Sagrada Família Tickets

Buy your Sagrada Família ticket from the basilica's own shop at sagradafamilia.org, ideally as soon as your dates are firm. A basic ticket costs €26 (about $29) and gives you a timed entry to the basilica with an audioguide app on your phone; a tower ticket costs €36 (about $40) and adds an elevator ride up the Nativity or Passion towers. Tickets usually go on sale about two months ahead, carry your name, are checked against photo ID, and are generally non-refundable. Booking takes about ten minutes. In spring, summer and around holidays, the morning slots and tower tickets go first, often weeks before the date.

Which ticket to buy

All individual tickets are timed: you choose a date and an entry time, and you can stay inside as long as you like once you are in. What you choose is whether you want a guide and whether you want to go up a tower.

The audioguide comes as an app you download to your own phone, so bring headphones and a charged battery. It covers the basilica only. If you want context but not a group, the app is enough for most visitors; the guided tour suits people who want the symbolism explained in person.

Who pays, and who gets in free

• Children under 11: free, but each child needs a ticket in the booking.
• Visitors with disabilities: free, with one companion free on a basic ticket (a companion pays €10 for a tower ticket and €4 for a guided visit).
• Under 30s and students: €2 off the basic ticket. Bring ID or a student card; the reduction is checked at the door.
• Seniors: the biggest discount, €5 off the basic ticket.

There are no free days. Entry for Mass is free, but a service is for worship, not sightseeing (see the FAQs below).

How to book, step by step

1. Go to sagradafamilia.org/en/tickets and choose "Individual" (groups of up to nine people book as individuals).
2. Pick your visit: basic, guided, or with towers. For a tower, choose Nativity or Passion; you get one, not both.
3. Choose the date and time slot. Grayed-out slots are sold out.
4. Enter each visitor's details. Names cannot be changed after booking, so use the name on each passport.
5. Pay by card. You get an email with a QR code per ticket. Save it to your phone or print it.
6. Arrive at the entrance on Carrer de la Marina (the Nativity side) a little before your slot, with your QR code and ID. Late arrivals are not let in.

The official site also sells through its app. It is the only place with the actual face-value price; you will not find it cheaper elsewhere.

How far ahead to book

Tickets are usually released about two months ahead. How fast they go depends on the season.

Cruise days are a factor. When several big ships are in port, coaches arrive in waves from mid-morning, and same-day tickets disappear. Check the Barcelona port's cruise calendar if your dates are flexible.

The towers, and the new Tower of Jesus Christ

A tower ticket takes you up by elevator to a walkway between the spires, with close views of the stonework and across the city. You come down on foot by a narrow spiral staircase of several hundred steps. Bags and backpacks are not allowed (there is free temporary storage), the towers are not accessible for people with reduced mobility, and the basilica can set age limits for children, so check the official FAQs before booking a tower for a child. Towers close in rain or high wind; if yours closes, ask staff at the tower entrance about that part of your ticket.

Nativity or Passion? The Nativity facade is the one Gaudí built himself, crowded with carved figures, and its towers look toward the sea. The Passion facade is starker and more modern, and its towers look toward the city and the hills. First-timers usually choose Nativity; repeat visitors and people who want fewer crowds often pick Passion.

The Tower of Jesus Christ, the central spire, was completed and blessed by Pope Leo XIV on June 10, 2026, the centenary year of Gaudí's death. At 172.5 meters (566 feet), it is now the tallest church tower in the world. As of November 2026 it was not open for visitors to climb. If visits to it start, the basilica will sell them on its own site, so be wary of anyone offering tickets for it now.

Resellers, tours and markups

Search for Sagrada Família tickets and the first results are often resellers with lookalike names and logos, and prices well above the €26 face value for a basic entry. Some are legitimate agencies selling a real ticket with a markup; some bundle a ticket with a guide; a few are scams. Signs you are not on the official site:

• The web address is not sagradafamilia.org.
• A basic entry costs more than €26, or there is a "service fee".
• The page promises "skip the line" access for a basic ticket (every ticket is timed; there is no faster line to sell you).
• You get a voucher to exchange, not a QR code ticket in your own name.

