Total solar eclipse 2026: North-central Spain

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

Contact an expert to book or discuss this event. Please state your preferred hotel.

Book

Phone +44 (0)203 3089 917

Information pack

Download the tour information

10 August 2026 – 5 days - Final rooms for the event just released

Hotel Silken Gran Teatro: £3,399 per person based on two sharing. Single supplement £1,020.

AC Hotel Burgos: Twin room £3,599 per person based on two sharing. Superior double room £3,699. Single supplement £1,250.

Experience a rare and breathtaking natural phenomenon, a total solar eclipse, visible across Spain on 12 August 2026. Join a team of expert astronomers and guest speakers for a series of fascinating talks that will deepen your understanding and enhance your experience. You will be based at an exclusive viewing site 40 kilometres west of the stunning medieval city of Burgos, offering a perfect vantage point for this extraordinary event.

You will be hosted throughout by guest speakers, including renowned astronomer Dr John Mason, who will lead the eclipse experience along with space scientist and astronomer Martin Griffiths plus New Scientist's Timothy Revell. Ahead of the event, they will be offering a series of insightful talks and workshops on astronomy, cosmology and future eclipses, as well as an all-important pre-eclipse briefing. They will then join you on the eclipse viewing day and be on hand to answer any questions you may have. You will also be accompanied by members of the New Scientist team and representatives from our partner Intrepid Travel, who will be available 24/7 to ensure this experience is truly out of this world.

On the day of the eclipse, you will be taken to a private, secluded viewing location that has been carefully selected for optimum viewing and adequate space for you to enjoy the eclipse. The site is very close to the absolute centre of the moon's shadow during the eclipse and offers an excellent, unobstructed view. In addition to the magnificent eclipse experience, the Perseid meteor shower is due to peak around 12 August, so you will have the option of staying at the viewing site into the evening to witness this celestial wonder. Between the eclipse and the meteor shower, there will be a celebratory outdoor dinner with drinks.

For the expert-led talks, lunches and dinners we are based at the four-star Palacio de Burgos hotel. We have sold all our rooms at this hotel but we have additional rooms at two other nearby four-star hotels: The AC Hotel Burgos is five minutes walk away and the Hotel Silken Gran Teatro is a ten minutes walk. All the hotels are in the historic centre of Burgos and there is plenty of time to explore the UNESCO World Heritage site of Burgos Cathedral, the Museum of Human Evolution and numerous other fascinating buildings.

In partnership with Intrepid Travel.

DAY 1: ARRIVE IN BURGOS AND WELCOME DINNER

On arrival in Burgos, you will be welcomed by the New Scientist team at the historical Palacio de Burgos hotel, a magnificent Gothic creation built in the 16th and 17th centuries. After picking up your delegate pack, the remainder of the day is free for you to explore the charming city of Burgos.

Burgos is known for its rich medieval heritage and stunning architecture, with one of its most famous landmarks being the Burgos Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a masterpiece of Gothic design. The city also played a significant role in the history of the Kingdom of Castile and is closely associated with El Cid, a Spanish national hero.

In the evening, you will meet with Dr John Mason, Martin Griffiths, Tomothy Revell, the New Scientist team and your fellow guests for welcome drinks at the hotel, followed by an introductory talk before a gala dinner.

DAY 2: FASCINATING TALKS

After breakfast, there is a programme of fascinating talks from our accompanying experts.

Martin, Timothy and Dr John will cover a variety of topics across the event, including:

Mars: Fact and fiction.
What are we doing to look for life elsewhere? (Martin was previously a member of NASA’s astrobiology team, so is very well placed to answer this.)
The different ways in which the universe is trying to kill us.
A talk titled "The Tears of Saint Lawrence", which will cover the Perseid meteor shower and its parent comet. (The Perseids will be at their peak on the night of the eclipse, and you have the option of staying at our viewing site later into the evening to enjoy them.)

A third speaker will be announced shortly. Lunch is included today. Tea and coffee will be served throughout the talks.

The schedule includes free time to relax and enjoy the beautiful city of Burgos. There will be some optional activities, including a small group cathedral tour, a gastronomy walking tour of the city and a private tour of the Museum of Human Evolution for a small fee.

DAY 3: ECLIPSE DAY, INCLUDING PRE-ECLIPSE BRIEFING AND PERSEID METEOR SHOWER

As the eclipse will take place in the early evening at around 7.30pm, you will have a morning of exciting talks to prepare you before being transferred to the viewing site in the late afternoon.

