Searches for ‘Spain stargazing’ have skyrocketed by 4,568% — here's what it’ll cost to catch this summer’s meteor shower and solar eclipse

The surge comes as travelers plan trips around the Perseid meteor shower, which runs from mid-July to late August, and peaks in mid-August, as well as the August 12 solar eclipse. Northern Spain will sit directly in the path of totality during the eclipse, while much of the country offers some of Europe’s darkest skies for year-round stargazing.

Omio analyzed sky brightness and light pollution across Spain’s 50 largest cities, scoring each destination using internationally recognized Bortle Class ratings and recorded sky brightness to identify where travelers have the best chance of seeing the Milky Way and thousands of stars.

Here’s what the data spotted — and how much it could cost to visit Spain’s best stargazing destinations this summer.

Jerez de la Frontera tops Spain for stargazing

The Andalusian city of Jerez de la Frontera ranked No. 1 overall, earning a score of 89.21 out of 100 thanks to exceptionally dark skies. It recorded a sky brightness reading of just 0.222 mcd/m² and earned a rare Bortle Class 3 rating. Under those conditions, visitors can often see the Milky Way with the naked eye from locations just outside the city.

The rest of the top-ranked cities include:

• La Laguna (Tenerife) — 62.75
• Albacete — 62.11
• León — 61.57
• Tarrasa — 61.25
• Oviedo — 60.46
• Badajoz — 59.79
• Castellón de la Plana — 50.96
• Gijón — 50.89

La Laguna’s high ranking is aided by the Canary Islands’ strict dark-sky protections and its proximity to Teide National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape and one of the world’s premier astronomical destinations. Meanwhile, mainland cities like Albacete, León and Oviedo benefit from being farther away from major metropolitan light pollution.

Not every Spanish city offers ideal viewing conditions. Valencia ranked last with a score of just 3, while Sevilla and Madrid also fell into heavily light-polluted Bortle Class 8-9 territory, where observers may only spot the moon and the brightest stars.

What it’ll cost to plan a stargazing getaway in Spain

For travelers hoping to combine sightseeing with celestial experiences, several of Spain’s best stargazing cities remain relatively affordable compared with larger tourist hubs — and they’re relatively simple to reach.

Jerez de la Frontera, for example, is less than an hour from Seville by rail and about three hours and 45 minutes from Madrid, making it an easy weekend escape. Albacete and Oviedo are about two and three hours, respectively, from Madrid by high-speed rail, while Tarrasa is less than an hour from Barcelona.

La Laguna requires a short domestic flight to Tenerife before a drive to nearby dark-sky locations like Teide National Park.

Accommodation prices vary by destination and travel dates, but secondary Spanish cities such as Jerez, the top spot, typically offer significantly lower hotel rates than Madrid or Barcelona during the summer.

Hotels in Jerez are cheapest in January, when the average rates are $67 per night. By comparison, April, when Spain celebrates Semana Santa, is the most expensive month, with average nightly rates climbing to $315, according to Kayak.

Travelers hoping to catch the August 12 total solar eclipse should prepare for higher prices in northern Spain as demand grows. The path of totality will cross the country’s northern regions before sunset, making cities across Galicia, Asturias and Castile and León among the most sought-after viewing spots. That includes León and Oviedo, where August is already the most expensive month. Hotel prices hover around $301 and $308 per night, respectively, Kayak finds.