Exterior of the Sagrada Família with Nativity facade towers, gardens and scaffolding at the side.

Sagrada Família

Columns that branch out and colored light through the stained glass make the inside of Gaudí's basilica a very different visit from the view from the sidewalk.

  • Architecture and art
  • Suggested time:1.5 to 2 hours
  • Area:Eixample

About Sagrada Família

Past the door, the noise of the street falls away and the columns split into branches beneath the vaults. Gaudí looked to nature for structural solutions, and the feeling of a forest has a basis in the design. The stained glass adds patches of blue and warm tones to the stone.

Take in the nave before you photograph it. Then move closer to the details, without treating the basilica as a checklist to complete. It is a place of worship; silence and respect are part of the visit, even when everyone is looking up.

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