This was easily the climatic experience for me in Barcelona. La Sagrada Familia is itself a transcendent spiritual experience, with an architectural magnum opus that is as much gospel as it is poetry and geometry in still motion. However, having a guide like Juan Miguel lead this tour and experience was what really set this excursion to music. He effused a passion in his narration that was part reverence for the architect, Gaudí and the magnificent edifice, and part awe for the Majesty to whom the glory belonged. His English was flawless, touched with his Catalan twang, and his movement through the tour was almost orchestral conductor like. Take this tour. Hope you get our guide. You won't forget La Sagrada Familia. How could you? There's nothing like it in the world; a cathedral where every stone, brick, line, curve, contour, sculpture, glass, and color, is itself a story within a story of the Holy Family. You will remember the name Gaudí. But you will also remember Juan Miguel.
Firstly - what a building! Everyone should visit this place and have a decent guided tour. There is so much to learn about the outside, inside and future plans. Don’t just ride past on a bus tour - you are missing out! I’m sorry I forgot our Guide’s name, but he was just amazing. He had so much passion for the Sagrada Família and about Gaudi, and was bursting with fascinating information, and he brought the place alive. It really was awesome and I also found it very spiritual and moving. Thank you so much to our Guide - I will definitely use again if visiting in the future. Thank you so much - well worth every penny.
We were there at 9 a.m. (30 minutes before our booked time), were able to queue for 9:30 a.m. at the still very short line and immediately afterwards, when the 9 a.m. line was in, our line could already go in. There were relatively few people in the castle until about 10 a.m., then the groups and the masses came. It was a pity that we didn't know in advance that there were musical gardens on that day and we had to pay the entrance fee again. In return, we were allowed to let the annoying and endlessly looping music sprinkle us all the time. That really wouldn't be necessary.
The tour guide Steven was wonderful. Lots of information and he made it very interesting. The Skip-the-Line entrance was very convenient. The only negative was that we weren't sure when or where we would see the tour guide and we weren't sure if we were at the right entrance and had to ask around about all of this. One piece of advice when locating the tour guide- be sure to look for a blue sign with the Gold Tours logo on it rather than a gold colored sign that I thought the directions were telling me to look for.
Olga was our tour guide. We have traveled all over the world and we believe we are very experienced travelers, and simply put Olga was the best guide we have ever had. She is very intelligent, well educated but also so personable and funny. We learned so much about Picasso and feel we understand him and his art so much better and with a very different perspective. We could not recommend her more highly. If you can select her do it, you will be thrilled!
I enjoyed learning about the progression of Piscasso’s work and how his personal circumstances influenced the way he designed his artwork. The tour was a great highlight of the major aspects of the museum although it was a bit hard to hear at times due to the other tours happening at the same time. Our guide, Olga, did her best and I did appreciate that our tour group was slit into two to reduce the overall size of the group.
Knowledgeable guide who was willing to allow late comers (not me) to catch up once tour started by responding to messages. I say this because one of our tours left prior to the start time and did not respond to messages from myself. The only drawback was that it was difficult to hear the guide due to number in group and other tourists at this outdoor location. I’d suggest the use of headsets.
Our guide was educated (for the most part) engaging and interesting to listen to. She was delightful and at the same time we’ll informed. The reason I hesitate is she was asked if any f Picasso’s children “did” anything. She wasn’t sure. Pabloma Piacasso, whine she spoke of is a fashion designer and had designed jewelry for Tiffani’s. She should know that. I was too shy to say.
The tour was really good. It was not necessary the skip the line since there was no line at all, but the guide took care of everything. Olga Escribano was our guide and she arrived on time, she explained Picasso's life and every important piece of art, not only from the critics perspective but also taught us how to read art and create our own vision.
Our tour guide (Alex) was fantastic. He was easy to understand and kept us interested. The meeting point was easy to find and we were able to see all the points of interests. We were able to explore after our tour which was nice. The park is worth it to see and to have a guide gets you in without waiting in long lines. I highly recommend this tour.
