Tour Details
- Duration
- 3 hours
- Product Type
- Tour
- Venues
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- Hospital de Sant Pau
- Sagrada Familia
Photos & Highlights
- A private tour with your party and a local expert at the top of their field, such as Catalan modernism, as you explore Gaudí’s extraordinary masterpiece
- Unique, personal tours for the intentional traveler, Context tours bring you to iconic venues and show you the hidden gems and stories of cities across the world
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Tour Description
Your tour begins with the expansive Hospital de Sant Pau. This ambitious structure, designed by top architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner in 1930 and covering nine square city blocks, has served as an active hospital until 2009. After five years of intense renovations, the complex has recently reopened to the public and now houses cultural and academic institutions, such as the United Nations University and Casa Asia. You’ll explore this space, learning about the Modernisme movement, architect Montaner, and Barcelona's urban planning and development since the 1930s.
A short ten-minute walk away is Antoni Gaudí's La Sagrada Família. Still incomplete today, more than ninety years after Gaudí's death, this building stands as one of the single most important works of architecture in Europe—a stunning example of Gaudí's genius (or madness), and the enduring power of his work and vision in Barcelona. After taking on the project in 1883, Gaudí worked on the Sagrada Família until his untimely death in 1926. Your exploration of the basilica, and all of its wondrous interiors, will illustrate its symbolism, aesthetics, design, and how it connected with the Modernisme movement as a whole.
By the end of your Sagrada Família tour, you will emerge with a tangible understanding of these two inspired works and recognize their importance in the history of modernist art and architecture, as well as their ongoing significance to the city.
Experts
- You seek to gain a deeper understanding of Barcelona’s world-renowned and once-controversial Art Nouveau architecture—or as it is referred to in Catalonia, Modernisme.
- If you’re a Gaudí’s fan, we recommend you also take a look at our Gaudí Architecture Tour through Barcelona.
- If you’re traveling with children under the age of 12, we recommend our family-oriented Gaudí Tour for Kids.
- Sagrada Familia – An awe-inspiring basilica in Barcelona, Spain, designed by the renowned architect Antoni Gaudí, characterized by its intricate facades and ongoing construction since the late 19th century.
- Hospital de Sant Pau – A magnificent modernist hospital complex that showcases stunning architecture and harmonious integration of art and functionality.
Meeting and Ending Point
- We meet at a café near the Hospital Sant Pau and end at the Sagrada Familia.
- The exact meeting point and map are communicated in your confirmation email.
Tickets
- Includes Skip-the-line tickets to Sagrada Família.
- Please be advised that the Sagrada Família is an exceptionally popular and iconic venue. As it operates with strict capacity limits, tickets can sell out well in advance, particularly during peak travel seasons.
- Our tickets will get us to a special entrance where our group will have to stand in line due to security and crowd control measures.
- To ensure your visit and avoid disappointment, we strongly recommend booking your tickets as early as possible in advance of your planned travel dates.
- Includes admission tickets to Hospital de Sant Pau.
Availability
- Private tours are offered daily.
- Small group tours are offered on select days during the summer months.
Resources
- If you are looking to learn more about Barcelona prior to a visit, explore our online lectures.
- To learn even more about La Sagrada Familia, check out our Context Stories.
Itinerary
- The distance between the two venues is 1 kilometer (just over a half mile, approximately a 15-minute walk), and the surfaces are flat and paved.
Wheelchair accessibility
- The Hospital de Sant Pau is fully accessible and offers wheelchairs for rent.
- Sagrada Família is wheelchair accessible as well.
- If you have mobility concerns, please contact us to discuss the best tour option for you.
For more information about Context Tours, please visit our FAQs.
What is the difference between a Small Group and a Private Tour?
Context Travel offers both Private and Small Group Tours. Private tours are booked between your party and a local expert, where you'll be given a private tour of the venue. Small Groups are similar to what you might associate with a typical "walking tour." Capped at a maximum of six per group, you'll be joined by other travelers who have purchased the same tour and tour the venue as a group.
Both offer the same Context experience — an incredibly unique, deep dive into a place or subject led by a world-class expert in their field showing you the highlights of iconic venues alongside hidden gems and surprising stories.
What is the difference between a Small Group and a Private Tour?
Context Travel offers both Private and Small Group Tours. Private tours are booked between your party and a local expert, where you'll be given a private tour of the venue. Small Groups are similar to what you might associate with a typical "walking tour." Capped at a maximum of six per group, you'll be joined by other travelers who have purchased the same tour and tour the venue as a group.
Both offer the same Context experience — an incredibly unique, deep dive into a place or subject led by a world-class expert in their field showing you the highlights of iconic venues alongside hidden gems and surprising stories.
Why can’t I book this tour for more than 8 people?
Our Sagrada Familia tours are capped at 9 due to the venue requiring a special reservation for larger groups, this also helps your tour experience in order to best navigate the museum and crowds. Should you have a larger group, we suggest splitting in to multiple groups; contact us for information on pricing and availability.
Do my tickets include access to the Sagrada Familia Towers?
The tickets obtained for this tour do not grant access to the towers. However, on the day of the tour, your guide may be able to help you upgrade your tickets to include tower access – subject to availability. It's important to note that climbing the towers entails navigating numerous stairs and often experiencing significant crowds, making it an experience we do not strongly recommend during peak travel season.
What are Skip-the-Line Tickets?
With skip-the-line tickets for this tour, your admission is pre-purchased, enabling you to bypass the ticket purchasing queue. However, please note that you may still need to wait briefly in a security line or a line for the scanning of your pre-purchased ticket at the cathedral's entrance.
The tickets obtained for this tour do not grant access to the towers. However, on the day of the tour, your guide may be able to help you upgrade your tickets to include tower access – subject to availability. It's important to note that climbing the towers entails navigating numerous stairs and often experiencing significant crowds, making it an experience we do not strongly recommend during peak travel season.
What are Skip-the-Line Tickets?
With skip-the-line tickets for this tour, your admission is pre-purchased, enabling you to bypass the ticket purchasing queue. However, please note that you may still need to wait briefly in a security line or a line for the scanning of your pre-purchased ticket at the cathedral's entrance.
Book with confidence — see Context's flexible cancellation policy here.
Where You'll Start
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670 Reviews
Reviews can only be left by Context customers after they have completed a tour. For more information about our reviews, please see our FAQ.
He was ok not great. He did not text us meeting location before our tour so it was a bumpy start. His English was mediocre .
Barbara
Oct 5, 2024
Alex Rodriguez was excellent. Clearly committed to his art. Highly well versed in the subject matter. He was patient and interested in connecting with his audience. Took great care in providing in-depth explanations on both sites we visited. As good as the experience was, it would have been even better if voice devices had been used. This became especially important when surrounded by large crowds at La Sagrada Familia. That said, one especially gratifying part of the experience was Alex taking extra time to explain many different elements of the design and construction of the basilica. To our surprise, Alex went over the time estimated for the site visit to ensure we got complete background on the Basilica. Very impressed with Alex's background and commitment.
Jorge
Sep 30, 2024
This was our favorite tour or our trip to Barcelona. Alex was fantastic! He was super knowledgeable, I was blown away by the hospitality portion as it was so unexpected. I would highly recommend this group and Alex.
Cindy
Sep 29, 2024
Context Experts in Barcelona
Get to know one of the experts leading this tour
Meet Resi
