In centuries gone by it would have been enough to provoke apocalyptic predictions and religious panic, but today the three consecutive years’ of solar eclipses due to hit Spain are causing more celebration than holy interpretation – especially the tourist sector in some less-visited parts of the country.
With eclipse-based tourism on the rise and total eclipses due almost year-on-year in Spain in August 2026 and August 2027, and then again January 2028, the Iberian region will no doubt attract hordes of eclipse lovers eager to witness the phenomenon.
2026
The first eclipse due over Spain will take place on 12 August 2024. The country’s southern European climate may seem to provide conditions preferable to taking a gamble on eclipse viewing in Greenland or Iceland, where totality will also occur, but the timing of the eclipse at sunset is tricky.
Visible at just 10 degrees above the horizon in northwest Spain and just two degrees from the Balearic Islands, the eclipse will be invisible in built-up areas or eastern regions.
The country’s northwest and Galician shores might seem optimal, but there is a reasonable risk of cloud cover on both. Despite the old adage “the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain”, Forbes recommends finding a viewing spots among Spain’s Campos Plains, for example in Palencia or Burgos, or Valladolid, in the Castilla y Léon area.
2027
On 2 August 2027, it will be the Cadiz coast in the south of Spain, between Tarifa and Portugal, able to claim the second best eclipse views (after Luxor, Egypt) with a totality set to last four minutes 39 seconds at brunch time, when the sun is at a decent 37 degrees.
Luxor, in Egypt, though, will offer almost 100% certainty of clear skies as well as a spectacular totality, casting the pyramids and the Valleys of the Kings and Queens into shadow for over six minutes. Terrorism warnings for the region and temperatures averaging over 41° C may turn some potential eclipse chasers’ attention back to Spain.
2028
2028’s eclipse on 26 January, will again be just before sunset when the sun is only 8 degrees above the western horizon, so is predicted to be visible mainly from the sea.
Cruise operators are already on the case, ensuring itineraries coincide with romantic or scenic viewing locations, and urging eclipse lovers and cruise aficionados to imagine watching the seven minute plus “ring of fire” from a ship’s deck with a sundowner cocktail in hand.
Appealing as that may be, you might prefer to rent or bring your own sailboat out to the Gulf of Cadiz, where the ancient port with its watchtowers will provide an historic backdrop and bear silent witness to the celestial happenings.