In the morning, Dr John will give his pre-eclipse briefing, which will be a detailed presentation to ensure you are well prepared for the day's event. This session will be around 1 hour, with plenty of time for questions at the end. Guests at our previous eclipse events have expressed how useful they found this briefing session, allowing them to make the most out of the eclipse experience. After this, there will be time for additional talks from Dr John and Martin.

After enjoying lunch in the hotel, the remainder of the afternoon is free for you to explore Burgos and get ready for the eclipse. If you are staying out to watch the meteor shower, you will be returning well after midnight, so this is a good opportunity to get some rest.

In the late afternoon, you will be transferred by coach to the eclipse viewing site, where you will have plenty of time to choose your spot for the viewing. Drinks will be available on arrival. The secluded location is very close to the absolute centre of 100 per cent totality, and the landscape is flat with no visual obstructions west to north-west and minimal light pollution once it becomes dark. Throughout the event, refreshments, camp chairs and viewing glasses will be provided. Dr John, Martin and the New Scientist and Intrepid teams will be on hand to answer any questions.

First contact, when the moon first begins to pass across the face of the sun, begins around 7.33pm, and you will experience totality around 8.28pm. The eclipse direction will be 282 degrees at an elevation of just over 8 degrees. Sunset will be at 9.21pm, at which point dinner will be served from the camp kitchen.

After dinner, there will be the option for you to transfer back to the hotel, or you can stay to explore the skies with Martin and look out for the Perseid meteor shower. Martin will have a few of his high-powered telescopes to hand, but stars and the meteor shower should be visible to the naked eye as it's a new moon.

DAY 4: POST-ECLIPSE DAY

After a later breakfast, we will begin the day's talks with Dr John’s post-eclipse briefing, where he will guide you through discussions on the previous evening. You will also explore how the eclipse was observed around the world (including by the Greenland New Scientist group).

There will be further talks on astronomy, space exploration, the cosmos and the latest developments in our understanding of the universe, plus plenty of opportunity for you to compare eclipse pictures with other guests. We will also run a final panel discussion with all the accompanying experts.

In the evening, there will be a farewell gala dinner with the New Scientist team and accompanying experts.

DAY 5: ONWARD TRAVEL

After an incredible few days, it is time to say farewell to the team and your fellow eclipse explorers, check out and embark on your onward travel.

We encourage you to spend further time in Spain, and we will provide details nearer the time of additional tours you can enjoy directly before or after the eclipse event, including our popular Ancient Caves, Human Origins tour in northern Spain.

Highlights

A private viewing site for the eclipse with expansive scenic views, full catering and support from accompanying experts, including Dr John Mason and Martin Griffiths
A full programme of talks on astronomy, the cosmos and space exploration
Highly detailed and engaging eclipse briefings from Dr John Mason
Watch the Perseid meteor shower at its peak
Talks and dinners in a historical four-star hotel in the heart of the medieval city of Burgos

Meet the expert

Dr John Mason is the principal astronomy lecturer at South Downs Planetarium in the UK and a well-known "eclipse chaser" who has gained a reputation for his tremendous enthusiasm and inspirational lecturing style.

For more than 30 years, he has been leading overseas expeditions to observe and record natural phenomena such as annular and total solar eclipses, the polar aurora and major meteor showers in destinations all over the world.

His "living planetarium" shows, where he uses the night sky as a star theatre, have been enjoyed by audiences everywhere from the deserts of the Middle East and islands in the Pacific to the Australian outback and safari parks across Africa.

Dr John has partnered with New Scientist and Intrepid Travel for various solar eclipse events and both organisations are excited to continue to work with him.

Martin Griffiths is a senior lecturer in space science at the University of South Wales, UK. He has been an astronomer for more than 40 years and is a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. Martin previously worked for NASA’s Astrobiology Institute, looking at the origins, evolution, distribution and future of life in the universe. He is currently the director of the Brecon Beacons Observatory, UK, and has written six books and published more than 100 papers.

Timothy Revell is New Scientist's Executive editor. He has reported on mind-reading devices, artificial intelligence and prime numbers, among other things and has broken many news stories, including a huge data leak at the Cambridge Psychometrics Centre. He has interviewed amazing people, such as David Attenborough, Kate Crawford and Demis Hassabis.

