Barcelona to Build ‘Selfie Zone’ at Sagrada Família to Ease Tourist Congestion

If you’ve ever visited Barcelona, you know just how chaotic the area around Sagrada Família can get.
With tourists flocking to the basilica for the perfect picture, the crowds often spill into the streets, disrupting pedestrian flow and even causing traffic jams. But now, Barcelona is taking matters into its own hands by planning a dedicated “selfie zone” right next to one of its most famous landmarks.

To ease the overwhelming congestion caused by selfie-hungry tourists, the city will be constructing a 6,200-square-metre selfie zone adjacent to the iconic Sagrada Família.
This zone is designed to give visitors a specific place to snap their pictures without clogging up the streets or sidewalks.
It will be located between the Nativity Façade and Plaça Gaudí, along Carrer de la Marina.

Construction is set to start after the summer of 2025, with the completion targeted for April 2026 just in time for the 100th anniversary of Antoni Gaudí’s death.
Talk about a fitting tribute! The entire project will cost around €2.7 million, but it’s part of a much bigger €15.5 million plan to improve the area’s infrastructure and better manage the flow of visitors.

You might be thinking, “Why not just limit the number of tourists?” Well, Barcelona is no stranger to the pressure of overtourism, and while the city wants to keep its iconic landmarks accessible, it’s also working to balance the needs of residents and tourists.
This selfie zone is one way to manage that balance by offering visitors a designated area to take their iconic Sagrada Família photos, the city hopes to reduce congestion on the surrounding streets, allowing locals and tourists to co-exist a little more peacefully.

This move is part of a larger effort to tackle overcrowding in some of the city’s most visited spots. In 2024, Barcelona launched a €44 million plan aimed at addressing 16 key tourist hotspots across the city, with measures like increasing the number of street cleaners, deploying more police officers, and even tackling the issue of short-term rentals.
By 2028, the city plans to gradually phase out tourist apartment rentals to further regulate the influx of visitors.

The selfie zone isn’t just about clearing the streets around Sagrada Família, it’s also about making the area more enjoyable for everyone. With millions of people visiting Barcelona each year, managing tourism has become a delicate balancing act. The creation of this zone and the broader €15.5 million plan will not only help streamline tourist activity but also make the experience more pleasant for everyone involved.

By designing a space where people can take their photos and selfies without obstructing the streets, the city can preserve the atmosphere around this architectural masterpiece while still catering to the massive influx of tourists. It’s a win-win!

Barcelona has long been a popular travel destination, but the city’s leaders have been conscious of how overtourism can impact its charm and the daily lives of residents. Whether it’s creating designated tourist zones or working to regulate the impact of short-term rentals, the city is striving for a more sustainable future—one that balances the needs of locals with the economic benefits of tourism.

In addition to the selfie zone, Barcelona has pledged to ban short-term apartment rentals to tourists by 2028 and limit cruise ship disembarkations in the city. These measures are part of a broader strategy to combat the risk of turning Barcelona into a “theme park” devoid of local life. Speaking after the announcement, the city’s mayor, Jaume Collboni, emphasized that the goal is for tourism to “serve the city’s model, not the opposite.” This sentiment reflects the city’s commitment to ensuring that tourism benefits both visitors and residents, without compromising the quality of life for the people who call Barcelona home.

As the selfie zone project moves forward, it’ll be interesting to see how it impacts the city’s overall strategy for handling tourist crowds. Will this be the model for other cities facing similar challenges? Only time will tell.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re a local trying to get through the crowds or a tourist snapping your selfie, Barcelona’s new initiative is a fascinating step in the ongoing battle against overtourism. We’ll be keeping an eye on how this project evolves and how other cities might follow suit.

What do you think of the idea? Would you visit the selfie zone if you were in Barcelona? Let me know in the comments!