Barcelona

The Shadow of the Wind Novel Walking Tour in Barcelona

Badge of ExcellenceBarcelona, Spain
The Shadow of the Wind Walking Book Tour in Barcelona

From $17.04

Price varies by group size

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

  • 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

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Overview

Follow in the footsteps of characters from the bestselling novel The Shadow of the Wind on a literary walking tour. Discover some of Barcelona’s most sacred locations as you trace the narrative of the novel by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, which has sold more than 2 million copies since its publication in 2001. Stroll the winding streets of Santa Anna Street and Montcada Street, absorb the ambience of the renowned Els Quatre Gats Café, and gaze at the beautiful church of Santa Maria del Mar, as your guide enriches your literary and historical knowledge.
  • Guided walking tour of The Shadow of the Wind book sites in Barcelona
  • Visit iconic Barcelona landmarks from the novel, like the Church of Santa Maria del Mar and Els Quatre Gats Café
  • Discover the locations of the fictional Cemetery of Forgotten Books and the Sempere & Sons bookshop
  • Explore off-the-beaten-path Barcelona squares and alleyways like Santa Anna Street and Baixada de la Llibreteria
  • Become immersed in 1940s Barcelona with your guide's live commentary

What's Included

  • Professional guide
  • Coffee and/or Tea
  • Food and drinks, unless specified
  • Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

  • Rambla de Santa Mònica, 9, Ciutat Vella, 08002 Barcelona, Spain

    Rambla Santa Monica, n.7. Just in front Ars Santa Monica, Centre d'Art.

End point

  • Carrer de Santa Anna
    C/ de Santa Anna, Ciutat Vella, 08002 Barcelona, Spain

What To Expect

Greet your accomplished literary guide in central Barcelona and set out on your cultural odyssey to the locations that inspired the timeless tale of the Shadow of the Wind. Listen to a summary of the book’s captivating plot, then follow in the footsteps of the protagonist Daniel, who explores Barcelona desperately seeking the truth about a mysterious book he found in a cemetery. 

Stroll down the atmospheric Rambla Santa Mónica and arrive at the antique wooden door at the Arch of the Theater; imagine Daniel seeing the ‘old palace skeleton’ and the Cemetery of Forgotten Books for the first time. 

Meander through charming squares such as Plaza Real and Baixada de la Llibreteria before arriving at the quaint church of Santa Maria del Mar. Engage with captivating commentary from your guide as you’re reminded of the significance and scenes surrounding the church. 

Continue to the renowned Els Quatre Gats Café, an important location within the novel, then stroll to the fictional location of Sempere and Sons bookshop. Admire the imperial majesty of Palau de la Música Catalana, then bid farewell to your guide at this conclusion point.

Santa Mònica

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Placa Reial

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Ateneu Barcelones (Pass By)

Papirum

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Carrer de l'Argenteria (Pass By)

Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Els 4Gats

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Santa Anna Church

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
  • Stroller accessible
  • Service animals allowed
  • Comfortable shoes are recommended
  • Operated by a bilingual guide in Spanish and English
  • Near public transportation
  • Infant seats available
  • Transportation is wheelchair accessible
  • Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
  • This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

