Booking choice: The fast-track tour with towers, from $116 per person. Check dates Compare the options below
Every tower visit works the same way: you take a lift up a tower on either the Nativity or the Passion facade, look out over the city, and walk down on your own. The central Tower of Jesus Christ is not part of the visit.
The tower is also the part of the day most likely to be cancelled. Below: which tower to choose, how hard the descent is, the age rules, and what happens to your money if the towers close.
The quick answer
Choose a Nativity tower for views over the east of the city toward the sea, or a Passion tower for views over the city centre. You go up by lift and walk down several hundred narrow, steep steps (guests say 400 or more). Under-6s cannot go up, 6 to 16s need an adult, and towers close for rain, wind and events, officially with no refund.
Nativity or Passion tower: which is better?
Neither is better, they just look different ways: the Nativity towers face the eastern side of Barcelona and the sea, the Passion towers the city centre.
The Nativity facade is the older of the two and, with the crypt, part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing. The Passion facade faces west, toward the late-afternoon sun. One guest suggests a late-afternoon slot to make the most of the light.
| Nativity tower | Passion tower | |
|---|---|---|
| Views | Eastern Barcelona, toward the sea | The city centre |
| Facade | East side, the birth of Jesus | West side, the last days of Jesus |
| Way up | Lift | Lift |
| Way down | Spiral stairs, on foot | Spiral stairs, on foot |
| Official ticket | 36 EUR (40 EUR with guided tour) | 36 EUR (40 EUR with guided tour) |
Want a live guide inside and a tower after? Pick the tower option when you book.
Check dates for the fast-track tour with towersHow do you get up and down the towers?
By lift up and on foot down: the official rules say visitors must take the lift to the top and walk down.
On most tours this part is unguided. The guide finishes inside the basilica, and you go up on your own at your tower time. Allow about 30 minutes extra, and more if there is a queue: one guest says the tower portion "ran long due to the line for the elevator".
How many steps are there in the Sagrada Familia towers?
Several hundred: guests report 400 or more steps down a narrow, steep, enclosed spiral staircase, and some count close to 500.
One guest called the stairs "very steep, narrow, and enclosed" and warned anyone claustrophobic. Another put it simply: take the tower if you can walk down 400+ stairs.
It is not a good idea with vertigo, claustrophobia or knee problems, and the official site says the towers are not accessible for people with reduced mobility.
What are the age rules for the towers?
Children under 6 cannot go up the towers, and children aged 6 to 16 must be with an adult.
Tour operators apply the same rules, so a free ticket for a toddler does not come with a tower. If you are travelling with young children, a visit without a tower is the easier day: see Sagrada Familia with kids.
No tower needed? The best-rated guided visit adds the museum and Gaudí's school instead, with no stairs to climb.
Explore the fast-track tour with museumCan you take a bag up the towers?
No: bags and rucksacks go into lockers before you go up, so carry only what fits in your pockets.
Suitcases and large luggage are not accepted at the basilica at all, and there are no lockers for them, so leave cases at your hotel. Every bag is checked at security, and food and drinks are not allowed inside.
What happens if the towers are closed?
Towers close for rain, strong wind and special events, and the official site gives no refund for the tower part of the ticket.
So a tower is never guaranteed. On Viator tours, guest experiences after a tower closes are mixed: some report getting a refund for the tower part, others say the operator refused one, so read the cancellation terms before you book.
If the tower matters to you, do not book it for your last day in Barcelona.
Plans still moving? The fast-track tour cancels free up to 24 hours before, tower option included.
Check dates for the fast-track tour with towersCan you go up the Tower of Jesus Christ?
No: the central Tower of Jesus Christ is not part of the tower visit. Tower tickets are for a Nativity or a Passion tower.
The central tower was topped out on 20 February 2026, when the upper arm of its cross went on. At 172.5 m it makes the Sagrada Familia the tallest church in the world. It is the tower you will photograph, not the one you climb.
Is a tower worth it, and which tours include one?
Yes, if stairs and tight spaces do not bother you: "The tower is worth doing," as one guest put it. On Viator, the fast-track tour has a tower option and the Julià Travel tour includes one; the other guided tours do not.
Officially, entry with a tower costs 36 EUR, or 40 EUR with the official guided tour. On Viator, the guided tour with tower entry starts at $89 and the fast-track tour with tower option at $116. The extra buys a longer guided visit and free cancellation up to 24 hours before. See Sagrada Familia tickets and prices for the full comparison, or the tower tours on the homepage.
Ready for the view? Add the tower at checkout and take the stairs down at your own pace.
Check dates for the fast-track tour with towersFrequently asked questions
Do you have to walk down the Sagrada Familia towers?
Yes. The lifts only take visitors up; everyone walks down the spiral staircase, several hundred steps.
How long does the tower visit take?
Allow about 30 minutes on top of your basilica visit, and more if there is a queue for the lift.
Can I choose my tower?
On the official site you choose Nativity or Passion when you book. On tours, the operator's ticket decides, so check the listing.
Is the tower refunded if it rains?
Not on official tickets. On Viator tours, guest reports are mixed: some get a refund for the tower, others do not, so check the operator's terms before you book.
Ready to book
Choose your tour
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Sagrada Familia Fast-Track Guided Tour with Towers Access
- Skip-the-line Sagrada Familia ticket for a fixed time slot
- Official guide and radio earphones
- Tower access by lift, if you select the tower option
Sagrada Familia Guided Tour with Tower Entry
- Sagrada Familia admission with a fixed entry time
- Official guide (one language or bilingual, depending on the slot)
- Radio guide system
Sagrada Familia Fast-Track Tour with Museum & School
- Skip-the-line entry to the basilica, museum and schools
- Guided tour of the basilica and museum
- Personal radio receiver
