Solar eclipse on the 12th of August 2026: the guide to watching it in Portugal and Spain

You do not need to be an astronomer to understand what that means: this is the only chance any of us will get to watch the Sun vanish completely over Portuguese soil.

The rarity is not ours alone. The last total eclipse to cross continental Europe was on the 11th of August 1999, more than a quarter of a century ago. This one comes with a quirk that makes it even more photogenic: the Sun will be very low, almost settling onto the horizon, in what astronomers call a “sunset eclipse”.

This guide gathers what you need for the moment itself: the times city by city in Portugal and Spain, where totality is visible, how to watch safely and where to stay, from Bragança to Porto and from Madrid to Barcelona.

The eclipse on the 12th of August at a glance

When: the 12th of August 2026, in the late afternoon; on the mainland the maximum falls between 19:31 and 19:38.

Totality in Portugal: only between Rio de Onor and Guadramil (Bragança), for 25.6 seconds.

In Spain: total across the northern half and the Balearics; Madrid and Barcelona see a partial of around 99%.

Safety: certified glasses, always.

Why is the solar eclipse on the 12th of August 2026 so rare?

Mainland Portugal had not seen a total solar eclipse since the 17th of April 1912, and after this one it will not see another until 2144. More than two centuries separate the two: anyone in the right place on the 12th of August witnesses something no living Portuguese has seen, and that none of us will see again on national soil.

Then there is the setting. The Sun will sit between roughly 3 and 12 degrees above the horizon, so the eclipsed disc will look enormous, golden and well within reach of a camera. The catch is practical: to follow it to the end you need a completely clear western horizon, no buildings, no hills, ideally over the sea or over an open valley. In Algarve and parts of Alentejo the Sun sets while still eclipsed, which promises a sunset unlike anything in living memory.

What time is the eclipse in Portugal?

On the mainland the partial phase begins between 18:33 and 18:42, in the north first and in the south a few minutes later, and ends between 20:24 and 20:31, with obscuration between 92% and 99%. In Madeira and the Azores it is a quieter affair, with between 74% and 77% of the Sun covered. The exact figures, city by city, are in the table below.

Where can you see totality in Portugal?

The band of total darkness touches national territory at a single point: a stretch of the Estrada Nacional 308 between the villages of Rio de Onor and Guadramil, in the Parque Natural de Montesinho, in the municipality of Bragança, where totality lasts 25.6 seconds. The two villages are about 25 kilometres north of the town, usually half an hour by car.

Before setting off, there are two things to know. First, access to the area on the day of the eclipse is restricted and controlled: capacity was capped at 2,500 people by order of the Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas, with compulsory advance registration through the Ciência Viva programme, organised transport from Bragança and certified glasses included. Second, accommodation in the town sold out months before the event. If you did not secure a place, do not despair: at 98.3% of the Sun covered, Porto offers a spectacle almost as dramatic, with all the infrastructure of a big city.

Where to watch the eclipse in Spain?

Across the border, the Moon’s shadow crosses the Iberian Peninsula from west to east in the late afternoon and hides the Sun completely across much of the northern half and in the Balearic Islands, according to the Spanish National Geographic Institute. Inside the band are cities such as A Coruña, where totality lasts 76 seconds, Bilbao, Zaragoza, Valencia and Palma de Mallorca.

• Madrid. The eclipse is only partial, but by a hair: the Moon covers up to 99.9% of the solar disc. The maximum in Spain falls between 20:27 and 20:33, local time.
• Barcelona. Partial too, with around 99% of the Sun hidden, in the last hours of daylight.
• The rule of thumb. Anyone set on total darkness has to leave Madrid or Barcelona and head north or east; anyone who prefers urban comfort still gets a rare phenomenon, with a square or a rooftop for a setting.

How do you watch the eclipse safely?

Even with the Sun almost entirely covered, the light left over is enough to cause serious eye damage. The rules of the national Eclipse 2026 campaign are simple: never look with the naked eye, never use sunglasses as protection, never peer through a telescope or binoculars without a proper solar filter, and watch only with eclipse glasses certified to ISO 12312-2.

In Portugal, ZEISS teamed up with the Club da Visão network to give away certified glasses to more than 600 participating opticians, on advance registration and while stocks lasted. By the end of July they had almost run out, so if you still do not have yours, sort it now or buy a certified pair at an optician.

Where to stay in Portugal: Bragança and Porto

• Pousada Bragança: A classic building from the late 1950s by the architect José Carlos Loureiro, with an outdoor pool and an unmatched view of the Castelo de Bragança. It is the property closest to the band of total darkness: wake up with the castle at the window and be in the Moon’s shadow half an hour later. For dinner, G Pousada, which won a Michelin star in 2018, the first in Trás-os-Montes, under the brothers Óscar and António Gonçalves. We have a guided tour of it: Pousada Bragança.
• Pestana Vintage Porto: On Praça da Ribeira, across 18 buildings of the World Heritage historic centre, the hotel puts you on the edge of the Douro to photograph the eclipsed sunset over the river and the bridge. Porto reaches 98.3% of the Sun covered at 19:32.
• Pestana Douro Riverside: the eclipse from the infinity pool. In Valbom, about 10 minutes from the centre of Porto, the panoramic terrace with its infinity pool over the Douro is a natural observation post, with the river standing in for a clear horizon. We described what that terrace is like in Infinity pools overlooking the Douro River.

On the day of the solar eclipse the Pestana Douro Riverside is running a programme of its own, to make the moment more special still. From 15:00 to 21:00 there will be a DJ by the pool to set the mood through the afternoon, and viewing glasses will be handed out so guests can follow the phenomenon safely, in a one-off setting beside the Douro. 

To turn the trip into a full weekend, we have already built an itinerary for these hot days in Porto and the Douro in summer: the cool city, the river and the start of harvest season.

Where to stay in Spain: Madrid and Barcelona

In Madrid, the Pestana Collection Plaza Mayor occupies a 17th-century baroque building on the city’s most emblematic square, with a seasonal pool on the terrace and panoramic views over the rooftops. A few minutes away, the Pestana CR7 Gran Vía Madrid has, on the 9th floor, a terrace over the Gran Vía, given over entirely to dining and leisure, with Inverse by CR7 to carry the night on after the eclipse.

In Barcelona, the Pestana Arena Barcelona is in the Sants district, under 5 minutes on foot from Plaça d’Espanya and 3 from the Las Arenas shopping centre, with the hill of Montjuïc, and its west-facing viewpoints, right alongside.