David Swanson
August 12, 2026
A total solar eclipse.Getty Images
Catch it on land or at sea.
In an uncommon confluence of celestial shows, the first of three successive summer eclipses took place on August 12, 2026. If you missed it, have no fear – the second one, on August 2, 2027, is forecast to be both spectacular and the most accessible of the trio. (In 2028, the total solar eclipse will appear on July 22.) When the sun, moon, and earth align perfectly, the moon’s shadow will stretch up to 150 miles wide while crossing the eastern Atlantic Ocean, passing through Spain, North Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula, and then vanishing in the Indian Ocean.
“You’re used to seeing twilight in one direction – during a solar eclipse, you see twilight in every direction,” says Adam Burgasser, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UC San Diego. He calls an encounter with a total solar eclipse viewed from within the shadow’s path “the most powerful thing.” While many viewers have witnessed a partial eclipse from outside the shadow (hopefully, while wearing protective eyewear), observing totality with the naked eye while immersed in its duskiness is otherworldly. The air chills, animals go quiet, flowers close, and stars and planets appear in the middle of the day.
The next eclipse’s Northern Hemisphere, midsummer setting bodes well for visibility. The icing on the cake: This will be the longest eclipse for decades to come, with some locations enjoying five to six minutes of darkness. Here’s how to travel within the path of the August 2027 total solar eclipse.
Resilient Lady at sea.
The Atlantic Ocean
The moon’s shadow, the umbra, first arrives off the coast of northwest Africa, and a number of cruise ships will be in position for the Atlantic Ocean event. While the sea comes with variable weather, cruise ship captains are well connected with up-to-the-minute local forecasts and can maneuver their vessels into more favorable positions. Ships hugging the center line of the shadow off Morocco will observe at least four and a half minutes of totality.
Virgin Voyages offers an 11-night sojourn aboard the 2,762-passenger Resilient Lady, round-trip from Barcelona. Following the eclipse, the adults-only ship will call on Madeira and Tangier, Morocco, in addition to popular Spanish ports, with special guests to include NASA or Virgin Galactic astronauts. Departure: July 28.
On a 28-night round-trip cruise from Dover, England, Holland America Line’s Nieuw Statendam visits 15 ports stretching from Copenhagen to Barcelona. Astronomy experts will join the excursion aboard the 2,666-passenger ship. Departure: July 9.
For those seeking a more intimate environment, National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions’ 102-passenger National Geographic Orion will cruise from Ponta Delgada in the Azores, viewing the eclipse en route to Tangier. The 12-night itinerary continues on to Barcelona, stopping at less-visited Spanish spots such as Motril and the Columbretes Islands, an uninhabited wildlife reserve. Departure: July 28.
Aboard Atlas Ocean Voyages’ 198-passenger World Traveller, astronomer Jonathan Ward will provide enrichment lectures and photography tips leading up to the spectacle. The eight-night journey from Barcelona to Lisbon includes an overnight in Ibiza. Departure: July 27.
Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas will travel a seven-night itinerary from Lisbon to Barcelona. The 3,334-passenger ship pauses for the eclipse between Casablanca and Gibraltar. Departure: July 30.
Morocco
Tangier will be perfectly positioned in the path’s center, according to predictions made by the late eclipse expert and former NASA astrophysicist Fred Espenak. Once the morning marine layer wears off, odds for clear skies should be favorable when the eclipse arrives at 9:44 a.m. local time, and those in Tangier will witness up to 4 minutes, 50 seconds of totality. The shadow hits land for the first time at Cape Spartel, where a Moorish lighthouse overlooks the Strait of Gibraltar at the point where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic.
On a 14-night round-trip sailing from Southampton, England, Cunard’s 2,313-passenger Queen Victoria will call on Lisbon and top Spanish destinations, stopping in Tangier for one of the longest eclipse durations of any major city in the shadow’s path. Departure: July 23.
Twenty-five miles away, on the eastern side of the Tangier Peninsula, the Moroccan Riviera presents another opportunity for viewing. Here, the forecast calls for almost five minutes of totality. The Rif Mountains and Mediterranean flank the 55-room Royal Mansour Tamuda Bay, which should provide an uncrowded setting. On-site diversions include a medi-spa, water-sports and yachting adventures, and La Plage de Lila, a retreat for children ages 4 to 12. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily and a $100 dining credit.
