Solar eclipses in València: 2026, 2027 and 2028

Between 2026 and 2028 the Iberian Peninsula is living through a run of solar eclipses unmatched for more than a century, and València is well placed for all three. This guide gathers what you can see from here in each one, where to stand and — the part that matters most — how to look at the Sun without harming yourself.

The three eclipses at a glance

Date	Type	From València	Time of day
12 August 2026	Total	Totality — now past	Early evening
2 August 2027	Total (in the south)	Partial, around 95 % of the Sun covered	Mid-morning
26 January 2028	Annular	Annular — València inside the path	Just before sunset

12 August 2026: the one that has already happened

It was the first total solar eclipse visible from mainland Spain in more than a hundred years, and the path of totality crossed the country from north-west to east, passing through Valencian territory. If you were there and want the details of that day — exact times, the spots people watched it from and the photos — they are still in its own guide: the total solar eclipse of 12 August 2026 in València.

The practical lesson from that day, worth bearing in mind for 2027 and 2028: the problem was not the sky, it was the traffic and the parking. Anyone who headed for a viewpoint out in the province without leaving plenty of time ended up stuck. If you plan to do it again, first check where to park in València and how to get around the city and the province.

2 August 2027: partial, but a big one

This eclipse is indeed total, but the path of totality runs far to the south: according to the Instituto Geográfico Nacional (Spain's national mapping agency) it covers Ceuta and Melilla, almost all of the province of Cádiz, much of Málaga and the southern tip of Granada and Almería. From València the eclipse is partial.

Partial does not mean unremarkable. The IGN's municipality-by-municipality tables give the towns of the province of València a magnitude of around 0.95–0.96, that is, about 95 % of the solar disc covered; nowhere in Spain does it drop below 70 %. At that level the light changes very obviously — it turns metallic, shadows sharpen — although it never goes dark the way it does during totality.

It falls in August, the month when half the city is at the beach: a good moment to combine it with things to do in València in August or with a quiet cove away from the crowds.

The exact times for València will be published on the IGN eclipse portal as the date approaches; we will add them here once they are official.

26 January 2028: annular, with València inside the path

An annular eclipse does not go fully dark: the Moon appears slightly smaller than the Sun and leaves a ring of light around it, the so-called ring of fire. The 2028 path of annularity crosses Spain from south-west to north-east — Sevilla, Córdoba, Albacete — and reaches the Valencian coast, with València inside it.

The detail that shapes everything else: it happens in the late afternoon, practically at sunset. In València the event begins at around 17:39 and ends as the Sun goes down, and by then the Sun is very low over the western horizon, only a few degrees up. The sources consulted do not agree on the exact altitude, nor on the precise duration of annularity, so it is worth confirming both with the IGN as the date approaches.

What is clear is the practical consequence: you need a completely clear western horizon. From la Malva-rosa or la Patacona the sea lies to the east, so you end up looking back towards the city and the buildings block exactly what matters. Here the coast works against you and the interior in your favour.

Where to stand

For 2027, with the Sun high in mid-morning, almost any open spot will do: a park, your own terrace or any of the city's gardens.

For 2028 the criterion is different, and there is only one: a view of the western horizon with nothing in front of it. That pushes you inland and uphill. The viewpoints around the province are the obvious choice — the Mirador del Garbí, in the Serra Calderona, is the classic one — and the flat, unobstructed parts of l'Albufera work just as well, such as the Gola del Pujol viewpoint. If you would rather go further afield, look at the nature parks nearby, the castles with views or a day trip.

January also brings clear skies but genuinely cold late afternoons: check what the weather in València is like month by month before deciding how high to climb.

How to look at the Sun without damaging your eyesight

This is the one part of the guide that allows no nuance. Looking at the Sun without proper protection can cause permanent damage to the retina, and it happens without pain, so there is no warning to stop you in time.

• Use a solar filter certified to the ISO 12312-2 standard. These are eclipse glasses; they are sold at opticians, planetariums and astronomy societies.
• What does not work: sunglasses, however dark they are, X-ray film, photographic negatives, smoked glass, CDs, or the glass of a welding mask below grade 14.
• Never look through a camera, binoculars or a telescope while wearing eclipse glasses. The optics concentrate the light and burn straight through the filter in an instant. Instruments like these need a filter of their own, fitted in front of the lens, not behind it.
• Check the filter before using it: if it is scratched, punctured or creased, throw it away.
• With children, supervision has to be constant. There are plans that are easier to keep an eye on in what to do in València with children.
• The safe alternative that needs no equipment: pinhole projection. A piece of card with a small hole in it projects an image of the eclipsed Sun onto a second piece of card; the leaves of trees do the same thing, filling the ground with crescents of light.

During the 2028 annularity the filter never comes off: unlike a total eclipse, in an annular one part of the solar disc is always left uncovered.

Frequently asked questions

Will another total eclipse be visible from València after 2026?

Not any time soon. The 2027 one is total only in the far south of the peninsula, and the 2028 one is annular, not total. That is what makes the 2026–2028 run exceptional: three solar eclipses visible from Spain in three years.

Do I need to leave the city?

For 2027, no: with the Sun high up, an open spot is enough. For 2028, yes, it is worth it, because the Sun will be almost on the horizon and any building to the west hides it.

Will 2026 eclipse glasses still work for 2027 and 2028?

If they are certified to ISO 12312-2 and have been stored without being scratched, punctured or creased, yes. Hold them up to the light and check first: at the slightest defect, bin them.

And if it is cloudy?

That is the risk you cannot control. In August the chance of clear skies on the Valencian coast is high; in January it is far more erratic. An indoor plan B helps — there are ideas in what to do in València when it rains.

Where are the official figures?

On the eclipses.ign.es portal run by the Instituto Geográfico Nacional, which publishes times town by town for all three eclipses. That is the source used here.

While the next one comes round, the agenda carries on: see what is on in València this week, the free things to do or the prettiest villages in the province.