On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse will be visible in eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain. Eclipse chasers will travel to the path in droves, keen to witness a relatively short but ultimately dramatic totality. From Spain, eclipse chasers on the east coast will witness the rare spectacle on land of a totally eclipsed sun just a couple of degrees above the western horizon, minutes from sunset.
Read more: Total solar eclipse 2026 — Everything you need to know
What many eclipse chasers — and those unable to travel to the path of totality — may overlook is the massive partial solar eclipse visible across Europe. Across almost the entire continent, a huge chunk of the sun will appear eclipsed. Even rarer, a partially eclipsed sunset will be visible in France, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Russia, Finland, Ukraine, Slovakia, Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Italy, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Albania. In Northwest Africa, a similar view awaits Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Algeria, Tunisia, Mali, Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, the Ivory Coast, and Burkina Faso.
This promises to be a mighty event that millions can view in some form — but do many know about it yet? Here’s what you need to know about seeing a partial solar eclipse across Europe on Aug. 12, 2026.
How to read an eclipse map
The black line on the map above shows where the maximum partial eclipse will happen at sunset. In Warsaw, Poland, for example, the sun will be 83% eclipsed — the maximum there — as it sets. For locations just east of the black line, the sun sets before the partial eclipse ends. Just to the west, sunset occurs as the partial eclipse deepens.
So where should you be? For the best deep partial eclipse shots at sunset, position yourself west of the black line. Being on the line or just east of it will also work. It’s less strict than the path of totality. Still, being close to the line on the northwest side is ideal.
Just remember that for all the focus on lines on a map, the spectacle itself — the deep partial eclipsed sunset — will take place on the horizon in the west-northwest.
“People living along the black sunset line will experience a beautiful deep partial eclipse at sunset,” Michael Zeiler, eclipse cartographer, told Space.com. “Some ideal locations to see this over water are Algiers, Corsica, the Italian coast by the Ligurian Sea, and Venice, while High Alpine spots in eastern Austria will also have a dramatic sunset — a photographer’s dream.”
However, there are a few unexpected things to consider if you want the perfect view. “One interesting thing about these is that all the eclipse maps are calculating those lines for geometric sunset, which is when the middle of the sun is at the true horizon, ignoring refraction,” Stephen Trainor at The Photographer’s Ephemeris, told Space.com. “So what you tend to find is that actually the line isn’t the line because refraction lifts the sun a little bit up — so you can usually creep a little bit the ‘wrong’ side of the line and you’ll still be able to get the sun.”
Best places to see the eclipsed sunset in Europe
Here are some places to be in Europe where you’ll get views of a partially eclipsed sunset. At the selected sites, maximum obscuration occurs about 10-15 minutes before sunset. From Europe, the crescent sun will set “horns down” — a “sad face” (or upside-down “smiley face”).
- Village d’Occi, Corsica, France (96% at 8:25 p.m. CEST, 24% chance of cloud, according to Timeanddate.com)
- La Spezia, Ligurian Sea, Italy (94% at 8:22 p.m. CEST, 43% chance of cloud)
- Modena, Italy (92% at 8:21 p.m. CEST, 38% chance of cloud)
- Venice, Italy (91% at 8:19 p.m. CEST, 43% chance of cloud)
- Kitzsteinhorn, Austria (89% at 8:16 p.m. CEST, 68% chance of cloud)
- Olympiaberg, Munich, Germany (88% at 8:15 p.m. CEST, 61% chance of cloud)
- Letná Park, Prague, Czechia (86% at 8:11 p.m. CEST, 65% chance of cloud)
- Ostrów Tumski, Wrocław, Poland (84% at 8:09 p.m. CEST, 66% chance of cloud)
- Warsaw, Poland (83% at 8:02 p.m. CEST, 61% chance of cloud)
- Kaunas, Lithuania (81% at 8:56 p.m. EEST, 66% chance of cloud)
- Lilastes pludmale, Gulf of Riga, Latvia (80% at 8:57 p.m. EEST, 63% chance of cloud)
Best places to see the eclipsed sunset in Africa
Here are some great places to be in northwest Africa, where you’ll get views of a partially eclipsed sunset. Selected sites will experience maximum obscuration no more than 30 minutes before sunset (the sunset line largely passes through the remote Sahara Desert). From Africa, the crescent will slip beneath the horizon in the shape of the letter “C.”
- Cape Matifou, Tamentfoust, Algeria (98.5% at 7:42 p.m. CET, 49% chance of cloud)
- Essaouira, Morocco (81% at 7:47 p.m. WEST, 15% chance of cloud)
- Dakar, Senegal (37% at 7:12 p.m. GMT, 82% chance of cloud)
- Banjul, Gambia (34% at 7:13 p.m. GMT, 80% chance of cloud)
Best places to see the eclipsed sunset in Spain
On Aug. 12, mainland Spain will host a path of totality for the first time since 1905. The path, about 182 miles (293 km) wide, will just miss Barcelona and Madrid. Some eclipse chasers will focus on seeing a totally eclipsed sun a few degrees above the horizon — minutes from sunset — from the Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca, and Formentera). That will be spectacular if the horizon is clear. But what some may overlook is this: in some areas, a partially eclipsed sunset will follow totality.
Watch the eclipse from Spain’s Meseta region — including Burgos and León — and you’ll see totality, followed by a partial eclipse that finishes minutes before sunset. In Soria, Sigüenza, Zaragoza, Teruel, and farther east toward the coast, you’ll see totality and then a partially eclipsed sunset. The farther east you are, the more eclipsed the sun will be as it sinks into the horizon.
Planning a trip to see the eclipsed sunset?
An unobstructed, low western horizon is essential. So are clear skies because even distant clouds can block the view of sunset. For the horizon, try this tip: search for “sunset spots near [location] in August” to find recommendations from locals and tourists. However, as Trainor says, “go out and scout the location two or three nights before so you can develop an alternative if it’s not going to pan out on the ground.” He also advises using both his precision planning tool, which helps photographers visualize the sun, moon, and natural light, and a “sanity check” on Google Street View, just to prove that a shot is possible.
Related: Spain’s total solar eclipse 2026 comes with a catch — here’s how to avoid ruining your view
For the weather, patience is required — all you can do is check forecasts three days before Aug. 12, when predictions become fairly reliable. However, predicting low clouds along the horizon is tough. You’ll need clear weather for many hundreds of miles to the west-northwest.