Spain or Morocco for the 2027 Eclipse? — Tarifa and Cádiz against Tangier and Chefchaouen

Both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar see totality on 2 August 2027. Morocco gets more of it: 4 min 51 s in Tangier and Tetouan against 4 min 39 s in Tarifa and under three minutes in Cádiz and Málaga. Inland Moroccan sites such as Chefchaouen also have the best weather odds. Southern Spain is easier if you are already there.

A year after the 12 August 2026 eclipse over northern Spain, many travellers are weighing up the Andalusian coast against northern Morocco. Here is an honest comparison from a Moroccan operator, using NASA’s eclipse predictions and the weather analysis of meteorologist Jay Anderson. For the full Morocco picture, see our 2027 eclipse guide.

Totality compared

The centre line runs along the Moroccan side of the Strait, just north of Tetouan. Most of southern Spain is in the northern half of the path, so totality there is shorter, and much shorter towards the northern limit.

Seville and Granada are just outside the path and see a partial eclipse only. Every Moroccan town is in our eclipse times guide, and both countries are on the interactive eclipse map.

Same moment, different clocks

The shadow crosses the Strait in under a minute, but Spain and Gibraltar run on UTC+2 in summer and Morocco on UTC+1. Totality starts at 10:45 in Tarifa and 09:44 in Tangier, which are almost exactly the same instant. Keep that in mind when you book ferries and read forecasts.

The weather on each side

Anderson’s analysis makes the Strait itself and the Alboran Sea the cloudiest part of the western track. On the Spanish side, Atlantic sea cloud affects the Cádiz coast and Tarifa, but rarely reaches past Tarifa into the Strait, which is why Marbella and the Costa del Sol fare well. Cádiz, near the northern limit, had sun visible on 88% of days in his survey, against an average of 74% for Barbate, Atlanterra and Tarifa. When the easterly levante blows, cloud stacks up against the hills around Tarifa, Algeciras and Gibraltar.

On the Moroccan side, the Atlantic cloud tends to stay west of Tangier, and the Rif shelters inland sites. Chefchaouen has the lowest cloud amount in Morocco in Anderson’s data. The Mediterranean coast south of Tetouan is the place to avoid. Our where to watch guide goes through each option. On both sides, dust from the Sahara is the other risk.

Crowds and hotels

Early August is high season on both coasts. The Costa del Sol and the beaches of Cádiz are full of summer visitors before the eclipse adds its own crowd, and Spain is easy for most of Europe to reach. In Morocco, Tangier will be the busiest place, because it has the airport and ferries. Chefchaouen is small and fills up early. Wherever you go, book now.

Crossing the Strait in eclipse week

Fast ferries from Tarifa reach Tangier’s city port in about an hour. Larger ferries from Algeciras run to Tanger Med, a port about 40 km east of the city. Early August is the busiest week of the year on these routes: it is the peak of Opération Marhaba, when Moroccans living in Europe drive home for the summer. In 2025 Tanger Med alone handled more than 1.7 million passengers during the campaign, and the ports are at their busiest in the first days of August.

So do not plan to cross on eclipse morning. Cross at least a day before, on foot as a passenger if you can, and keep your passport handy: the border check happens on board or at the port.

From the ferry to the path of totality

Tangier is inside the path, so you can step off the ferry and stay there. To reach Chefchaouen, allow about two and a half to three hours by road via Tetouan, and plan to arrive the afternoon or evening before the eclipse. Tetouan is about an hour from Tangier. If you bring your own car across during the summer rush, expect long waits at the ports in both directions; travelling as a foot passenger and meeting a driver on the Moroccan side is much simpler.

Ceuta and Melilla

Spain’s two cities on the African coast are also in the path. Ceuta, on the Strait next to Fnideq, gets 4 minutes 48 seconds of totality from 10:45 Spanish time, and Melilla, on the Mediterranean next to Nador, 4 minutes 33 seconds from 10:48. Both are reached by ferry from mainland Spain, and both share the coastal cloud risk of their Moroccan neighbours.

Doing both

Spain and Morocco combine well. Spend the end of July in Andalusia, take the ferry from Tarifa on 31 July or 1 August, and be in Chefchaouen or Tangier the night before the eclipse. Our 9-day private tour from Tangier starts on the Moroccan side of the ferry and spends eclipse morning in Chefchaouen, and the 12-day tour from Casablanca spends the night before in Tangier. For a shorter trip, we can build a private three- or four-night eclipse break from Tangier: see the eclipse tours page.

Our verdict

If you want the longest totality and the best weather odds, come to Morocco: Tetouan and Tangier beat every site in mainland Spain on duration, and inland Chefchaouen has the clearest skies on the Moroccan side. If you are already on holiday in Andalusia and do not want to cross, Tarifa has the longest totality in mainland Spain, and Marbella the better weather. Just do not leave the crossing to the morning itself.