Finca Cortesin’s hilltop perch.
Spain and Gibraltar
Seconds after the umbra comes ashore in Morocco, it also lands across the Strait of Gibraltar in Spain. Totality won’t be as long, and the fog along the Atlantic coast may still be an obstacle, but locations just inland are likely to be cloud-free. Spain’s southernmost mainland city, Tarifa, a popular wind-sports destination, will see 4 minutes, 38 seconds of totality. An hour’s drive northeast, the Rock of Gibraltar offers a potentially spectacular perch for viewing the approaching shadow, but clear skies aren’t guaranteed, and relocating at the last minute would be difficult. Canadian meteorologist and eclipse chaser Jay Anderson gives Gibraltar a 74 percent chance of fair viewing conditions.
To the northeast in Casares, the palatial Finca Cortesin, Golf, Spa & Villas will see 3 minutes, 43 seconds of darkness. The 67-room resort, modeled after a traditional Andalusian country home, sits on a 500-acre estate a mile inland with an acclaimed 18-hole golf course. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily and one 50-minute massage for two.
Heading east along the Costa del Sol to Marbella, eclipse chasers will find 3 minutes, 17 seconds of totality at the 159-room Puente Romano Marbella and 101-room Nobu Hotel Marbella. Sharing a large beachfront location on the Golden Mile, they have the requisite amenities to draw both families and couples, with 20 restaurants and bars, a renowned kids’ club, and extensive tennis and padel facilities. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily and a $100 dining credit.
Just outside Marbella, the 125-room Anantara Villa Padierna Palace Benahavis Marbella Resort’s hilltop position offers uninterrupted views of the sky and horizon. Hikes through cypress and palm trees or days on three 18-hole golf courses all lead back to the 21,000-square-foot spa. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily and a $100 hotel credit.
Also situated along the Golden Mile, the 130-room Marbella Club opened in 1954 and made the Costa del Sol a standard-bearer for high society. Take in the eclipse at the resort’s buzzy Kiosko 54 beach club or Finca Ana María’s peaceful gardens. Galician oysters and brut accompany post-eclipse debriefs at courtyard retreat El Patio. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily and a $100 hotel credit.
In Mijas, the legendary Hotel Byblos’ new incarnation as La Zambra leans contemporary, though its blue roof tiles, 196 rooms, and Moorish patios flaunt Andalusian style. Time in the (visible) sun unfolds over seafood tapas by the terraced pools. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily and a $100 dining credit.
The port city of Málaga, Pablo Picasso’s birthplace, sits near the northern edge of the shadow’s track, where totality will last just under two minutes. The 200-room Gran Hotel Miramar occupies a prime setting overlooking the Bay of Málaga and Malagueta, the city’s long, sandy beach. The Picasso Museum is nearby, along with historical landmarks including the Alcazaba fortress, the Roman Theatre, and Gibralfaro Castle. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily and a $100 dining credit.
Clear skies ahead: Le Boréal’s top-deck pool.Eric Laignel
The Alboran Sea
In the Alboran Sea (the Mediterranean’s westernmost portion), fog is plentiful, according to Anderson, though usually quick to burn off in the morning sunshine. The shadow’s center line south of Málaga will offer cruisers 4 minutes, 55 seconds of totality, making this an enticing viewing option.
Princess Cruises will have two ships in the Alboran Sea during the 2027 eclipse. Sky Princess, a 3,660-passenger vessel, cruises for 14 nights round-trip from Southampton, traveling as far as Toulon, France, before circling back to view the eclipse en route to Cádiz, Spain. Meanwhile, the 3,660-passenger Enchanted Princess sails a 14-night itinerary round-trip from Civitavecchia (Rome), circuiting the western Med and catching the eclipse south of Málaga. Departures: July 24.
On an 11-night round-trip passage from Civitavecchia, Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Ascent will sail an Italy– and Spain-focused itinerary, viewing the eclipse off Málaga. The 3,260-passenger ship features 32 restaurants, bars, and lounges, and has a rooftop garden. Departure: July 26.