Licensed guided tours are a fair choice when the official site is sold out. Groups must use guides accredited by the Catalan government, and established tour companies buy tickets in blocks well ahead, which is why they still have space when the official shop does not. Expect to pay a sizable premium over the €26 base price. Check that the tour includes the entry ticket and whether the guide comes inside.

At the door: ID, security and dress

Every ticket is personal and non-transferable. Staff scan your QR code and check photo ID; for Americans, the safest choice is your passport, carried in a zipped pocket (a photo or photocopy is not official ID). Bags go through screening, and food, drinks and dangerous items are not allowed. There are no lockers for suitcases, so do not come straight from the airport or the cruise ship with luggage.

The dress code is enforced at the entrance:

• Shorts and skirts must reach at least mid-thigh.
• No see-through clothing and no swimwear.
• No costumes or distracting decorations.
• No hats in the nave or museum (except for religious or health reasons).
• Shoulders covered in the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament; a light scarf solves this.

Plan about 90 minutes for the basilica and the museum in the crypt level, two hours or more with a tower. Do not skip the museum: it holds Gaudí's plaster models and his workshop, and explains how the building is still being finished.

The best times to go

The light makes the visit. The stained-glass windows on the east side glow blue and green in the morning; those on the west side flood the nave with orange and red in the late afternoon. On a sunny day, a slot about two hours before closing is spectacular. In winter that means around 3:30 to 4 p.m.

For fewer people, take the first slot. Since February 2, 2026, the basilica has kept 9 to 10 a.m. each day as a quiet hour for prayer: visits go ahead as normal, but keep your voice down and use headphones for any audio. Weekdays are calmer than Saturdays, and Sunday opening is later (10:30 a.m.). Hours by season:

On December 25 and 26 and January 1 and 6, the basilica opens only from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. It also closes to visitors at short notice for some religious celebrations and events, so check the calendar on the official site for your date.

Refunds, changes and missed slots

Refunds are generally not allowed. The basilica considers requests made at least 48 hours ahead; within 48 hours you need official proof of why you cannot go. Only unused tickets qualify. Date changes are possible on request by email (customer@ext.sagradafamilia.org), must be for a visit within 15 days of the original date, and depend on availability. Names cannot be changed.

If you miss your slot because of a late train or flight, you cannot simply come later. Buy travel insurance that covers prepaid activities if your plans are tight, and avoid booking the basilica on your arrival day.

If your date is sold out

1. Check the official site again over the following days. Cancellations and exchanges put slots back on sale.
2. Try a different ticket type. When basic tickets are gone, guided or tower tickets sometimes still have space.
3. Ask at the basilica. When capacity allows, tickets can be bought on site by scanning a QR code, but do not count on it in busy months.
4. Book a licensed guided tour that includes entry.
5. Attend Mass. You will see the nave as a worshipper, not a sightseer, and you must stay for the service.

Sagrada Família ticket questions

Can I buy tickets at the door?

Sometimes, by scanning a QR code on site when there is space, but in most months the day's slots are gone by the time you arrive. Book online.

Is the Sagrada Família worth it inside?

Yes. The facades are impressive from the street, but the interior, with its tree-like columns and colored light, is the part people remember. If you only pay for one sight in Barcelona, make it this one.

Do I need to print my ticket?

No. The QR code on your phone or in the app works; printing is a backup in case your battery dies.

Is the Barcelona Card or a city pass worth it here?

The Barcelona Card does not include the Sagrada Família, and commercial passes that bundle it add a markup over the official price. Book it separately at the official site.

Can I go to Mass instead of buying a ticket?

Masses are held at the basilica, and the international Mass is open to all, but some services take place in the crypt, and you cannot wander or take photos during a service. Check the Mass calendar on the official site.

How do I get there?

Take metro line L2 (purple) or L5 (blue) to Sagrada Família station, which comes out beside the basilica. From Plaça de Catalunya it is a short metro ride (change at Diagonal or Passeig de Gràcia) or about 35 minutes on foot. See Barcelona sights for nearby Sant Pau and the other Gaudí buildings, and plan your trip for fitting Barcelona into a wider route.