You have been hearing about the eclipse for months. Never before has the Sun featured so heavily in your conversations. And with good reason: on 12 August, Spain will experience a total solar eclipse. It will be the first in more than a century and, even better, the first in a series of three eclipses that will cast the Iberian Peninsula into total or partial darkness for a few minutes in 2026, 2027 and 2028. We will tell you where to go and how to watch it safely. All you need to do is make sure you are there: Mother Nature will take care of the show.

One thing is certain: the eclipse will be visible from Spain. In fact, the path of totality will cross the north of the country from west to east. This means that a considerable number of provincial capitals and their surrounding areas will provide excellent vantage points from which to watch it.

In Burgos and Oviedo, for example, total darkness will last for around 1 minute and 40 seconds. In Castellón, it will last approximately 1 minute and 30 seconds. It will be slightly shorter in places such as Valladolid, Lugo, Zaragoza and Logroño, where totality will last around 1 minute and 20 seconds. In Vitoria, Santander and Valencia, it will last for approximately one minute or just over.

Bear in mind that the eclipse will take place at sunset, so you will need to find a spot with an unobstructed view towards the west, with nothing blocking the Sun. You will also need to keep a close eye on the time: arrive early, as the phenomenon will not last long. In some places, the eclipse will end after sunset, which means that the final stages of the spectacle will no longer be visible.

To find out the exact time at which each stage of the eclipse will be visible from your location, you can consult the website of Spain’s National Geographic Institute, which provides detailed information for every province in the country.

And keep your fingers crossed. As it will take place in August, there is a very good chance of clear weather, but we would rather not have a stray cloud blocking the horizon.

Yes, you are probably thinking that what you expect is to see the Moon cover the Sun. And you would be right. But before reaching that point, there is a whole process that begins as the Moon’s disc gradually moves across the Sun. It will be quite a surprise because the Moon should not normally be visible during the day, so you will suddenly see the Sun begin to shrink. Slowly, without rushing. At its own pace. Nature does not work to a timetable.

Little by little, the band of darkness will begin to overtake the light, eventually revealing a diamond ring. This phenomenon gets its name from the fact that, when the Sun and Moon are almost perfectly aligned, only a faint rim of light remains, punctuated by a single, brighter point that resembles a diamond ring. Next come Baily’s beads, which appear just before totality and take the form of tiny points of light scattered around the Moon’s silhouette. Finally, total darkness will arrive and, after a few minutes, daylight will gradually begin to return.

Always protect your eyes and never look directly at the Sun. Do not rely on homemade solutions: X-rays, smoked glass, photographic film, CDs, cheap telescope or binocular filters and ordinary sunglasses are not safe. You will need certified solar viewing glasses that comply with the EN ISO 12312-2:2015 standard and clearly display the CE marking, showing that they meet European Union safety requirements.

Before using them during the eclipse, check that the filters are not damaged and do not contain any lighter patches. Once you have them, make sure you use them correctly. In other words, put them on before looking towards the Sun and only take them off once you have looked away. Look for just a few seconds at a time and take breaks between observations. Only remove them during the brief period of total darkness.

Experiencing Spain’s total eclipse in 2026 is not simply a matter of arriving, watching it and heading home again. It deserves a proper getaway. At Sercotel, we make it easy for you. We are fortunate that many of our hotels are located within the path of totality. From east to west, following the path of the eclipse, you can choose one of our hotels as the place to return to once the spectacle is over and continue enjoying a few relaxing days away from home.

We will be waiting for you at EsteOeste by Sercotel in Lugo, Sercotel Ciudad de Oviedo, Balcón de la Bahía Suites by Sercotel in Santander or Sercotel Ciudad de Miranda, near Burgos. You can also stay at Sercotel Valladolid, our Sercotel hotels in Bilbao, Sercotel Boulevard Vitoria, our hotels in Logroño, Sercotel Plaza Feria in Zaragoza, or our Sercotel hotels near Castellón —Plana Parc, Plana Suites and Plana Onda—and Valencia.