The guide was excellent. There was a lot of information and it was easy to understand. In particular, many small details were reviewed and what their purpose was. This was formulated into a good and clear whole. Sufficient time had been set aside and after the guided tour you were free to wander around.
Do yourself a favour and get on this tour. The splendour of the Sagrada Familia is elevated through the intricate explanations given by our wonderful guide Francisco, and we left with a deep reverence for Gaudí and many other artisans that have shaped this magnificent basilica. Worth every dime.
Very interesting and the guide pointed out things you wouldn’t notice if you did the tour by yourself. I would make the guide however look more obvious as I walked past like 3 times trying to find them, maybe carry a yellow umbrella or something to make the meeting point even more obvious.
Tina was such an amazing guide. She gave really insightful history, stories, explanation about the Park, Gaudi and mad details in his work. Definitely recommend this tour, it helps so much to understand the history of Park Guell, instead of blindly roaming around the park by yourself.
Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and talked us through the history and background to the paintings. She certainly enlightened us all about Picaso's development as a painter and his going through different stages of his artistic and personal career. Thank you Valentina.
I have never been a big fan of Picasso but the tour and guide was very interesting and I enjoyed it. Prior to the tour, it was quite simple to find the tour guide. I say this because finding the meeting point for many tours is like playing a game of hide and seek.
This was an amazing experience! I recommend it 100%. Olga did an incredible job! The pasión she puts in when explaining everything is contagious. Thank you for the list of restaurants, we loved El Cangrejo Loco! Good luck and We hope to see you soon.
A visit to absolutely do with the explanations of a guide to understand and appreciate the richness and the history of this building as well as the genius of the architect.
The tour was well worth the money as it was delivered by our excellent and pasdionate guide. I would highly recommend it!!
Great, very informative tour with a top guide. No waiting and problem-free meeting ... Immediately again!
Loved pur tour with Victor who was a great guide. Very knowledgeable and professional.
Went off without a hitch. Audio tour was fine, tho it’ll never replace a real guide.
Overall the park was beautiful (even on a cold January day), and we had a great time walking around the space, exploring the Gaudi designed flow and architecture. The play with natural shapes amongst the columns and structures, the way he played with lines and depth, and the overall expanse of the park were captivating and beautiful. I did feel that I didn't learn as much from out guide as I thought I was going to. Throughout the tour he kept his statements and explanations rather short, and when he asked if we had questions, I didn't know what to ask because I feel like I hadn't been led in the right direction to ask the right questions. He was knowledgeable and had lots of fun tidbits to share, but overall it was a semi-sleepy explanation of the space and I feel like I only got 85% of what I wanted.
The park is amazing and definitely worth visiting. I am giving the stars for the park. Our guide was just ok. After our tour was over and we were wandering around we were able to overhear other tour guides who gave far more information about things pertaining to the park than ours did. We got the basics. We have had better. He did however meet us at the designated spot on time and he was relatively easy to understand. In future I would book a tour/guide directly with the place you are visiting. We have had better guides that way. This was our first time booking with an outside company.
Meeting point is at Palau Dalamasas, where there are a lot of signs for a flamenco show; plus, the lack of Picasso Museum tour meet-up sign made us and others question if we were in the right place. Started late and group was in excess of the expected 15 (small group). Guide and information she shared was 5 stars however, and the headsets allowed us to hear the guide clearly even from a distance.
The guide was nice and informative. After the tour I wanted to go back and look at the art closer but wanted to use the restroom first. I was told the bathroom was downstairs but afterwards I could not go back into the museum. I was told that I didn’t get a ticket with my booking. It was really not fair.
Juan Miguel was a terrific guide. Very efficient at the start getting us straight in - no phaffing around, so more time for the tour. He knew the best viewpoints and was passionate, funny and knowledgeable. I wouldn’t have understood and appreciated this amazing place without the tour. Thank you.