He regularly talks about science and technology on podcasts and radio, such as on New Scientist Weekly, the Naked Scientists and WNYC's Science Friday. He is also an accomplished public speaker, events host and author, having written How Mathematics Is Used Today and co-written The Secret Lives of Numbers.

Timothy has a master's in mathematics from the University of Bath and a PhD in computer science from the University of Strathclyde.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Talks from Dr John Mason and Martin Griffiths
Eclipse experience at private viewing site
All accommodation on a bed-and-breakfast basis
Two dinners and two lunches at the Palacio de Burgos, plus an evening meal and refreshments at the eclipse viewing site
English-speaking tour leader throughout
Eclipse viewing glasses
All transport by air-conditioned coach
Tea and coffee during the talks
24-hour support

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED

Travel insurance
International flights
Airport transfers. We will endeavour to arrange some transfers for some guests, once international flights are released. Transfers will be bookable for a small fee, closer to departure.
Visa/ETA (if applicable)
Single supplement
Optional tours

HOW TO GET THERE

Please speak to Intrepid Travel, who can offer advice and book flights for those travelling from the UK when they are available, which is around 11 months before departure. If you would prefer not to fly, Intrepid Travel can look into Eurostar/TGV train journey options for you. There is also the option to take the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Bilbao.

The event takes place in Burgos in northern-central Spain. Bilbao airport is 170 kilometres north. Madrid airport is 235 kilometres south. There are direct trains to Burgos from Madrid Airport's Terminal 4 and from central Bilbao.

We will endeavour to arrange some airport transfers for some guests, once international flights are released. Transfers will be bookable for a small fee, closer to departure.

PACE AND PHYSICALITY

The viewing site for the eclipse day will be outside with little or no shelter. The daytime temperatures in northern Spain in August can get up to around 35°C (95°F), so please make sure you wear a sun hat and suncream and bring lots of water. Drinks will be provided at a central area of the viewing site, but we suggest you have additional water with you throughout the eclipse day. During the evening, temperatures can reduce to 12°C (54°F), so we suggest that you bring suitable clothing layers with you. Rain is unlikely, but not unheard of.

CAPACITY

We have booked the entire Palacio de Burgos for this event. Along with guests from our two other hotels, we expect around 230 guests in total attending the event.

Discovery Tours generally operate at much smaller capacities of between 14 to 22 guests.

Accommodation

AC Hotel Burgos

In the heart of the city and sited between a pedestrian zone and Arlanzón river, this four-star hotel is ideally located for enjoying the historic centre of Burgos. Located just 5 minutes from the Burgos Cathedral and the Palacio de Burgos where the event is based. Twin and superior double rooms are available and all come with free Wi-Fi, 24 hour room service and air-conditioning.

Hotel Silken Gran Teatro

A four-star contemporary hotel with large flatscreen TV, air-conditioning and a mini-bar in every room. For all guests there is a rooftop terrace bar, gym and 24-hour reception. You can book a twin room for two of you or small doubles for solo travellers.

It’s located beside the Arlanzón river and opposite the Museum of Human Evolution, while only five minutes from the Burgos Cathedral, ideal for exploring Burgos on foot.

NH Collection Palacio de Burgos - Event venue - Rooms now sold out

This historical four-star hotel in the heart of Burgos is situated next to the river Arlanzón and is a 5 minute walk from the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Burgos Cathedral. The gothic architecture of this hotel, built during the 16th and 17th centuries, has been maintained and refurbished to a high standard.

Palacio de Burgos has a highly commended restaurant, lobby bar and sumptuous breakfast buffet, as well as a free gym and sauna. We currently have the entire hotel booked and should we sell all the rooms, we expect there to be around 190 guests in residence for the event. There may be more for the talks.

There are 110 spacious rooms ranging from superior to suites. These stylish abodes have elegant decoration, wood floors, luxury mattresses, a pillow menu and free wi-fi. All rooms are ensuite with a shower/bathtub plus a large flat-screen TV, air-conditioning, coffee and tea facilities, a safe and a hairdryer. Some rooms can accommodate a third guest on a rollaway bed (for a discount of £750).

Please note: If required for reasons beyond our control, we reserve the right to substitute alternative accommodation of equal or higher quality or adapt the itinerary if required.

View similar tours below

Total solar eclipse 2026: Iceland to Greenland polar cruise

Total solar eclipse 2027 cruise: Spain and Morocco

Total solar eclipse 2027 Nile cruise: Egypt

The world capital of astronomy: Chile

View all tours