Home > Barcelona > 'The Shadow of the Wind' Walking Book Tour in Barcelona
USD $16.00
'The Shadow of the Wind' Walking Book Tour in Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain
Discover central Barcelona in a unique way with this guided walking tour of locations in 'The Shadow of the Wind,' a bestselling novel by Spanish writer Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Follow the footsteps of the characters in the book, which has sold more than 2 million copies since 2001, and visit Barcelona sites unknown to most tourists, such as Santa Anna Street, Baixada de la Llibreteria and Montcada Street. See the famous Els Quatre Gats Café and the beautiful Church of Santa Maria del Mar, and become immersed in the magic of the book as you listen to commentary from your guide.
On this literary city walking tour, travel back to the Barcelona of the early 20th century and follow the footsteps of the characters in the novel The Shadow of the Wind, a bestseller by Carlos Ruiz Zafón set in the 1940s. The winner of several awards including the Premio de la Fundación José Manuel Lara in Spain and the Borders Original Voices Award in the United States, The Shadow of the Wind is about a boy, Daniel, and his mysterious journey around Barcelona to find the truth about a book, also called The Shadow of the Wind, that he finds in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. The book and the journey will change his life forever.
Meet your local guide in central Barcelona, and dive into the story as you visit locations both real and fictional, and hear about the key plot points from your guide. Just like Daniel Sempere and Julian Carax, two of the main characters, you’ll walk through a labyrinth of mysteries and surprises.
Stroll down Rambla Santa Mónica and arrive at the Arch of the Theater, where you can imagine the aged carved wooden door that Daniel sees, the ‘old palace skeleton’ and the Cemetery of Forgotten Books.
Head through Plaza Real, Calle del Call and Baixada de la Llibreteria before making you way to Calle de Argenteria. You’ll soon reach the Church of Santa Maria del Mar and Montcada Street (Calle Montcada), where the Santa Lucia shelter and Xampanyet are located. Enjoy commentary from your guide reminding you of scenes from the book that happened in these places.
Continue to the famous Els Quatre Gats Café and Santa Anna Street, and then see a square with a church, where the Sempere & Sons bookshop is located in the novel. Walk along Canuda Street until you reach the Ateneo Barcelonés and the Palau de la Música Catalana (Catalan Music Palace), where your tour will finish. From here, visit the palace (on your own at own expense) or continue your exploration of Barcelona at your own pace!
Excellent! The guide - Teresa? - was brilliant. It was La Merce weekend, so a lot of crowds on the route. Recommend warmly!
Review by: Marie-Claire B, September 2017
I cannot recommend this tour any higher. My boyfriend and I are big fans of the book so to have a beautifully constructed tour given by a lecturer of Spanish literature from the University of Barcelona was just fantastic, the rainy setting made it even more fitting! Our guide not only took us through many of the settings from the book but also showed some lesser known historical places from Barcelona's history which was just fascinating. The tour is given in both Spanish and English with notes and quotes from the book throughout. We both loved it. If you are thinking about doing it, do it, you wont regret it.
Review by: Robyn J, November 2016
The tour was wonderful as the tour guide was top notch... Don't underestimate the amount of walking. Take a street map and keep track of the streets as there might be things you would like to go back to, like the pen and book store ... I tried to find them again but got lost in amongst the alleys. That might be one thing that could add... A tagged map for the customers, something with some little notes about locations and plot points.
Review by: Elena G, July 2016
Really nice tour, the guide was very knowledgeable and professional. You also get to see Barcelona from a different perspective.
Review by: Eric S, May 2016
Excellent tour, more meaningful if one reads the book as the commentaries center around that. Young lady leading the tour was fluent in English and Spanish, used together to enrich the experience for all. Fundamentally, this was a nice walking tour of the parte vieja of Barcelona. Good walking exercise as well, will work up a good appetite.
Review by: Veronica H, May 2016
the tour and tour guide were AMAZING. Totally worth it!!! but you must read the book first, and have it with you so you can read it again after the tour. Would recommend it 100 and would even do it again.
Review by: Ethan L, May 2016
Our guide was knowledgeable and passionate about the book and Barcelona in general. She really made it come alive for us.
Review by: Sarah L, February 2016
Nice tour of Barcelona - would have liked a little more info on the book though!
Review by: Peter G, January 2016
the tour guide was very knowledgeable on this topic and was enthusiastic. the tour was good too and we found out a lot more about Barcelona than just the references to the book.
Review by: Kelly D, October 2015
The tour was just under three hours long, walking through crowded areas as well as small niches of the city. I thought it did well in capturing the mysteries of the book. Our guide was informative and full of knowledge about the story as well as the city. And the red umbrella was a great beacon!
Review by: psphila, August 2015
The guide for the tour was enthusiastic and made wonderful connections between the city locations and the book. Although I was the only English-speaking member of the tour group, the guide did a wonderful job of stopping to translate when my Spanish comprehension fell behind. I would recommend this tour to anyone who has enjoyed the book.
Review by: Philippe C, June 2015
Intresting and nice guide tour , we discover unknown places , it was nice
Review by: Olga K, December 2014
Signed up for English tour. Got Spanish tour with translation into English. Otherwise good content and knowledgeable guide.
Review by: Patrick C, October 2014
This was a fantastic tour. Our guide knew the book and the city very well. She was just excellent. i would recommend her and this tour to anyone.
Review by: Sonia, June 2014
Fun tour! Our guide Cristina had one of the best reading voices I've ever heard! The tour does a great job of digging deeper into the book and really brings the book to life.
Review by: warichards, May 2014
Very worthwhile. Even though I was the only English speaker on the tour and the guide spoke only Spanish, her slow speech (at my request) helped to make the tour inviting and enjoyable. Don't even consider this delightful evening walk without reading the novel._br/_
And her patience with my poor Spanish really helped me pick up some vocabulary - another plus.
Review by: JOSE A. O, August 2013
A one-of-a-kind experience, unique and providing great insights into the book, the story line and the author. Cristina, the tour guide, was amazing, friendly, knowledgeable and always ready to address any particular questions one came up with. Please keep up this kind of tours and if possible add new ones on stories that occur in Barcelona and other cities where you operate.
Review by: Antonietta L, October 2012
Tour guide was very knowledgeable and ended up being a private tour. Wonderful to walk and see the different locations and buildings talked about in the book and l loved when the tour guide read passages from the book to emphasize a location or mood. Also was able to go into some of the stores and talk to owners. Great tour, brought the book to life for me.
Review by: John S, September 2012
Although I was the on;y English speaker the guide took the time between stops to tell me what was said. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
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