Nerja Total Eclipse
Cliffs, coves and the Balcony of Europe, close to the northern edge of the path.
Nerja is the easternmost resort of the Málaga coast, where the mountains come down to the sea in cliffs and small coves. On Monday 2 August 2027 it is inside the path of totality, but only just. The town lies about 7 km from the northern edge of the Moon’s shadow, and the central line runs 112 km to the south, far out at sea.
The result is a short totality: 1 minute 42 seconds, from 10:48:55 to 10:50:36 local time (CEST, UTC+2). That ranks 36th of the 43 places in Spain in our dataset. Tarifa, at the other end of Andalusia, gets 4m 38s. The Sun will be 40° high at an azimuth of 97°, east and a little south, over the sea and the coast towards Almuñécar.
We will be honest about it. If you are choosing where to fly for this eclipse, Nerja is not the place to maximise totality. If you are already here, or you love this coast, 1m 42s of totality is still a total eclipse: the sky goes dark, the corona appears, and it is nothing like the 99% partial eclipse a few kilometres inland. This page is about getting the most out of it.
The eclipse from Nerja, minute by minute
All times are CEST (UTC+2) on Monday 2 August 2027.
- 09:42 First contact The Moon takes its first bite out of the Sun’s edge. Nothing is visible without eclipse glasses. Put them on now.
- 10:48:55 Totality begins: second contact The last sliver breaks into Baily’s beads, then the diamond ring. When the ring goes out, glasses off.
- 10:49:46 Mid-eclipse Deepest darkness. The corona surrounds a black Sun 40° above the horizon; look for planets and the horizon glow.
- 10:50:36 Totality ends: third contact A second diamond ring flares on the opposite limb. Glasses back on the instant it appears.
- 12:03 Fourth contact The Moon leaves the Sun’s disc and the eclipse is over.
| Eclipse type | Total |
|---|---|
| Duration of totality | 1m 42s |
| Maximum obscuration | 100% |
| Eclipse magnitude | 1.002 |
| Sun’s altitude at maximum | 40° |
| Sun’s azimuth at maximum | 97° |
| Mid-eclipse (UTC) | 08:49:46 |
Nerja in numbers
Every contact to the second, where the town sits in the path, and how often early August has been clear here.
| Partial eclipse begins | 09:42:32 |
|---|---|
| Totality begins | 10:48:55 |
| Mid-eclipse | 10:49:46 |
| Totality ends | 10:50:36 |
| Duration of totality | 1m 42s |
| Partial eclipse ends | 12:03:31 |
| Distance to the central line | 112 km |
| Distance to the nearest edge (northern limit) | 7 km |
| Rank by duration | 36th of 43 places in Spain in our dataset |
Chance of a clear sky
Period: 26 July to 9 August of every year from 2001 to 2024. The bars show the daily mean cloud cover on 2 August of each year: the taller the bar, the more cloud. On 14 of those 24 days the sky was almost clear.
under 20% 20 to 50% 50% or more
Source: NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg satellite data), daily mean cloud amount for the 1° grid cell (about 100 km) around Nerja. It is an average over the whole day and a large area, so it cannot see a sea fog on one beach or the cloud at the hour of the eclipse. It is climatology, not a forecast.
Nerja on the eclipse map
The gold band is the path of totality. Click anywhere to test a spot of your own; a few kilometres genuinely matters.
What being near the edge means
The path of totality has sharp edges. Inside it, the Sun is fully covered for a time that shrinks the closer you are to the edge. Outside it, there is no totality at all. Around Nerja the edge runs roughly along the coast, just inland. That has three practical effects.
- Every kilometre north costs time. The Balcony of Europe gets about 1m 40s. Burriana beach, a little further east and north, about 1m 37s. Maro, up the coast, about 1m 32s, and the area of the Nerja Cave, higher and further north, about 1m 28s. Inland villages in the hills lose more, and not far inland totality disappears.
- The edge effects last longer. Near the edge the Moon only just covers the Sun, and it slides across it at a grazing angle. Sunlight shines through the valleys on the Moon’s rim for longer, so the Baily’s beads at the start and end of totality, and the thin pink glow of the chromosphere, stay visible for longer than on the central line. Some people travel to the edge on purpose for this.
- Predictions are less exact. Near the edge, the mountains and valleys on the Moon’s limb matter more, so the real times can differ by a few seconds from any calculation. Our figures are a good guide, not a stopwatch.
The practical rule is simple: stay by the sea. Watch from the seafront or a beach, not from the hills behind town.
Where to watch in Nerja
The Balcony of Europe
The Balcón de Europa is Nerja’s famous viewpoint, a promenade that juts out into the sea from the centre of town, with palm trees, railings and views along the coast in both directions. It has about 1m 40s of totality, open sky to the east and cafes at your back. It is also where everyone will want to be. Expect it to be packed, and arrive early if you want a place at the rail.
Burriana beach
Nerja’s biggest beach, east of the centre, with restaurants and beach bars behind it. The sand faces south, and the Sun will be to your left, over the sea and the cliffs. About 1m 37s of totality. There is more room here than on the Balcony, but parking nearby fills early in August.
