Sagrada Familia and buses

This item appears on page 15 of the August 2012 issue.

The completion of the interior of La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain, in 2010 increased the number of people visiting the church by over 40% to more than 3.2 million in 2011. After a review of the traffic congestion, the city council set up an exclusion zone for group-tour buses around the church. Except for school buses and buses for mobility-impaired groups with reservations made at the Sagrada Familia ticket office, all tour buses must park at least five blocks away.

City buses and taxis retain normal access; there are areas where individuals and small groups still can be dropped off near the cathedral; parking spaces for cars still exist on the streets nearby, and there remain several parking lots within a couple of blocks.