Almería’s 2027 total eclipse already pushing hotel prices and demand through the roof

The total eclipse that doesn’t arrive until August 2027 is already emptying hotel booking calendars in Almería. Cabo de Gata is being billed as one of Europe’s best places to watch it, and hoteliers further along the coast are already warning that rooms for those two nights are vanishing more than a year out.

Full darkness falls on 10 Almería towns on August 2 2027

A total solar eclipse will sweep across Almería province on Monday August 2 2027, plunging 10 towns into full darkness for the first time this century. Adra, Almería city, Balanegra, Berja, Dalías, El Ejido, La Mojonera, Níjar, Roquetas de Mar and Vícar all sit within the path of totality. The partial eclipse begins around 10.30am, building to maximum darkness at roughly 10.50am. Almerimar, in El Ejido, will see the longest blackout in the province at two minutes and 23 seconds, while Adra gets close to two minutes and Roquetas de Mar around one minute 30 seconds.

For context, the eclipse crossing Spain on August 12 this year reached only around 96 per cent coverage in Almería, a partial eclipse rather than the real deal. 2027 will be the first time this century the province sees full totality.

Cabo de Gata is being tipped as one of the best seats in Europe

Beyond the 10 municipalities, the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, including San José, Las Negras, La Isleta del Moro, Rodalquilar, Los Escullos and the Cabo de Gata lighthouse, also falls within the path of totality. Its clear August skies, low light pollution and open Mediterranean horizon have already made it a target for photographers, scientists and eclipse chasers travelling from abroad.

Local tourism voices are calling it a genuine opportunity for the area’s economy, with some suggesting it could seed a longer-term astrotourism trail through the natural park. It falls within the same wider eclipse path as hotels and cruises further along the Costa del Sol and Gibraltar are already filling up.

Rooms along the path of totality are already changing hands for thousands of euros

Hotels and rural properties across the wider eclipse path in Andalucía are filling up more than a year ahead of the date. Rural booking platform Ruralidays says reservations for the eclipse dates have multiplied by five compared with a normal August, while Holidu has recorded an 8.5x jump in searches across the affected provinces.

Early occupancy figures for those two nights are already running at around 12 per cent in some areas, compared with a typical 7 per cent this far out, with the Cádiz village of El Gastor already at 22 per cent. Antonio de María of the Cádiz hoteliers’ association said some properties were already fielding requests for next year’s eclipse a full year out, adding: ‘This is unusual, it has never happened.'”

At the extreme end, a six-person house in Bolonia, near Tarifa, that normally costs €344 a night has been listed at €10,000 for the eclipse, while some Málaga apartments have been advertised at between €13,000 and €16,674 a night. 

Why Cabo de Gata could see the same price hike

No comparable price figures have yet emerged for Almería specifically, but the pattern looks similar. Hoteles Arrecife, which runs properties in San José and Las Negras, is already telling guests that high accommodation demand throughout Cabo de Gata is expected for those dates, and urging early booking.

With some of the longest totality times on the Spanish mainland and reliable summer weather, Cabo de Gata is expected to draw the same mix of eclipse chasers, photographers and curious tourists already booking out hotels further along the coast in Cádiz and Málaga.

What British residents and second-home owners should do now 

For British holidaymakers and second-home owners in Almería, the message from the wider region is to book accommodation now if visiting, or list a spare property early if renting one out, since prices along the rest of the totality path have already climbed sharply more than a year before the event.

Anyone planning to watch the eclipse next year will also still need the ISO 12312-2 certified eclipse glasses for the partial phases either side of totality, only removing them during the brief window of full darkness itself.