The Pope is already one step away from Barcelona. After arriving in Madrid on Saturday, León XIV will fly to Barcelona early on Tuesday. The city is already waiting for him, finalizing the last details, after weeks (and months) of preparations. The visit will involve a wide security deployment, mobility restrictions, reinforcement of public transport, and gatherings of thousands of people, with the blessing of the Jesus Tower of the Sagrada Familia as the culminating point.
The Sagrada Familia will also be the last stop of a Pope's visit with a very tight schedule. For those who want to see León XIV in the city, or simply need to go into detail about the restrictions to organize themselves during these two days when Barcelona deviates from normality, we review the keys to orient oneself for an exceptional visit to the city.
The Pope's agenda, step by step
Everything will start this Tuesday. The pontiff will arrive in Barcelona at noon and will go directly to the Cathedral, with a prayer with about 500 people. Afterwards, he will prepare for the most multitudinous event of the visit, at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. From 8 p.m., and with a capacity of more than 37,000 people, Montjuïc will become a space for liturgy and also music, with performances such as those by Sergio Dalma and the Escolanía de Montserrat, as well as surprises yet to be revealed.
The doors will open at 4 p.m., with an event with two moments: a first welcome for attendees without the Pope, which will begin at 6 p.m. and will feature about fifty confession points, and the vigil with León XIV, from 8 p.m. On a stage with Gaudinian scenography, the pontiff will star in a prayer and listening event that is expected to end around 9:30 p.m.
The next day, the program will intensify even more. On Wednesday morning he will visit the Brians penitentiary center and then he will go to the Abbey of Montserrat to participate in the Rosary prayer, with about 400 people. He will also share lunch with the Benedictine community before returning to Barcelona, where he will go to the parish of Sant Agustí del Raval for a meeting with social entities that combat poverty.
Afterwards, the moment around which the apostolic journey has been built will arrive: the visit to the Sagrada Familia. And what will happen in the basilica? Leo XIV will arrive around 7:30 PM, and then he will go to the crypt to pray at Gaudí's tomb, on the centenary of his death, three days after being run over by a tram at the intersection of Bailén and Gran Vía. The Eucharist will be precisely in memory of Gaudí, with 4,000 people inside the temple. Among them, there will be more than 800 priests and more than 250 bishops, both active and emeritus from Spain, and also from countries like France and Italy.
Once the Eucharist ends, the Pope will go outside the temple for a moment that will be historic for the city, as he will not only bless the Jesus Tower, but the cross that crowns it will be inaugurated, with a light show around 9:30 PM, which also holds surprises.
Follow the events, even without a ticket
Although most of the Pope's appointments are at full capacity or reserved for accredited participants and guests, the city has enabled ways to follow the events of the pontifical journey. The City Council will install two giant screens in public spaces, located in Plaça de les Glòries and at Arc de Triomf, from which the main events can be followed live. Several parishes have also organized joint broadcasts, and even balconies around the Sagrada Familia have been converted into rental viewpoints, at prices exceeding 700 euros.
The basilica event will be precisely the most broadcast. Not only will it have the two giant screens in Glòries and Arc de Triomf, but they will also be placed outside the temple, so that the 4,000 people who can access a restricted area around it can follow everything that happens inside.
Security as a key point
These restrictions in the Sagrada Familia neighborhood will be the most pronounced, but not the only ones, for the sake of security. In fact, the visit will mobilize more than 6,000 police officers in a operation dubbed Plan Albus, one of the most important deployments coordinated by the Mossos d'Esquadra and the Guardia Urbana.
In addition to the police forces, Civil Protection, mobility, cleaning, and urban services teams will participate in the operation. For Barcelona residents (and visitors), this will translate into access controls, security filters, traffic restrictions, and changes in public transport, especially in the areas around Montjuïc and the Sagrada Familia.
Montjuïc, the first major focus of disruptions
Tuesday afternoon will be the time of maximum activity on Montjuïc mountain. Restrictions will begin much earlier, however. From seven in the morning this Monday until two in the morning on Wednesday, there will be access controls, circulation limitations, and parking prohibitions around the Olympic Stadium.
In parallel, and to absorb the massive arrival of visitors, TMB will reinforce the metro service, especially on L1, L3, and L5, which will increase their capacity. In addition, there will be nine shuttle buses between Plaça Espanya and the Olympic Stadium, while the Montjuïc funicular will intensify its operation, and local buses will have their routes modified.
The Sagrada Familia, the epicenter of the visit
Just like in Montjuïc, at the Sagrada Familia, restrictions will begin hours before the Pope's arrival. The special perimeter will begin to be deployed on Tuesday night and will remain until Thursday morning, in an area that will affect nine blocks of the Eixample —those delimited by Rosselló, Lepant, València, and Sicília streets. There will be access controls for residents, traffic limitations, and parking prohibitions that will also affect private car parks, with restricted entries and exits.
Restrictions will also reach underground: the Sagrada Familia metro station will remain closed all day. Trains on lines L2 and L5 will pass without stopping, while the metro service will be reinforced, with more trains and more staff. The bus network will also not escape the disruptions: up to 15 lines will partially modify their routes to adapt to traffic cuts and pedestrian concentrations.
One kilometer of Popemobile
During Leo XIV's visit, the Popemobile tour will not be missed. It will be on Wednesday afternoon to reach the Sagrada Familia, with a route from Passeig de Gràcia along Rosselló and Sardenya streets. The tour will be about 15 minutes, in an area where it will be necessary to pass through the security filters set up by the Mossos d'Esquadra, who will control access to the cordoned-off space.
After the blessing of the Jesus Tower, the city will gradually begin to return to normal. Restrictions will be progressively lifted, and Barcelona will return to its usual rhythm, but not entirely the same, after illuminating the tallest tower of the tallest church in the world.