The Cathedral of Barcelona hides most of its best parts behind the nave: a choir, a cloister garden with geese, a museum room under the arcade and a lift to the roof. This page gives you a map of the cathedral and its streets, the route I would take through it and a note on each area. If you have not booked yet, my guide to tickets for Barcelona Cathedral compares the four options I found.
Barcelona Cathedral Map: Entrances, Stations and Sights
This Barcelona Cathedral map shows the cathedral with the nearest Metro stations and the sights within walking distance, from Google Maps data.
The address is Pla de la Seu, s/n, in Ciutat Vella. Jaume I is the nearest station, about 190 m away in a straight line, which I estimate at 3 minutes on foot (straight line times 1.3 at 4.8 km/h). Liceu is about 400 m and 6 minutes away. Plaza Catalunya, Urquinaona and Drassanes are 10 to 13 minutes away, and the Christopher Columbus monument is about 15 minutes. Casa Batllo is about 1.3 km away, a 21-minute walk.
The cathedral’s own pages name two external doors, the door of the Pieta and the door of Saint Eulalia, for the cloister, and a San Ivo door beside the chapel that leads to the roof lift. The cathedral website has the visiting hours and the ticket page. My Barcelona Cathedral opening hours guide covers the hours and the nearest stations in more detail.
Is There an Official Map of Inside Barcelona Cathedral?
I searched for a floor plan and could not find one on catedralbcn.org, so I am not linking a plan I have not seen. What the cathedral does publish is a visitable spaces page that describes six areas: the cathedral floor and cloister, the roof, the choir, the Chapter Hall, the Jewish memory archive and the Chapel of the Holy Christ of Lepanto. The route below follows those areas, in the order I would take them.
The Route I Would Take Inside Barcelona Cathedral
This is what to see inside Barcelona Cathedral if your ticket covers everything. I leave out the minutes because the cathedral does not publish a time for each area, and the tour listings give only totals.
My route inside the cathedral
1Nave and side chapelsGothic interior with chapels
2Crypt of Saint EulaliaRelics of the patron saint
3ChoirThe Golden Fleece stalls
4Cloister and geeseGarden, fountain and pond
5Chapter HallMuseum space under the cloister
6Chapel of LepantoUsed for worship, ask first
7Lift to the roofEntrance beside the San Ivo door
The Nave and Side Chapels Inside Barcelona Cathedral
The interior is Catalan Gothic, with a Romanesque cathedral consecrated in 1058 as its predecessor. Gothic construction began on 1 May 1298, and the neo-Gothic facade and central tower were completed in 1913, according to Wikipedia. Wikipedia gives the nave as 93 m long, 40 m wide and 28 m high at its centre, with two chapels in each section of the aisles. Walk the aisles slowly, because the chapels are where the individual works are.
The Crypt of Saint Eulalia Inside Barcelona Cathedral
Wikipedia says the relics of Saint Eulalia are entombed in the crypt. Among the tours, the Cathedral of Barcelona guided tour at $38 lists a visit to the crypt in its inclusions, together with the Gothic choir, the cloister and the rooftop. The crypt is a stop where a guide adds the most, because the story of the saint is the reason for the thirteen geese you meet next.
City Barcelona Tours
Cathedral of Barcelona Guided Tour with Tickets
★5.0 (1 reviews)
70 minutes
Free cancellation
My pick: The tour whose listing names the crypt, the Gothic choir, the cloister geese and the rooftop: 70 minutes, $38, English, German and Spanish, but only 1 review so far.
What you get, where you meet
Included
✓ Guided tour of the Cathedral of Barcelona
✓ Access to the rooftop for panoramic views
✓ Visit to the crypt of Saint Eulalia
✓ Tour of the Gothic choir
✓ Visit to the cloister with 13 white geese
Not included / not suitable
✕ Transportation to the Cathedral
✕ Food and drinks
Meeting point: Your guide will be waiting for you with a sign that reads "City Barcelona Tours" - Please wait at the mentioned meeting point which is the piazza right in front of the Cathedral. Pla de la Seu, s/n, Ciutat Vella, 08002 Barcelona, Spain
Languages: English, German, Spanish
Duration: 70 minutes
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
The cathedral says construction of the choir began in 1390 under Bishop Raymond d’Escales and calls the stalls a major work of Catalan Gothic sculpture. Commemorative shields painted by Juan de Borgona in 1517 and 1518 relate to the Knights of the Golden Fleece, who were summoned to Barcelona in 1519. A wooden pulpit carved in 1403 stands on the right at the entrance, and the retrochoir was begun in 1519, according to the official page.
The Cloister and the 13 Geese
The cloister is Gothic, built in the 14th and 15th centuries, with four galleries of pointed arches, per the visitable spaces page. Chapels line three galleries, and the pillars carry scenes from the Old Testament while the vault keystones show New Testament scenes. In the garden there are palm trees, magnolias, an orange tree and a 15th-century fountain. The pond is home to 13 white geese, and Wikipedia links that number to Eulalia’s age at her martyrdom.
The Chapter Hall Inside Barcelona Cathedral
The Sala Capitular is the museum space of the cathedral, under the cloister gallery next to the chapel of Saint Lucia. The official page says it began as a soup kitchen for the poor, and lists an 11th-century baptismal font, a terracotta Saint Eulalia, a Gothic altarpiece by Jaume Huguet from 1465 to 1470 and a Pieta by Bartolome Bermejo from 1490. The entry ticket in my comparison includes the Chapter Hall.
