This August 12 eclipse will cause between 400,000 and 1.5 million additional displacements from areas where the phenomenon will be partially observed towards the area where it will be total, as stated this Tuesday by the Ministry of Science and Universities, citing an estimate from the General Directorate of Traffic. The increase in mobility will be replicated at the end of the eclipse, which will have its peak moment at 20:30 hours, although it could be somewhat less, as there will be people who stay overnight in the place where they have seen the astronomical phenomenon.
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This implies, adds the ministry, that displacements will be concentrated on “very specific” roads, so it recommends traveling “with a lot of planning” and not doing so if the total eclipse can already be enjoyed from the place where they are. This will happen in a wide strip that crosses Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, Basque Country, Navarra, La Rioja, Castilla y León, Community of Madrid, Castilla-La Mancha, Aragon, Catalonia, Valencian Community and Balearic Islands.
The Valencian Generalitat and the Government Delegation in the Valencian Community have, for their part, advised people traveling by road to ensure they have enough fuel in the vehicle, as well as water, given the forecast that hour-long traffic jams and even “collapses” could occur on certain roads with temperatures that could be around 30 degrees.
The General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) has incorporated a specific plan into its summer operation to manage mobility motivated by the total solar eclipse.
The Government expects the eclipse to generate 164,000 additional foreign visitors to Spain between August 10 and 16. And that it will leave an additional tourism expenditure (between foreign and national travelers) of 342.19 million euros in the 36 provinces affected by the totality: 247.29 million from foreign tourists and 94.90 million from Spaniards.
8.4% of people with plans to see the eclipse intend to travel to a province other than their residence, and a 7.9% increase is expected in airline seats scheduled for the eclipse week compared to the same period in 2025, as well as a 17.8% increase in hotel bookings for August 2026 compared to August 2025.
The Executive has also activated a special security plan and a specific Civil Protection plan, with special attention to emergency management, forest fire prevention, public safety, mobility, and the response capacity of public services in the face of an exceptional concentration of people.
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