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Reviews

4.5
51 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 51 reviews
Tour guide didn’t show up. Tour canceled with no warning.
Tom_C, Jan 2024
The tour guide didn’t show up and left seven of us standing there. What could be worse? We attempted to contact the tour operator using the ap but got no reply until around 40 minutes later. They assured me that I had been both emailed and texted alerting me that the “product was not available”. The only email I received was the one 48 hours before the tour confirming it was on. This was my first event with Viator and I’m not impressed.
Response from Host, Jan 2024
We sincerely regret the negative experience you had with our service, and we understand the frustration it has caused. We apologize for any inconvenience. We have processed the refund as requested, and we want to assure you that we are conducting an internal investigation to prevent situations like this from happening in the future. Your feedback is valuable, and we appreciate your understanding. If there's anything else we can assist you with, please let us know.
Disappointed
Elizabeth_S, Nov 2023
We were 3 out of 4 English speaking guests who took the tour out of maybe 14 people. Though the Viator description of the tour said English; it was in fact bilingual, which we wouldn’t have minded had we received equal attention but for every 5 minutes of Spanish conversation, we received one minute of English. There was also a lot of downtime (no conversation) walking from place to place. Didn’t get too much out of the tour though the Spanish speaking guests probably felt differently.
Bringing the books to life.
Max_P, Nov 2023
It was great seeing the places from The Cemetery of Forgotten Books series up close! The tour guide was very kind and knew a ton about Barcelona. I wish I had re-read the books ahead of time, but otherwise, I had a great time.
Best tour ever
Klissareardon, Apr 2023
This tour far surpasses my expectations - and they were already high! Our tour leader brought every aspect of the book to life and read excepts at appropriate spots. I am off to re-read this fabulous novel and immerse myself in it once again.
An imaginative way to explore the city!
Aisha_B, Feb 2023
This was an imaginative way to explore the city, felt like I was transported back to 1940s Barcelona. I loved every minute of it and my tour guide Ester was fun to spend the morning with.
Magical Tour
Brenda_V, Nov 2022
The tour was made magical by the excellent guide. She made the places come alive for us. One of the best tours I have taken.
Fantastic tour for Shadow fans
Dianne_A, Oct 2022
Big thanks to Jordi who was an excellent guide. He was engaging, informative and passionate not only about the book and its characters but with Barcelona's history as well. This made for a really interesting tour around the gothic quarter of the city. I would highly recommend Jordi and The Shadow of the Wind walking tour. Thanks!
A good historian can bring to life the Mystery of The Shadow of the Wind
Jeff_A, Sep 2022
Love love my guide Anna, she spoke 5 languages and had extensive historical knowledge of Barcelona to add to the Shadow of the Wind tour. Loved when she read from the books and took me through the labyrinth of the Gothic quarters.
Shadow of the Wind, Barcelona, and Jordi for the Win
Daniel_C, Jul 2022
We enjoyed Jordi's guidance and warmth, and we got a little taste of history and and interactive experience with the novel all while experiencing hidden nooks of historic Barcelona. If you enjoyed Shadow of the Wind, we recommend this tour!
A walk through shadows of time
Elaine_B, May 2022
The story about Neri and the Mussolini bombing, children in the basement. Victor Hugo’s pen appeared in the shop window. The stories across time. Shadows in the wind.
Requesting Refund Information.....
Robert_W, Feb 2021
Viator booked a tour, took payment and never schedule the tour with the operator. It would be nice if the web site made it much easier to find where one goes for a refund and inform Viator of the situation so one does not have to come to Review Section. thank you.
Recommended by a huge Zafón fan
Samantha_O, Jul 2020
Excellent tour and very informative. The tour guide had lots of knowledge, not only of all the books but the history of the city as well. Thoroughly enjoyed.
Response from Host, Jul 2020
Thank you very much for sharing your opinion. The novel is great and the tour is amazing!
Wonderful Insights
Garrett_L, May 2019
An excellent way to spend an evening becoming immersed in the locations of the Shadow of the Wind, with thoughtful touches and pulls from the books. It is a bilingual tour, and often takes place in very loud areas so sometimes it's hard to follow along between the language switches and the general noise of Barcelona, but I still really enjoy the tour.
I would have given 5 stars but...
Marie C, Apr 2019
Unfortunately, we did not get to do the tour. Our tour guide never showed up! Viator refunded me :).
Response from Host, Apr 2019
Hello Marie, We want to apologize. That day our guide had a personal problem and she didn't get on time to the start of the tour. She wasn't able to contact us neither. So we were'nt able to call all our guests or find a quickly solution. We are so sorry about all the troubles we might caused you. We already refund the total amount but if you, your family or your friends will come again to Barcelona we will so happy to offer you any of our tour for free. We know it's difficult to change a bad experience, but we always work trying to do the best for our costumers.
Excellent! The guide - Teresa? - was...
marjatta, Dec 2017
Excellent! The guide - Teresa? - was brilliant. It was La Merce weekend, so a lot of crowds on the route. Recommend warmly!
I cannot recommend this tour any...
MarieClaire_B, Sep 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.
The tour was wonderful as the tour...
Robyn J, Nov 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.
Really nice tour, the guide was very...
Elena G, Jul 2016
Really nice tour, the guide was very knowledgeable and professional. You also get to see Barcelona from a different perspective.
Excellent tour, more meaningful if...
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.
Our guide was knowledgeable and...
Ethan L, Apr 2016
Our guide was knowledgeable and passionate about the book and Barcelona in general. She really made it come alive for us.

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