SPAIN - Best of Europe 2014 - page 1449

Cost and Hours: €13 (cash only), €16.50 combo-ticket also includes Gaudí House and
Museum at Park Güell (see here ), daily April-Sept 9:00-20:30, Oct-March 9:00-18:30, last
entry 30 minutes before closing, Metro: Sagrada Família, exit toward Plaça de la Sagrada
Família, tel. [phone], www.sagradafamilia.cat .
Getting There: The Sagrada Família Metro stop puts you right on the doorstep: Exit
toward Plaça de la Sagrada Família. The ticket windows and entrance for individuals (not
groups) are on the west side of the church (at the Passion Facade). Inviting parks flank the
building, facing the two completed facades.
Crowd-Beating Tips: The ticket windows and entrance for individuals are on the west
side of the church, at the Passion Facade. Though the line can seem long (often curving
around the block), it generally moves quickly; you can ask for an estimate from the guards
at the front of the line. Still, waits can be up to 45 minutes at peak times (most crowded in
the morning). To minimize your wait, arrive right at 9:00 (when it opens) or after 16:00. To
skip the line, buy advance tickets, take a tour, or hire a private guide.
Advance Tickets: To avoid the ticket-buying line, you can reserve an entry time and
buy tickets in advance (€1.30 booking fee). The easiest option is to book online at
www.sagradafamilia.cat (English instructions, just type in your information and credit-card
number). You can also get tickets from ATMs at many La Caixa bank branches throughout
the city—including the branch to the left as you face the ticket windows and Passion Facade
(at the corner, just across the street). If tickets are available, you can buy them for the same
day, even for immediate entry. However, not every La Caixa ATM sells tickets (use their
larger ServiCaixa machines), and the instructions may be in Spanish (though English-only
userscanfigureitout).Startthetransactionbyselecting“EventTickets/EntradasEspectácu-
los” at the top of the screen. If you've pre-purchased tickets, head straight for the “online
ticket office” window, to the right of the main ticket line, and show your ticket or eticket to
the guard.
Tours: The 50-minute English tours (€4) run June-Oct daily at 11:00, 12:00, and 13:00;
Nov-May Mon-Fri at 11:00 and 13:00, Sat-Sun at 11:00, 12:00, and 13:00. Or rent the good
1.5-hour audioguide (€4). Good English information is posted throughout.
Elevators: Two different elevators (€3 each, pay at main ticket office, each ticket comes
with an entry time) take you partway up the towers for a great view of the city and a
gargoyle's-eye perspective of the loopy church.
Theeasieroptionisthe PassionFacadeelevator, whichtakesyou215feetupanddown.
(If you want, you can climb higher, but expect the spiral stairs to be tight, hot, and conges-
ted.)
The NativityFacade elevator ismoreexciting anddemanding. You'llgettheopportun-
ity to cross the dizzying bridge between the towers, but you'll need to take the stairs all the
way down.