Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia to introduce dedicated selfie area for tourists

Barcelona has announced plans to create a large public square in front of its biggest tourist attraction, the Sagrada Familia, to ease congestion.

For many years, people have flocked from every corner of the world to Barcelona to see the beauty of Sagrada Familia. However, as a result, locals have complained about overcrowding, as over 4.7 million visitors come every year, many taking selfies and performing TikTok dances in front of the church.

In a bid to capture the perfect photo in front of Antoni Gaudi’s unfinished basilica, tourists inadvertently block the roads and pavements, which can make moving around the square incredibly difficult.

To try to stop such severe congestion, the city authorities have announced plans to make a 6,200-square-metre public square. This will hopefully cut down on the amount of tourist traffic in the area, allowing residents to move around freely and address their ongoing concerns.

The proposed new square will be located on Marina Street, between Mallorca and Provença Streets, Gaudi Square and the Nativity Façade of Sagrada Familia. The square will make a designated space for tourists and holidaymakers where it will be easy for them to take selfies without causing disruption to the local surroundings.

A budget of £2.3 million has been agreed for the project. Construction is expected to begin in September and should take around eight and a half months to complete. By the time it is finished, it will be almost 100 years since the architect Antoni Gaudi passed away. The city of Barcelona spoke about the new plans, saying, “This new project helps to resolve a space where it is difficult to reconcile uses between visitors to the temple and the neighbourhood.”