Sagrada Família and Barcelona museums offer free visits for La Mercè festivities

Coinciding with Barcelona’s local holiday on September 24, called La Mercè after the city’s patron saint, museums and various iconic buildings such as the Sagrada Família will be offering free visits.

Open doors day is a staple of La Mercè festivities, with this year’s official program running from September 23-26, and featuring everything from live music and fireworks to circus shows and performances of traditional Catalan dances.

The Sagrada Família basilica, the unfinished masterpiece of genius architect Antoni Gaudí, is offering 12,000 free tickets. If you want to participate, you must apply on the official website by next Monday at 10 am, and pick a time slot to visit the temple from September 24-26. Winners will be selected through a draw and will get four tickets each.

As part of its open doors day, the Sagrada Familia will also show visitors how its tallest tower, named after Jesus Christ and 172.5 meters high, will look once it is finished.

🔵 2021 Open Doors
REGISTRATION OPEN!
The Sagrada Família is organising new Open Doors Days to show you how the tower of Jesus Christ will look like.
From today until 10:00 am on 20 September you can sign up to take part in the draw for free tickets! https://t.co/4tiggEYkoI pic.twitter.com/p4YoaPRbCs

— La Sagrada Família (@sagradafamilia) September 13, 2021

Another crown jewel of Barcelona’s modernist heritage, the Hospital Sant Pau by Lluís Domènech i Mondaner, will also welcome visitors for free on September 24 from 10 am to 5 pm.

Free visits at museums

Museums offering free visits on September 24 include the National Art Museum of Catalonia, which will also offer free tickets the week before for people named Mercè, Barcelona’s History Museum (MUHBA), the Design Museum, the Picasso Museum, and the CCCB, which will extend its open doors day to September 24 and 26 as well.