Following a literary route is a different way to travel. It allows you to explore places, monuments or neighbourhoods from another perspective: that left behind by characters, authors and the stories that took place there or were inspired by them. Literary routes across Catalonia take many forms, from major novels set in the Catalan capital to itineraries linked to writers who marked a turning point in small rural villages. Barcelona, a great literary setting Barcelona is one of Catalonia’s great literary capitals. Its streets, squares and neighbourhoods have inspired widely read novels, hosted influential writers and become the setting for stories that still shape the way the city is perceived today. From the Gothic Quarter to El Born, from Gràcia to El Raval, literature is present at every turn. The Barcelona of “The Shadow of the Wind” Few books have contributed as much to shaping a literary image of Barcelona as The Shadow of the Wind. Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s novel turns the city into a place of mystery, memory and mist, with an atmosphere that invites you to wander through the streets of the historic centre. The The Shadow of the Wind route offers a chance to rediscover the whole city, from Tibidabo Avenue to the Gothic Quarter, via Las Ramblas and El Born. A Barcelona of shadows, bookshops and secrets that continues to captivate readers from around the world. “Cathedral of the Sea” and the medieval city If there is one route that allows you to step into medieval Barcelona, it is the one that revolves around “Cathedral of the Sea”. The El Born district and the area around Santa Maria del Mar hold much of its appeal. Here, the city is read through stone, old trading streets and the memory of a time still reflected in its urban layout and atmosphere. Cervantes and Don Quixote in Barcelona Barcelona holds a unique place in world literature as one of the few real cities that appear in Don Quixote, in chapters LXI–LXV. This connection makes a literary walk linking Cervantes with the seafront, the old town and the idea of Barcelona as an open, outward-looking city especially appealing. In the novel, Cervantes writes: “flower of the finest cities in the world, honour of Spain, pride and wonder of its neighbours and distant foes”.