Sagrada Familia Plans New Photo Space to Enhance Visitor Experience

Spain’s Sagrada Familia in Barcelona is the world’s largest unfinished Catholic church. To improve the visitor experience, the church will soon have a permanent photo-background area. This program is a much-needed attempt to address this unprecedented flood of visitors. Just in 2023, BTM estimates that nearly 4.7 million people visited the site. The surrounding area welcomes between 18 and 22 million people annually, highlighting the church’s status as both a religious site and a major tourist attraction.

Antoni Gaudí, the famed Catalan architect, has worked on Sagrada Familia since 1882. This exquisite jewel not only functions as a serene religious sanctuary, but is considered one of the globe’s most exquisite man-made treasures. Today, the church continues to attract international tourists, eager to experience its breathtaking artistry and otherworldly atmosphere.

To accommodate the increasing foot traffic and improve visitor engagement, the city of Barcelona is developing a specific area for photo opportunities. The exciting new space opening up in the Depauville area surrounds a large plaza at Placa Gaudí. It’ll occupy an exceptional location right across from the front of Sagrada Familia. This addition will create even more efficient visitor flow while offering a beautiful setting to capture those Instagram-worthy moments.

Experts recognize that the area surrounding Sagrada Familia was not initially designed for the high volume of visitors it currently experiences. “The area around the Sagrada Familia was not designed for the intensive use it currently experiences,” stated a city representative involved in the project. This simple observation highlights the need for urban infrastructure upgrades to avoid bottlenecks as well as to more effectively control visitor flow.

When officials complete their much-anticipated redesign of this square, it’ll become even prettier. This would tie in a little more with Avinguda de Gaudí on the other side. This new link will stimulate travelers to discover the Sant Pau Modernist complex. In turn, it’ll create a significant positive impact on the visitor experience throughout the region.

We’re looking to bring more smart growth improvements to urban planning. These will add beauty to our cityscapes and the promise of thrilling new destinations for visitors. “Work needs to be done to improve this space in the following areas of intervention: urban landscape, tourist attraction points, public space model and disruptions or transformations resulting from urban developments,” the representative added.