Celebrity’s newest ship, the 3,248-passenger Celebrity Xcel, travels to and from Barcelona over seven nights. It will visit four Spanish ports, plus Tangier, and witness the eclipse on day three. Departure: July 31.
Small-ship line Ponant also has two seven-night options – both journey round-trip from Lisbon and observe the eclipse south of Málaga. The 264-passenger Boréal will call on two less-visited Iberian Peninsula ports, Portugal’s Portimão and Figueira da Foz. The Smithsonian Institution’s James R. Zimbelman with the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies will lead talks on board. Departure: July 30.
Ponant’s 184-passenger Lapérouse will depart Lisbon the next day, traveling the same itinerary. Retired meteorologist and Hayden Planetarium-affiliated astronomer Joe Rao is one of the voyage’s guest speakers. Departure: July 31.
Valetta, Malta.Getty Images
The Eastern Mediterranean
No one place can guarantee 100 percent odds for viewing the eclipse, but the eastern Med, south of Malta, is probably the best sea-based location on the day, based on Anderson’s historical weather analysis. Add in totality lasting just a few seconds shy of six minutes at the center line, and the waters 50 miles or so off the Libyan coast become hard to resist.
Sailing for 14 nights round-trip from Athens, Holland America Line’s 1,964-passenger Oosterdam will visit choice ports in Greece and Italy. The ship also calls on Tunisia’s capital, Tunis, and docks overnight in Valletta. Departure: July 31.
On a seven-night voyage from Civitavecchia to Trieste, Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth passes beneath the eclipse after departing Valletta. The 2,074-passenger ship will also visit the Croatian ports of Split and Zadar. Departure: July 30.
Smaller ships headed to the eastern Med for the event include SeaDream Yacht Club’s SeaDream II. On a seven-night journey departing from Valletta, the megayacht carries just 112 passengers (and a crew of 95). Following the eclipse, it travels north to equally small Italian ports, such as Lipari and Capri, before landing in Civitavecchia. Departure: August 1.
Windstar Cruises’ largest sailing ship, the five-masted, 342-passenger Wind Surf, will depart from Athens on a nine-night, round-trip passage. Unusual calls include tiny Gozo, Malta’s sister island, and Gytheio, gateway to the UNESCO-listed Byzantine city of Mystras in Greece. Departure: July 27.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises will run a nine-night trip from Barcelona to Civitavecchia aboard the 744-passenger Seven Seas Grandeur. In addition to a late-night stay in Malta before the eclipse, the itinerary features such ports as Salerno on the Amalfi Coast and Golfo Aranci on Sardinia’s Costa Smeralda. Departure: July 29.
Sailing from Monte-Carlo, Seabourn’s all-suite, 600-passenger Seabourn Ovation will travel to Dubrovnik on a 14-night itinerary. While the eclipse will be the star attraction, notable stops include three separate Corsican ports, Olbia on Sardinia, Sicily’s Taormina, and Sarandë, a resort town on the Albanian Riviera. Departure: July 23.
Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and More
Excellent land-based locations in Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya abound along the eclipse track, for those wishing to travel off the beaten path. Maximum totality will occur in Egypt, just southeast of Luxor: Lights out for 6 minutes, 23 seconds will be the longest encounter with totality for decades to come. The eclipse’s center line passes directly over Luxor, capital of ancient Egypt and home to the Valley of the Kings, the temples of Karnak, and Hatshepsut Temple, to name a few marquee attractions.
Alas, eclipse worshippers had eyes on Egypt years ago, and area hotels are essentially booked (though Virtuoso travel advisors can help visitors take advantage of any last-minute openings). Nile cruises, which would be an idyllic option almost any other time of year, are few during the hot summer months. For those considering winging it, note that Luxor temperatures average 105 degrees at midday during the first week of August.
After the shadow transits Egypt and the Red Sea, it arrives on the Arabian Peninsula. The Saudi city of Jeddah is close to the center line and will see almost six minutes of totality. The country’s best viewing will likely be found just south of Jeddah, according to Anderson, where August’s average cloud cover is barely ten percent. The 2027 eclipse track continues southeast over Yemen and disappears in the Indian Ocean just before sundown.
