It’s nearly time once again for Barcelona’s brilliant La Mercè festival. The annual event is based around the feast day of Our Lady of Mercy (La Mare de Déu de la Mercè), and sees the city explode with colour for a few days as it gears up to celebrate.
With it comes one of the most eagerly awaited events of the Mercè festivities: open house days. There are loads of iconic buildings that you can visit during this period, but the Sagrada Família is definitely one of the most popular.
If you thought Gaudí's basilica is spectacular on the outside, wait until you get indoors. The basilica will be open to visitors for four consecutive days: 19, 20, 21 and 24 September. However, due to limited capacity, not everyone will be able to visit. To ensure a fair distribution of tickets, 20,000 will be raffled off online.
How to enter the draw
Simply register using the form on Sagrada Familia’s website between 10am today (September 8) and 9pm on September 14, and choose the day and time slot that suits you best. The form is only available in Catalan or Spanish, so you might need to whip out a trusted translator in order to apply.
Once you’ve entered you won’t be able to try again, as each person is only entitled to one entry. If you are one of the winners, you will receive a notification via email on September 15.
Discover something new
In addition to exploring the most famous areas of the basilica, visitors will also be able to discover a three-metre-high stone work of art depicting the wedding at Cana, which will be housed inside the Chapel of the Assumption, where scenes of the presentation of Mary at the temple, the death of Saint Joseph and the Dormition will also be available for viewing.
As always, your visit will include a downloadable audio guide and give you access to the inside of the basilica, the exterior façade, the museum and the schools. Unfortunately, access to the towers will be closed, and the guided tour service for them will not be available. And during the four open house days, regular tickets will not be available to buy.
How to get to the Sagrada Familia if you get tickets
Bagged a ticket? Sweet. You just need to go to the entrance on Marina Street at the assigned date and time. Get there on time – if you arrive late, you might not be able to enter.
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