listing as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although the church remains a building site, the completed sections and the Sagrada Familia museum can be explored. A local guide joins our small group tour of the Sagrada Familia. Sagrada Familia tickets vary in price depending on which areas of the church you see and whether you go up the towers, the highest part of the Basilica; check current prices and opening times on the official Sagrada Familia website.

Articles about Spain published by Odyssey Traveller:

Questions about Spain.

Empires crossing the Mediterranean: 1130-1300.

15 of the best places to visit in Spain.

Barcelona travel notes.

Pilgrimages of the World: Advice for mature travellers.

Books to read on a trip to Spain.

Eight Amazing Rail Journeys.

Five Renaissance Women.

For all the articles Odyssey Traveller has published for mature travellers, click through on this link.

External articles to assist you on your visit to Spain:

The spirit of southern Spain: Reasons to visit Andalucia.

Beyond Seville: Three ancient towns to visit in Andalucia.

Ten must see sights in Madrid.