The eclipse of 2 August 2027 is total in southern Spain, northern Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt, and partial over almost all of Europe. Here is what you will see from Dar Estran, Il Polpo Nero and Ker Gonan, at what time, where to stand, and how far to go for totality.
Some dates go into the diary a year ahead. Monday 2 August 2027 is one of them. That morning the Moon passes in front of the Sun, and along a band no wider than 258 km, from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean, it covers it completely. Near Luxor, totality lasts up to 6 minutes 23 seconds.
None of our three houses is inside that band. All three are close enough to see a good deal of it: 89% of the Sun covered from Marrakech and from South Sardinia, 58% from the Bay of La Baule. Here is the eclipse of 2 August 2027, house by house.
The eclipse of 2 August 2027: where it is total
Totality begins over the eastern Atlantic, crosses the south of Spain (Cádiz, Málaga, the coasts of Granada and Almería), Gibraltar and northern Morocco (Tangier, Tétouan, Chefchaouen), then Algeria, central Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, before going on to Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Somalia. The longest totality is in Egypt, about 60 km south-east of Luxor. The full path is mapped and tabulated by the eclipse expert Fred Espenak on EclipseWise, and Time and Date gives the timings country by country.
A few durations, to give an idea: about 4 minutes 50 seconds at Tangier, 2 minutes 51 at Cádiz, 1 minute 52 at Málaga, 5 minutes 41 at Sfax in Tunisia, and around 6 minutes 19 in Luxor itself.
A word about clocks
Every time in this article is local time, and that needs a small warning. Morocco went back to GMT on 20 September 2026, for good. A number of eclipse websites still give Moroccan times on the old GMT+1, which makes them an hour late. In August 2027, Marrakech and Tangier are on GMT, two hours behind Paris; Spain, France and Italy are on summer time (GMT+2), Tunisia on GMT+1 and Egypt on GMT+3.
From Dar Estran, Marrakech: 89% at 08:43
In Marrakech the eclipse is an early one. The Moon starts to bite into the Sun at about 07:38, the maximum comes at 08:43, with 89% of the Sun covered, and it is all over at about 09:56. At the maximum the Sun is about 35 degrees up, due east. Sunrise that day is at about 05:48, so the Sun will be well clear of the rooftops.
Our place for it is the roof of Dar Estran, looking out over the medina, with the gardens of the royal palace below. Eighty-nine per cent will not turn day into night: it will still be daylight, just a strange, thinner one, which is reason enough to take your coffee upstairs. Breakfast is included at Dar Estran, and that morning I would have it on the roof.
Going north for totality
Totality is about 500 km north, as the crow flies, on the Strait of Gibraltar. At Tangier it runs from 08:44:41 to 08:49:32, a little under five minutes, with the Sun about 37 degrees up in the east. Tétouan and Chefchaouen are in the band too.
By train, Marrakech to Tangier takes around five and a quarter hours, with a change at Casablanca (Casa-Voyageurs): a classic train from Marrakech, then the Al Boraq high-speed train, which covers Casablanca to Tangier in a little over two hours. The new high-speed line from Kénitra to Marrakech is not due until the end of 2029, so not for this one. As the eclipse is over by ten, go up the day before. Times and fares are on Seat 61's guide to Moroccan trains; book on the ONCF site.
On weather: the Strait is one of the cloudier parts of the track. Jay Anderson, the meteorologist who specialises in eclipse climate, puts the cloud cover around the Strait at about 30%, against less than 1% at Luxor. Early August is usually clear on the Moroccan side, but have a plan B.
Dar Estran is behind door 80 at the end of Derb Snan. For news of bookings, there is a list on the Dar Estran page, and how to get to Marrakech is covered here.
From Il Polpo Nero, South Sardinia: 89% at 11:08
In the south of Sardinia the eclipse comes later and higher. At Cagliari it starts at about 09:56, peaks at 11:08 with about 88% of the Sun covered, and ends at about 12:25, according to the tables published by AerospaceCue. Our own calculation for Perd'e Sali gives the same times and a touch more, about 89%. At the maximum the Sun is around 52 degrees up, to the east-south-east.
