Where to catch the next total solar eclipse in Europe

For solar eclipse chasers, the next opportunity to see catch the 293-kilometre wide (182 miles) shadow of the moon will be on 12 August 2026.

The path of the 2026 total eclipse will take in Russia, Greenland, Iceland and Spain, but commentators, tour operators and umbraphiles are already debating which will be the best destination from where to catch the phenomenon.

Greenland and Iceland

For absolute totality, the best place to head for would be Scoresby Sund in Greenland aboard a cruise ship. The seas just west of Iceland too offer the chance to catch the longest totality of over two minutes, though if you want to stay on land, either the Reykjanes Peninsula and the Snæfellsnes Peninsula could be promising. Iceland’s capital is bound to be a lively host for the event.

Another reason to head for Iceland in August when the midnight sun will well and truly up, is that it also offers eclipse enthusiasts the potential bonus of a glimpse of the northern lights or aurora as the sky dims with the moon’s passage across the sun. However, the big risk for those gambling on Iceland, is cloud cover, or even a volcanic eruption.

“Iceland normally has a lot of cloud during that time of year,” said Paul Maley, who runs an eclipse-focused tour operator. For this reason, his firm, Ring of Fire Expeditions, will be heading instead to Spain. “The data shows Spain to have the higher good-weather prospects of all three,” he said.

Spain

Spain’s big cities, Madrid and Barcelona, are likely to see an eclipse of around 99% totality and, in August, although clouds or heat vapour can develop at the end of hot days, there is a stronger chance the Spanish skies will be clearer than those above Iceland.

The risk of being disappointed in Spain is not zero though. The timing of the 2026 eclipse means that the key moment will happen just as the sun falls extremely low in the sky at sunset. This means anywhere with mountainous terrain or a built-up environment is likely to suffer from a blocked or invisible horizon.

A historic viewing spot with a clear vista into the Atlantic could be near Trafalgar lighthouse on the Cadiz coast, though this may be further south than ideal. Finisterra, on the west coast of Galicia, once thought to be the end of the known world, is another potential outlook but, as with Iceland, clouds could be likely to form on that northern western coast.