La Sagrada Familia: An Audio Guide with Context

Antoni Gaudí transformed stone into a living forest with his La Sagrada Familia. On this audio tour produced by tour guide and Context Travel expert, Guille Genestar, you’ll decode the symbolism carved into every surface, and get a sense of how the architecture of the world’s most extraordinary unfinished church mimics the natural world.

Starting at the security entrance, you’ll explore the basilica’s three distinctive façades with their intricate biblical narratives, representing Christ’s Birth, Passion, and future Glory. You’ll walk through the breathtaking interior where tree-like columns allow sunlight to beam in, past the altar where Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church in 2010, and into the museum’s workshops where 3D printers create models from Gaudí’s original plaster designs.

The tour ends in the La Sagrada Familia Museum’s exhibition spaces, where you’ll discover how Gaudí used revolutionary hanging models to calculate structural loads without computers. You’ll also see the tools and sketches of contemporary artists like Joan Vila-Grau, who created the stained glass.

On this 75-minute tour, you’ll have a chance to:

• Discover Gaudí’s tomb in the humble crypt beneath the church, where he now rests after 43 years of devotion to the project
• See the Japanese sculptor Etsuro Sotoo’s bronze doors, depicting children with Asian features among traditional biblical scenes
• Learn how the controversial Glory façade will require the demolition of two city blocks to create gardens facing the main entrance
• Find out about the unique acoustic design that will allow bell towers to create musical harmonies across the city
• Understand how cutting-edge technology continues Gaudí’s 140-year construction project, which is anticipated to be completed around 2035
• Explore the school Gaudí built for workers’ children, showcasing his innovative use of undulating brick construction

By the end of the tour, you’ll understand why this UNESCO World Heritage site attracts nearly five million visitors annually, and how every entrance fee contributes to completing Gaudí’s divine vision.