Which is exactly where Il Polpo Nero looks. The house faces east, over the Gulf of Cagliari, and the rooftop is the place to be: at the maximum the Sun will be high over the gulf, well above the macchia. If you would like a late breakfast up there, a private chef is available on request. Sunrise that day is at about 06:25, if you want to make a morning of it, and a summer day at the house describes the rest.
Is the eclipse total anywhere in Italy?
No. The shadow misses Italian land, passing over the sea a short way south of Lampedusa, which gets 99.7%. The nearest totality to Sardinia is in central Tunisia, roughly 400 to 500 km south: Kairouan, Sfax, Mahdia and Djerba are all in the band, and at Sfax totality lasts about 5 minutes 41, a little after 10:00 local time. Forecasters expect clear skies off the coast of Tunisia and Libya to be close to a certainty. From Sardinia it means a flight, so check what is running that summer.
Il Polpo Nero is in season in August; ask us for dates.
From Ker Gonan, Le Pouliguen: 58% at 10:56
On the Atlantic coast the eclipse is smaller, but still well worth a look. At La Baule it begins at 09:55, peaks at 10:56 with 58% of the Sun covered, and ends at 12:01, according to Prévi+'s eclipse page for La Baule-Escoublac. The Sun climbs from about 30 to 50 degrees during the eclipse, and sits at about 40 degrees, to the east-south-east, at the maximum. (Paris gets about 51%.)
Ker Gonan is on the Plage du Nau, looking across the Bay of La Baule, so the Sun will be out over the water. Take your glasses down to the beach and watch from the sand, or from the sea wall if the tide is in; our note on how to read a tide will tell you which.
For totality from Brittany, the nearest band is in Andalusia, some 1,200 km south. Over the past ten years, on 2 August at that hour, the sky on the Andalusian coast was clear enough for viewing in eight to ten years out of ten, depending on the town.
Ker Gonan welcomes guests for summer 2027, and the eclipse is one more reason to choose the first week of August.
How to watch it safely
At all three houses the eclipse is partial from start to finish, so there is no moment when it is safe to look at the Sun with the naked eye. Use eclipse glasses certified to the ISO 12312-2 standard for the whole event, and check the marking before you buy. Inside the band of totality, glasses come off only during totality itself, and go back on as soon as the first sliver of Sun returns. Clear, practical advice is on eclipse-solaire.fr, and the climate figures above come from Space.com's guide.
Which house for the eclipse?
- Dar Estran, Marrakech: 89% at 08:43, Sun 35 degrees up in the east. Watch from the roof. Totality five hours north by train.
- Il Polpo Nero, South Sardinia: about 89% at 11:08, Sun 52 degrees up in the east-south-east. Watch from the rooftop. Totality in Tunisia.
- Ker Gonan, Le Pouliguen: 58% at 10:56, Sun 40 degrees up over the bay. Watch from the beach. Totality in Andalusia.
Quick answers
Is the 2027 eclipse total in Marrakech? No. About 89% of the Sun is covered, at 08:43 local time (GMT). Totality is in the north, around Tangier and Tétouan.
Will the 2 August 2027 eclipse be visible in France? Yes, as a partial eclipse: 58% at La Baule around 10:56, about 51% in Paris.
Where is totality closest to Sardinia? In central Tunisia, about 400 to 500 km south. No Italian land is in the path.
Where is the eclipse longest? In Egypt, near Luxor: 6 minutes 23 seconds at most.
Lola
The houses
Dar Estran, Dar el Bacha, Marrakech. Eight bedrooms and a roof. Be the first to know.
Il Polpo Nero, Perd'e Sali, near Pula, South Sardinia. Ten guests, a pool and a rooftop facing the sunrise.
Ker Gonan, on the Plage du Nau, Le Pouliguen, Bay of La Baule, Brittany. Eight guests, on the beach. Summer 2027.
