You may have seen reports related to levels of street crime in Barcelona in recent weeks. Client safety is of paramount importance, and we have been in close contact with our partners in the city to understand the situation, and what measures are being taken to assure visitor safety. Below is the official response to the reports from Barcelona Activa (Ajuntement de Barcelona).

ETOA has a country representative based in Barcelona, and good relationships with city, province and region, and we are confident that progress will be made. Barcelona responded fully following a rise in reported pick-pocketing of tourists in the past, and they are fully aware of the significance of public perception of safety on intention to travel and future sales. As was Paris following similar concerns: the city deployed more police and improved the process of reporting a crime, a necessary step for insurance as well as justice. Poor reporting processes worsen the harm caused through lost time which could have been spent enjoying the destination, and provide insufficient deterrence if it is felt that visitors will not go to the trouble of reporting crime.

We will push for improvements in all aspects. Meanwhile, usual precautions for a crowded city remain advisable: care taken when using cash machines; use of zipped bags worn across the body; particular attention on public transport and in spaces popular with tourists.

If you have any information you would like to share with us so that our dialogue with the authorities is as useful as possible, please email policy@etoa.org.

“Barcelona is a safe city, as pointed out by the main European indicators, which place it in the average of other cities such as London, Paris or Madrid.

In recent months, some criminal episodes have been recorded, in isolation, and a percentage increase in petty crimes, phenomena that are common to many other global cities. These specific events have received during the summer intense media attention, which has been able to contribute to magnify the perception of insecurity.

The whole of the municipal government is committed to strengthen security, working in coordination with the Government of the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Government of Spain. A Local Security Board was convened at the beginning of the summer to coordinate the police and judicial agents and promote legal modifications against the multi-incident crimes.

A police reinforcement has been launched, especially in sensitive areas such as the Olympic Port and in overcrowded areas, and in the next few weeks the Generalitat de Catalunya will increase the number of police forces in the city. At the same time, research work is being strengthened, and police activity has increased, with coordinated operations between the two police forces to fight, for example, against thefts on the underground network.

With regard to the people who visit the city, the City Council has made available advice published in 9 languages ​and has transferred to the consulates and economic agents of the city their full disposition to collaborate in what they require.

Apart from the information on security issues, it should be noted that the city has continued to function at full capacity during the summer, with a high hotel occupation and a new record for visitors during the month of July, which continue to give Barcelona a very high valuation. In the autumn, it is planned to host four large medical conferences and sports and cultural events that ratify the normal running of the city.”

From 1 January 2020, the temporary low emission zone (Zona de Bajas Emisiones – ZBE) will be made permanent operational from 7:00 to 20:00 Monday to Friday for all vehicles.

The minimum standard requirement to enter the zone is DGT B yellow sticker (Euro 4 for coaches). Non-Spanish vehicles will not receive a DGT sticker but must still register to enter the zone. Further information on registration here. Vehicles which do not meet this requirement can enter the zone a maximum 10 days per year, but must first register for a daily permit.

It has been decided that for professional vehicles, such as coaches, there is a 1 year moratorium and therefore the low emission zone will apply from 1 January 2021.

 

Access and Coach Parking

Live traffic information

Last updated 23 June 2020

La Pedrera re-opens again on 15 July. Information about new safety and hygiene measures can be found here.

The Casa Milà, known popularly as La Pedrera, is a remarkable building, a combination of fantasy and functionality that has made this piece of architecture an essential part of any visit to Barcelona. It was the last private residence designed by architect Antoni Gaudí and was built between 1906 and 1912. La Pedrera was declared a Human Heritage site by UNESCO in 1984.
The museum offers a variety of activities to the travel agencies; day-time visits and night-time tours, with a commission.

The museum offers guided tours in different languages, sites to rent, exclusive visits for FIT, groups and events. Different kind of visits and workshops can be organised in order to improve the experience in La Pedrera. It is only the museum’s own accredited guides who can provide guided tours.

Official website can be found here, opening hours here. Bookings open at least six months in advance and can be made either via email or the online portal. The museum offers special rates for students, children and seniors. The rates will change in 2020 and will be updated here.

It is recommended to visit in the afternoon as it is less busy. Groups up to 30 pax are allowed.

For more information about various visits, cancellation and payment policy, please contact the Sales Department.

Contact information:
Monica Andreu
monica.andreu@lapedrera.com
+34 686 846 072

COVID-19: September 2020

Sagrada Familia has re-opened for all after the closure during the pandemic, but only during weekends and with limited capacity.

They have introduced Open days (Saturday and Sunday afternoon) giving away 125,000 free tickets up until the end of 2020. From September the open day tickets will also be available for non-residents. Read more here.

General information

The Sagrada Familia is a private institution and is one of the most visited monuments in Spain, with more than 4.5 million registered visitors in 2019.

Information about tickets can be found here.

All groups must be accompanied by an official guide accredited by the Government of Catalonia. More information about group tickets and process can be found here.

General rules regarding group visits are below:

• Groups must have between 10 and 40 people.
• Groups of more than 30 people cannot visit the museum.
• Individuals may not enter with group tickets.
• Official guides must use a transmitter system for the tour.
• If the guide does not want to do the explanation, the group must purchase the group audio guides for €7 per person.

Tour operators can book groups approximately three months in advance and must to pay 50% when booking groups. The remainder must be paid 7 days prior to their visit. Their dedicated travel trade operations team can be contacted via below phone and email address:

Marilí Guerrero
+34 932 07 30 31
operations.gestioentrades@ext.sagradafamilia.org

ETOA has been in close contact with Sagrada Familia following members sharing their frustration regarding booking conditions and response rates.

Sagrada Familia has communicated with ETOA that this pressure poses a challenge from an operational point of view, since there is more demand for tickets than tickets available. The number of visitors admitted each day is limited both for security and for a work license issue: every hour, the Basilica has a maximum capacity of 1,500 people.

In order to optimize visitor flows, ensure safety and work in favor of the quality of the visit, individual and group tickets are divided proportionally. The quota for groups is approximately 20% of the total, although this percentage can increase up to 25% during some of the high season months (March, April and October).

Sagrada Familia has communicated below to ETOA:

“Our Operations Department is responsible for managing this and many other variables, among which are the requests for tickets by authorized agents. This point requires acting with delicacy and good sense, since all the Tour Operators channel the request for group tickets through the system established for it, in which these agents play an important role.

The team is fully aware of the difficulty of establishing this or any other system for the distribution of tickets to the groups, because as in general, demand always exceeds supply.

Therefore, and in order to facilitate as much as possible the visit to the whole world, this team provides personalized attention to all those companies that request it.

Among the measures that could be implemented, which the institution’s own management suggests, are the following:

• Change the time of the group visit in such a way that the “rush hour” is cleared between 9 and 12 in the morning.
• Pose afternoon visits, which offer two fundamental advantages: fewer groups and, therefore, greater ease of movement, and greater ease of finding the desired tickets.
• Contact the Operations team well in advance to handle the request for tickets for the high seasons – during the months of March to October and, especially, for the Holy Week and June dates. The months of November, December (except Christmas time), January and February are usually a little less complicated from an operational point of view.”