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
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.
- 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. 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.
- Includes 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, check out our online lectures at Context Learning.
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 into multiple groups, contact us for information on pricing and availability if you wish to remain together.
Does this include the Towers at Sagrada Familia?
The tickets we secure for this tour do not include the towers. Your guide may be able to assist you with upgrading your tickets on the day of the tour so you can climb one of the towers after, pending availability. The towers involve climbing a lot of stairs and are often very crowded so it isn't an experience that we recommend.
What are skip-the-line tickets?
What are skip-the-line tickets?
For this tour, your tickets are pre-purchased which allows you to directly enter the security line at the cathedral without waiting to purchase tickets. You will still have to wait in a security line or in a line to have your pre-purchased ticket scanned.
Book with confidence — see Context's flexible cancellation policy here.
Where You'll Start
479 Reviews
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Reviews can only be left by Context customers after they have completed a tour. For more information about our reviews, please see our FAQ.
This was a very informative and interesting tour. Our guide was excellent and could answer all of our questions. She was conscious of keeping us in the shade and getting the best vantage points.
Cynthia
Sep. 18, 2023
Vanessa was beyond excellent. She was very knowledgeable and seemed to know just how much information to share in order to keep the tour running at a fairly brisk pace. She integrated the art, architecture, history, culture, etc. in a captivating way that really helped everything we saw come alive. I would recommend this tour to anyone. And we're glad we chose the tour that included Sant Pau. It is not something we probably would have visited on our own but it was fascinating and of course visually stunning. A great experience.
Maurice
Sep. 15, 2023
She did a really good job, at the hospital and segura familia. I would recommend her.
Julian woody
Sep. 15, 2023
Context Experts in Barcelona
Get to know one of the experts leading this tour
Meet Resi