Cathedral of Barcelona Entry Ticket
★4.3 (2,556 reviews)
24-hour ticket
My pick: The entry ticket that includes the rooftop, the Chapter Hall, a VR experience and an audioguide in six languages: $22, 4.3 from 2,556 reviews.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Barcelona Cathedral ticket
✓ Access to the rooftop
✓ Access to the Chapter Hall
✓ VR experience
✓ Virtual audioguide in Spanish, Catalan, English, German, Italian, and French
✓ Sant Sever Church ticket
Not included / not suitable
✕ Guided tour
Meeting point: Pla de la Seu, 7, 08002 Barcelona, Spain
Duration: 1 day
Cancellation: This activity is non-refundable
“beautiful view and architecture, unfortunately it was a rainy cloudy foggy day so we missed all the beauty of the landscape” – GetYourGuide review
This chapel was built by Arnau Bargues in 1407 and was the chapterhouse until 1676, per the cathedral. It holds the Baroque tomb of Saint Olegarius and the crucifix known as the Holy Christ of Lepanto. It is used for worship, and the official page asks visitors not to enter or take photos during celebrations, so treat it as a quiet stop.
The Roof and Its Lift
A lift takes visitors to the rooftops, and the access is through the chapel of the Innocent Saints, next to the San Ivo door. From the terrace you see the two bell towers, the two lateral pinnacles, the cimborio topped by the Holy Cross, the cloister and a panoramic view of the city. Wikipedia puts each bell tower at 54 m and the highest point, the cimborio peak, at 70 m. The guided tour with rooftop access at $35 in my comparison includes the terraces, skip-the-line access and a VR experience.
Tours For Today
Cathedral Guided Tour with Rooftop Access
★4.5 (227 reviews)
75 minutes - 1.5 hours
Free cancellation
My pick: A 75-minute to 1.5-hour guided tour with full interior and rooftop access: $35, 4.5 from 227 reviews, in English, French and Spanish.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Full access tickets (interior and terraces)
✓ Guided tour
✓ Skip-the-line access
✓ Virtual reality experience with VR glasses (only available on private and regular tours)
✓ Radios and headphones for enhanced audio experience (for groups of over 10)
Not included / not suitable
✕ Gratuities
✕ The Virtual Reality experience with VR glasses is not included in the "Traditional Breakfast and Sunrise Tour" option
Meeting point: This activity has 2 meeting points. Your meeting point depends on the option you select. Pla de la Seu, 7, Ciutat Vella, 08002 Barcelona, España
Languages: English, French, Spanish
Duration: 75 minutes - 1.5 hours
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“The tour with Laia was great! We learned so much about the Cathedral's architecture and history. The rooftop VR experience was much better than I had hoped and views spectacular. This cathedral is stunning to see.” – GetYourGuide review
What to See Inside Barcelona Cathedral in One Hour
If you only have an hour, here is how I would spend it inside Barcelona Cathedral. Spend the first part of the visit in the nave and choir, because they are the core of the building and the cathedral’s own page treats the choir as a major work of Catalan Gothic sculpture. Take the cloister next, since the geese and the garden are open-air. Leave the Chapter Hall for the end if your ticket includes it, and finish on the roof, because the view of the cloister and the city from the terrace makes a good last stop.
The guided tours in my comparison fit this pattern into 70 minutes to 1.5 hours, which is a useful benchmark for how long inside Barcelona Cathedral takes when someone else leads the way. A visit that includes the Chapter Hall, the rooftop and the choir fits a single ticket, so you rarely need more than one booking. The only sensible reason to add a second activity is the Sagrada Familia, which is a separate visit across the city.
Getting Around Inside Barcelona Cathedral
The cathedral does not publish a floor plan, but you can build your own route from the six areas above. I could not confirm step-free access beyond the roof lift, so check the cathedral’s pages for your needs. If you would rather not plan it, a guide takes you through the areas in one loop. When you are ready to book, compare every Barcelona Cathedral ticket in one place. The home page lists the other attractions I cover.
Frequently asked questions
What is inside Barcelona Cathedral?+
Inside Barcelona Cathedral you find the nave and side chapels, the crypt of Saint Eulalia, the choir with its Golden Fleece stalls, a Gothic cloister with 13 white geese, the Chapter Hall museum space and a rooftop terrace. The cathedral's own visitable-spaces page describes most of these.
Is there an official map of Barcelona Cathedral?+
I could not find a floor plan on catedralbcn.org. The official site does have a visitable-spaces page that describes each area, the lift to the rooftop and the entrance doors. The map on this page shows the cathedral, the Metro stations and the sights around it.
Why are there geese in the Barcelona Cathedral cloister?+
The cloister has a pond with 13 white geese, a number that Wikipedia links to the age of Saint Eulalia at her martyrdom. The cathedral's visitable-spaces page confirms the 13 geese, and the garden around the pond has palm trees, magnolias and an orange tree.
How do you get to the roof of Barcelona Cathedral?+
By lift. The cathedral's visitable-spaces page says the lift to the rooftops is reached through the chapel of the Innocent Saints, next to the San Ivo door. From the roof you see the two bell towers, the pinnacles, the cimborio and a panoramic view of Barcelona.
How long do you need inside Barcelona Cathedral?+
The guided tours in my comparison run 70 minutes to 1.5 hours. A guide covers the nave, choir, cloister and rooftop in that time. On your own, allow a similar amount if you want to see every area.
Is Barcelona Cathedral the same as the Sagrada Familia?+
No. The Cathedral of Barcelona is a Gothic church in the Gothic Quarter, with a Romanesque predecessor consecrated in 1058, per Wikipedia. The Sagrada Familia is a separate basilica about 2.2 km away in a straight line, which is a walk of about 36 minutes on my estimate.