The small coves in town
Below the old town there are small beaches, such as Calahonda and El Salón, tucked under the cliffs. They are charming, but check the view east: a cliff close by can hide the Sun even at 40°. Test your spot with eclipse glasses during the partial phase.
Not at the Nerja Cave
The Cueva de Nerja is one of the great sights of this coast, but it lies further north and higher, with about 1m 28s of totality, and the cave itself is, of course, underground. Visit it on another day.
Should you drive west for more time?
Probably not far. Along this coast the edge of the path stays close to the shore, so totality changes slowly as you go west or east, and it drops fast wherever you go inland. Málaga gets 1m 50s, Almuñécar 1m 51s. In the town of Vélez-Málaga, a few kilometres inland on the way to Málaga, totality is shorter than in Nerja, about 1m 04s, because it lies closer to the edge.
Real gains start much further west. Marbella gets 3m 17s and Estepona 3m 37s, and the Bay of Gibraltar more than four minutes, at around two hours’ drive from Nerja on a normal day. On eclipse morning many people from Málaga and the Costa del Sol will head west on the same roads. If you want the long totality, move the day before and sleep there. See our Sotogrande and Algeciras guides.
The eclipse morning
- 09:42:32: the partial eclipse begins.
- 10:48:55 to 10:50:36: totality, 1m 42s. Glasses off only in this window. With so little time, do not spend it on your phone. Look first, photograph later, or not at all.
- 12:03:31: the partial eclipse ends.
Nerja’s centre has narrow streets and limited parking. If you are staying in town, walk. If you drive in, be parked by about 09:00, and do not rush off at 10:51. Read our eye safety guide before the day.
Getting there
- By air. Málaga airport is roughly an hour away by road in normal traffic. Granada airport is an alternative from the north.
- By car. The A-7 motorway runs east from Málaga past Nerja towards Almuñécar. Spain drives on the right.
- By bus. Regular buses link Nerja with Málaga and the towns along the coast. There is no railway.
Where to stay
Nerja town and Burriana
Hotels, apartments and holiday homes, many within walking distance of the Balcony of Europe or the beach. Stay near the sea: it is where totality is longest, and you can watch without the car. Search Nerja for 1 to 3 August 2027.
Almuñécar
Twenty minutes east on the A-7, with a few more seconds of totality, 1m 51s. Search Almuñécar for 1 to 3 August 2027.
These are plain search links, not affiliate links. We do not quote prices, which change daily. Where you can, book a rate with free cancellation.
Weather: one of the better cells
Nerja shares its grid cell with Almuñécar, Salobreña and Motril. In our satellite data 72% of days between 26 July and 9 August, 2001 to 2024, were almost clear, with under 20% cloud. Only 8% were half cloudy or worse, and the typical day had 12% cloud. On 2 August itself, 14 of the 24 years were almost clear. That is one of the best figures on the Spanish part of the track, a little better than the Strait and clearly better than the Atlantic coast.
The figures are daily means over cells about 100 km across, so treat them as a regional comparison, not a forecast. Check the AEMET forecast for Nerja in the days before, and see our weather page.
Beyond the eclipse
- The Nerja Cave. A huge cave system with spectacular formations, a few kilometres east of town.
- Maro and the cliffs. The protected coast of cliffs and coves between Nerja and Almuñécar, with small beaches best reached on foot or by kayak.
- Frigiliana. A white village in the hills just above Nerja.
- Sunset on the Balcony. The same viewpoint, much calmer in the evening.
Compare with Almuñécar, Cabo de Gata and the longer totality around Tarifa, or see every Spanish town side by side in our southern Spain eclipse guide.
Nerja eclipse questions
How long is totality in Nerja?
1 minute 42 seconds, from 10:48:55 to 10:50:36 CEST (UTC+2) on Monday 2 August 2027. The partial eclipse runs from 09:42:32 to 12:03:31.
Is Nerja inside the path of totality?
Yes, about 7 km inside the northern edge. Totality is short and gets shorter as you go inland. Watch from the seafront or a beach, not from the hills.
Is the Balcony of Europe a good place to watch?
Yes. It has about 1m 40s of totality and an open view east over the sea. It will be very crowded, so arrive early, or use Burriana beach, which has more room and about 1m 37s.
Is it worth staying near the edge of the path?
If you want the longest totality, no: the Strait of Gibraltar gets more than twice as long. Near the edge, though, Baily’s beads and the chromosphere stay visible for longer, which some observers value. Nerja also has one of the better cloud records on the track.
Sources
- Our sources and methodology: how the times, durations and cloud figures on this page are made.
- NASA eclipse map for 2 August 2027 (Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC).
- Xavier Jubier’s interactive map, with lunar limb corrections.
- NASA POWER, the source of the cloud climatology.
- Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN), the official Spanish eclipse page, with times for every municipality.
- AEMET municipal forecast, the official Spanish weather service.
- DGT live traffic, for road conditions on the morning.
Compare with nearby options
Málaga
A major airport city just inside the northern edge of the path.
Full guide → Total: 1m 51s Southern SpainAlmuñécar
The Costa Tropical resort town, with almost two minutes of totality.
Full guide → Total: 3m 10s Southern SpainFuengirola
A beach town on the Costa del Sol train line, with three minutes of totality.
Full guide →