Steves - Rick Steves Tour Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

Architect Antoni Gauds most famous and awe-inspiring work is this unfinished, super-sized church. With its cake-in-the-rain facade and otherworldly spires, the church is not only an icon of Barcelona and its trademark Modernista style, but also a symbol of this periods greatest practitioner. As an architect, Gauds foundations were classics, nature, and religion. The church represents all three.

Nearly a century after his death, people continue to toil to bring Gauds designs to life. Theres something powerful about a community of committed people with a vision, working on a church that wont be finished in their lifetimeas was standard in the Gothic age. The progress of this remarkable building is a testament to the generations of architects, sculptors, stonecutters, fund-raisers, and donors whove been caught up in the audacity of Gauds astonishing vision. After paying the steep admission price (becoming a partner in this building project), you will actually feel good. If theres any building on earth Id like to see, its the Sagrada Famlia...finished.

Cost: 13 (cash only), 16.50 combo-ticket includes Gaud House and Museum at Park Gell.

Hours: Daily April-Sept 9:00-20:30, Oct-March 9:00-18:30, last entry 30 minutes before closing.

AdvanceReservations: 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 cityincluding 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 users can figure it out). Start the transaction by selecting Event Tickets/Entradas Espectculos at the top of the screen.

Crowd-Beating Tips: The ticket windows and entrance for individuals are on the west side of the church, at the Passion Facade. If youve 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. Though the ticket-buying line can seem long (often curving around the block), it generally moves quickly; you can ask for a time estimate from the guards at the front of the line. Still, the wait can be up to 45 minutes at peak times (most crowded in the morning). To minimize waiting, arrive right at 9:00 (when the church opens) or after 16:00. To skip the line, buy advance tickets, take a tour, or hire a private guide.

Getting There: The Sagrada Famlia Metro stop puts you right on the doorstep: Exit toward Plaa de la Sagrada Famlia.

Information: Tel. 932-073-031, www.sagradafamilia.cat.

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 gargoyles-eye perspective of the loopy church.

The easier option is the Passion Facade elevator, which takes you 215 feet up and down. (You can climb higher, but expect the spiral stairs to be tight, hot, and congested.)

The Nativity Facade elevator is more exciting and demanding. Youll get the opportunity to cross the dizzying bridge between the towers, but youll need to take the stairs all the way down.

Length of This Tour: Allow 1.5 hours.

With Limited Time: Skip the museum and schoolhouse, and max out on ogling the magnificent building itself, inside and out.

Nearby: Inviting parks flank the building, facing the two completed facades.

A Dream Made Real

For over 130 years, Barcelona has labored to bring Antoni Gauds vision to reality. Local craftsmen often cap off their careers by spending a couple of years on this exciting construction site. The present architect has been at it since 1985. The work is funded exclusively by private donations and entry fees, which is another reason its completion has taken so long. Your admission helps pay for the ongoing construction.

Like Gothic churches of medieval times, the design has evolved over the decades. At heart, its Gothic, a style much admired by Gaud. He added his own Art Nouveau/Modernisme touches, guided by nature and engineering innovations. Today the site bristles with cranking cranes, rusty forests of rebar, and scaffolding. Sagrada Famlia offers a fun look at a living, growing bigger-than-life building.

Sagrada Famlia Timeline

Gaud labored on the Sagrada Famlia for 43 years, from 1883 until his death in 1926 (see sidebar previous page). Since then, construction has moved forward in fits and starts, though much progress was made in recent decades, thanks to Barcelonas 1992 Olympics renaissance, the ensuing rediscovery of the genius of Gaud, and advances in technology. In 2010, the main nave was finished enough to host a consecration Mass by the pope (as a Catholic church, it is used for services, though irregularly). As I stepped inside on my last visit, the brilliance of Gauds vision for the interior was apparent.