Explore the real-world places that appear in Blindness by José Saramago. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include Hospital de Santa Maria, Rossio Square, Quarantine Facility Location, Avenida da Liberdade, Alfama District and 4 more.
Avenida Professor Egas Moniz — Major medical complex
The doctor's wife brings her husband here when he begins to lose his sight. This is where the ophthalmologist first encounters the spreading epidemic of white blindness, examining patient after patient who describes seeing nothing but a milky white void. The hospital becomes one of the first institutions to be overwhelmed as medical staff succumb to the contagion.
Hospital de Santa Maria opened in 1953 as Lisbon's primary teaching hospital and medical center. It has served as Portugal's leading medical institution for decades, treating patients from across the country.
The hospital remains one of Portugal's most important medical facilities, part of the Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte. It continues to serve as a major teaching hospital and research center.
Praça de D. Pedro IV — Historic city center
The first man to go blind is driving through central Lisbon when the white blindness strikes him at a traffic light near this historic square. The car thief who steals his vehicle also passes through this area before succumbing to the same affliction, showing how the epidemic spreads through the city's heart.
Rossio has been Lisbon's main square since the Middle Ages, serving as a gathering place for public events, executions, and celebrations. The square was redesigned in the 19th century with its distinctive wave-pattern mosaic pavement.
Rossio remains one of Lisbon's most vibrant public spaces, surrounded by cafes, shops, and the National Theatre. The square is a major transportation hub and tourist destination.
Visit: Rossio Square (landmark)
Outskirts of Lisbon — Former asylum compound
The government converts an abandoned mental hospital into a quarantine facility where the blind are imprisoned. The doctor's wife, secretly still able to see, guides her husband and their ward-mates through the horrific conditions. Here they witness the breakdown of human dignity as food becomes scarce and violent gangs form among the internees.
This area on Lisbon's outskirts has historically housed various institutional facilities, including former medical and correctional institutions that were later abandoned or repurposed.
The area now contains mixed residential and light industrial development, with some former institutional buildings converted to other uses or demolished.
Main boulevard — Lisbon's grand avenue
After escaping the quarantine facility, the doctor's wife leads her group of survivors down this grand avenue as they search for food and shelter. The once-elegant boulevard is now filled with abandoned cars, debris, and the blind wandering aimlessly. They pass luxury shops that have been looted and hotels that serve as refuges for other survivors.
Avenida da Liberdade was built in the 1880s as Lisbon's answer to Paris's Champs-Élysées. The tree-lined boulevard became the city's most fashionable address, lined with theaters, cafes, and luxury shops.
The avenue remains Lisbon's premier shopping street, home to international luxury brands, hotels, and theaters. It connects Rossio Square to Marquês de Pombal Square.
Visit: Avenida da Liberdade (landmark)
Historic hillside neighborhood
The survivors venture into this labyrinthine old quarter seeking food and shelter. The narrow, winding streets become treacherous for the blind, and the doctor's wife must carefully guide the group through the maze-like alleys. They discover other survivors hiding in the ancient buildings and witness how different communities have adapted to the crisis.
Alfama is Lisbon's oldest district, dating back to Moorish times. Its narrow streets and traditional architecture survived the 1755 earthquake that destroyed much of the city. It has historically been a working-class neighborhood of fishermen and fadistas.
Alfama is now one of Lisbon's most popular tourist destinations, known for its fado houses, traditional restaurants, and stunning views over the Tagus River. Many buildings have been restored and converted to tourist accommodations.
Visit: Alfama Historic District (historic site)
Riverside district — Transport and commerce hub
The group of survivors makes their way to this riverside area in search of food from the markets and warehouses. The transportation hub, normally bustling with commuters and commerce, is now eerily quiet except for the wandering blind. They find some supplies in abandoned shops and encounter other desperate groups competing for resources.
Cais do Sodré has been Lisbon's main riverside transportation hub since the 19th century, serving ferries to the south bank and trains to coastal towns. The area developed around the docks and markets that supplied the city.
The district has been revitalized as a trendy nightlife area while maintaining its role as a major transport interchange. The old market hall now houses restaurants and bars, and luxury developments line the waterfront.
Visit: Cais do Sodré Station (landmark)
Central roundabout — Major city intersection
This major intersection becomes a symbol of the city's collapse as traffic lights continue to cycle meaninglessly while abandoned cars clog the circular plaza. The survivors pass through this central point multiple times during their wanderings, using the monument as a landmark in their mental map of the transformed city.
The square was created in the 1950s as part of urban planning reforms, named after the 18th-century statesman who rebuilt Lisbon after the 1755 earthquake. The central monument honors Pombal's contributions to the city.
Marquês de Pombal remains one of Lisbon's busiest traffic intersections, surrounded by office buildings, hotels, and shopping centers. The Eduardo VII Park extends north from the square.
Visit: Marquês de Pombal Monument (monument)
Cultural and shopping area
The survivors explore this upscale shopping district, finding most stores abandoned and looted. The elegant pedestrian streets that once hosted Lisbon's cultural elite are now filled with debris and the sounds of the lost blind. They scavenge for supplies in bookstores and cafes while the doctor's wife describes the devastation to her companions.
Chiado developed as Lisbon's literary and intellectual quarter in the 18th and 19th centuries, home to famous cafes, bookshops, and theaters. It was partially destroyed by fire in 1988 but carefully reconstructed.
Chiado is one of Lisbon's premier shopping and cultural districts, featuring international brands, traditional Portuguese shops, and historic cafes. The area connects the Baixa and Bairro Alto neighborhoods.
Visit: Chiado Shopping District (landmark)
Ribeira das Naus — Historic riverfront
Near the novel's end, when sight begins to return to the population, the characters gather along the Tagus waterfront. The doctor's wife, who maintained her vision throughout the ordeal, finally allows herself to weep as she watches the river and contemplates the human capacity for both cruelty and survival that she has witnessed.
The Tagus waterfront has been central to Lisbon's identity since its founding, serving as the departure point for Portuguese explorations and the arrival point for goods from around the world. The riverfront was extensively redeveloped over the centuries.
The waterfront is now a popular recreational area with parks, museums, and restaurants. The area offers stunning views across the Tagus to the Cristo Rei statue and the 25 de Abril Bridge.
Visit: Ribeira das Naus Waterfront (park)
More by José Saramago: All José Saramago books