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Sagrada Família Leads Tripadvisor's 2025 Top Attractions

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4 min read
A bright midday photo of Barcelona's Sagrada Família, the 2025 Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice top attraction, showing spires and cranes against a clear sky.

Barcelona's Basílica de la Sagrada Família has climbed from fourth to first place in Tripadvisor's 2025 Travelers' Choice Awards, reclaiming a title it last held in 2023. The still-unfinished Gaudí masterpiece tops a list dominated by iconic landmarks, beating the Eiffel Tower and NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The recognition comes one year before the basilica's main structure is slated for completion in 2026, marking the centenary of Gaudí's death. Tripadvisor's rankings are based on millions of traveler reviews posted between April 1 2024 and March 31 2025.

Key Points

  • Why it matters: Honors the world's most-reviewed, best-loved landmarks.
  • Travel impact: Signals continued demand for culture-rich, high-profile sites.
  • What's next: Sagrada Família aims to finish its core towers in 2026.
  • Data window covered one full year of Tripadvisor ratings.

Snapshot

Tripadvisor analyzed review volume and ratings over a recent 12-month span, then applied an editorial check to confirm quality. Sagrada Família, begun in 1882, impressed reviewers with its forest-like nave and kaleidoscopic stained glass. Paris claimed two slots-Eiffel Tower and Louvre-while NASA's Kennedy Space Center demonstrated U.S. popularity. Asia's top entry is Beijing's Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. Each attraction on the list secures Tripadvisor's "Best of the Best" badge, an honor given to fewer than one percent of the platform's listings.

Background

Antoni Gaudí devoted four decades to the Sagrada Família, merging Gothic revival and Art Nouveau influences into a structure meant to resemble a living organism. Construction halted during the Spanish Civil War, resumed slowly under a donor model, and accelerated after computer-aided design entered the process in the 1990s. Pandemic shutdowns pushed the finish date back from 2024 to 2026, though façades and interior sculpture will extend into the early 2030s.The basilica welcomed nearly five million visitors in 2024, funding ongoing work through ticket sales.

Latest Developments

Tripadvisor list showcases global icons

Released July 22 2025, the Travelers' Choice Top Attractions roster features:

  1. Sagrada Família, Barcelona, Spain
  2. Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
  3. NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Merritt Island, United States
  4. Louvre Museum, Paris, France
  5. Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia
  6. Great Wall, Beijing, China
  7. Anne Frank House, Amsterdam, Netherlands
  8. Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, UAE
  9. Duomo di Milano, Milan, Italy
  10. Plaza de España, Seville, Spain

Barcelona readies for a landmark year

Project leaders confirm that the six central towers-capped by the 172.5-meter Jesus Christ spire-will reach final height by late 2025, with consecration ceremonies planned in 2026. City officials are negotiating pedestrian flow and plaza redesigns to handle anticipated surges as travelers rush to see the basilica in its last unfinished phase.

Analysis

Tripadvisor's methodology rewards attractions that inspire both frequent visits and enthusiastic reviews, so the 2025 list acts as a barometer of mass-market sentiment rather than elite opinion. Sagrada Família's ascent underscores resurgent European city-break demand and the allure of "time-limited" experiences; travelers sense a closing window to witness construction history in real time. The Eiffel Tower's perennial popularity illustrates how signature landmarks convert nostalgia into sustained review momentum, while NASA's strong showing suggests space tourism's widening appeal among multigenerational families. Regional distribution remains skewed toward Europe, reflecting both user demographics and high review density, yet Angkor Wat and Mutianyu indicate that long-haul cultural sites can still break through. For destination managers, Tripadvisor's visibility translates directly into bookings for guided tours and timed-entry tickets, driving the need for crowd-control strategies and dynamic pricing. Brands aligning itineraries with high-ranking attractions may capture incremental demand, but they must also address overtourism concerns by promoting off-peak visits and alternative neighborhoods.

Final Thoughts

Sagrada Família's latest accolade reminds travelers that even a 19th-century project can feel urgent when completion is finally in sight. For Barcelona, the countdown to 2026 blends preservation with progress, offering visitors a chance to watch history cast in stone. Expect bookings and ticket prices to climb as the world lines up for a last glimpse of scaffolds before the basilica unveils its finished form-firmly securing the Sagrada Família's place atop global bucket lists and Tripadvisor leaderboards alike, and embedding the primary keyword Sagrada Família one more time.

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