Don Quixote in Barcelona

Considered by many to be the first modern novel, Don Quixote of La Mancha has, without doubt, become one of the great literary classics. First published in 1605, Miguel de Cervantes’ work tells of the travels of the “ingenious gentleman”, Don Quixote, and his aide, the mild mannered, potbellied, Sancho Panza. Surpassed only by the Bible in terms of number of translations and editions, Don Quixote is a deliberate send-up of epic chivalresque literature.

The tour in question allows participants to discover the city of Barcelona from the perspective of the man who, in his day, was prone to mistaking windmills for giants. Based on the book by Rafa Burgos, Cervantes in Barcelona. A guide to the city as seen by Don Quixote, the tour takes in all the monuments in Barcelona that are mentioned in, or bear some relation to, the emblematic novel.

The tour begins in the cathedral, which houses a Christ of the Levant in memory of the Battle of Lepanto in which Cervantes was permanently injured. Following this, the tour approaches such subjects as the Inquisition and vandalism, and visits landmarks such as Perot lo Lladre street, in reference to a bandit who makes an appearance in the novel, a printers workshop visited by the knight, Cervantes street, one of the supposed residences of the author in Barcelona, and the location where the protagonist is defeated by Sansón Carrasco, the Knight of the White Moon.

The tour takes just under three hours and begins every Saturday at 11 am at the main entrance to the Barcelona Cathedral. The cost of the tour is 14 euros. More information is available and tickets may be purchased here.