In Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s Barcelona, the well-trodden capital of Spain’s Catalonia region, there is still much to discover beneath the surface. “Treasures beneath the noise” are how the best-selling novelist, whose books present a vivid portrait of his native Barcelona, describes frequent haunts in his hometown.

Image Carlos Ruiz Zafón, the Barcelona-born, best-selling novelist Credit... Isolde Ohlbaum

The 54-year-old author behind the series, The Cemetery of Forgotten Books (the most recent, The Labyrinth of Spirits, was published in 2018), divides his time between Barcelona and Los Angeles, where he is now based. His favorite places may sound familiar, but they take on an entirely different meaning when viewed through his fantastical lens. Here, five of Mr. Ruiz Zafón’s recommendations.