In response to growing frustration among locals, Barcelona officials have unveiled plans to create a designated “selfie” area in front of the city’s iconic Sagrada Familia basilica. The goal is to reduce pedestrian congestion and help Barcelona’s residents reclaim their space from the throngs of tourists who crowd sidewalks and spill into streets to capture the perfect photo.
The 6,200-square-meter plaza, or "anteroom", will be situated between the church’s Nativity façade and Plaça Gaudí on Carrer de la Marina. With this new layout, tourists will have a space to pause, snap photos, and gather without spilling into the road or clogging sidewalks. According to the Barcelona City Council, the goal is to “reconcile uses between visitors to the temple and the neighbourhood.”
The basilica, one of Antoni Gaudí’s most celebrated architectural works, draws more than 4.7 million visitors annually, with as many as 16,000 stopping by each day. That makes it Spain's second most visited site, behind the Alhambra in Granada. However, city officials note that only about 20 percent of tourists actually enter the basilica—most linger outside for photos, contributing to frequent bottlenecks and friction with local residents.
According to USA Today, the city council wrote on its website, "When local residents are added to the mix, problems arise relating to coexistence, safety and security, noise, dirt and non-compliance with rules and regulations, associated with large numbers of people constantly moving about."
The installation of a selfie plaza is one of several measures outlined in the three-year “Action Plan for the High-Traffic Area of the Sagrada Familia”. The €2.7 million ($3.06 million) project is part of a larger €15.5 million ($17.54 million) investment to reshape the area’s infrastructure and visitor management.
"The new configuration of the square must address how to manage the crowds of tourists while also creating a community space for local residents and neighborhood organizations," the action plan outlines. Once the selfie space is in place, visitors will have a dedicated vantage point from which snap their photos without clogging sidewalks or obstructing access to nearby shops and businesses.
Construction is expected to begin after the summer, with completion targeted for April 2026—just in time for the 100th anniversary of Gaudí’s death.
Last year saw chaos at Sagrada Familia linked to a TikTok trend, wherein tourists were placing their mobile phones on metro escalators to film themselves as the church came into view in the background. The resulting crowding and disruption at station exits led to a ban on the activity, euronews reported.
With a current tourist influx of 32 million visitors yearly, Barcelona has already implemented various strategies to combat the effects of overtourism. In 2024, a €44 million plan was introduced to better regulate crowds in 16 major hotspots by increasing police and sanitation services.
Meanwhile, a city-wide rebrand saw the retirement of the long-standing "Visit Barcelona" slogan in favor of “This is Barcelona”, signaling a shift away from a mass tourism mentality. In bold legislative moves, the city has also pledged to ban short-term rentals by 2028 and limit cruise ship disembarkations.
Following last year’s announcement, Mayor Jaume Collboni explained that the move was prompted by concerns that Barcelona was at risk of turning into a "theme park" with no room left for its residents. "Tourism needs to be serving the city's model, not the opposite," he emphasized.
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