How to Tour Barcelona's Sagrada Familia Cathedral

No great city is as closely associated with the work of a single architect as Barcelona is with Antonio Gaudi. His exotic, curved Art Nouveau fantasies make Barcelona seem other-worldly--a city of dreams. Gaudi's monument is the Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, better known as La Sagrada Familia. Construction began in 1882, and the most optimistic estimates say it should be finished by 2026. The project is being paid for by private donations and visitor admission charges.

Instructions

1. Begin your tour by going to the church at Carrer Mallorca, 401, and examining the exterior. The three main facades are the Passion, or western facade, Nativity, or eastern facade and the Glory, or southern facade. The Glory side was intended to be the main entrance, but that has been shifted over to the Passion side. Each facade has carvings pertaining to a particular part of Christ's life: Nativity for Christ's birth and early years, Passion for Christ's suffering and crucifixion and Glory, once it's completed, for the resurrection and Ascension. The carvings zig-zag with early events at the bottom and later ones at the top. Each facade has four towers--or will--one for every Apostle.

2. Enter the church on the west side. The church is open from 9am to 6pm from October through March, 9am to 8pm from April through September and 9am to 2pm on December 25 and 26 and January 1 and 6. There are charges to enter the building and to use the bell-tower elevators.

3. Observe the sinuous forms of the walls, columns and ceiling vaults. They seem more like something taken out of the natural world than something man-made. In some ways, the interior seems like a colony or hive occupied by enormous insects. It is clearly the work of a truly original mind. You'll be seized with a desire to come back years from now and see what the completed church will look like.

4. Descend to the lower level via stairs located in the apse. In the crypt, you'll find Gaudi's tomb, a chapel and a museum devoted to the church's construction.

5. Take an elevator up to one of the bell towers for a spectacular view of the city and an up-close examination of some of the architectural details. Brave or physically fit souls can take the 400 steps up or down, but avoid the stairs and the bell towers if you have a fear of heights.