Yes: Tangier is inside the path of totality and the Sun will be completely covered for 4 min 52 s, from 08:44:44 to 08:49:36. That is Moroccan time, which on 2 August 2027 will be GMT (UTC+0): two hours behind Spain, and one hour behind UK summer time. When it is 10:45 in Tarifa, it will be 08:45 in Tangier, and the Moon’s shadow crosses the Strait of Gibraltar in those same minutes.
The time: two hours behind Spain
Morocco went back to GMT in September, this time permanently. Spain is on UTC+2 in summer, so that Monday the two shores of the Strait will be two hours apart. So will Ceuta and Tetouan, which sit on either side of a land border. If a website or an app gives you 09:44 for the start of totality in Tangier, it is using Morocco’s old time (GMT+1).
In Tangier the partial phase starts at around 07:40 and ends at around 10:00. Totality comes with the Sun about 38° up, towards the east, so you don’t need to hunt for a clear horizon: it is enough not to have a building in front of you. Everything else about the city is on our Tangier page.
Tangier and the Spanish shore
| Place | Totality | Time of totality | Source of the duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tangier | 4 min 52 s | 08:44:44-08:49:36 (GMT) | our calculation |
| Tetouan | 4 min 52 s | 08:45:10-08:50:02 (GMT) | our calculation |
| Ceuta | 4 min 48 s | 10:45:13-10:50:01 (mainland Spanish time) | IGN |
| Tarifa | 4 min 38 s | 10:45:00-10:49:38 (mainland Spanish time) | IGN |
The longest totality in Morocco is the 294 seconds on the coast near Tetouan, at Martil, M’diq and Cabo Negro. Inland and further east, totality gets shorter: 4 min 15 s in Chefchaouen, 4 min 28 s in Al Hoceima and 4 min 17 s in Nador.
The Spanish durations are those of the IGN (Spain’s National Geographic Institute) and the Moroccan ones come from our engine, which gives two seconds more than the IGN in the town centres of Tarifa and Ceuta. With the same calculation on both shores, Tangier beats Tarifa by twelve seconds and Ceuta by two. You don’t need to cross to see totality: Ceuta has 4 min 48 s without leaving Spain, and Tangier a few seconds more.
How to cross
Wikipedia (in Spanish) describes the port of Tarifa as the main departure point for Tangier. From Algeciras, the ferries don’t go to the city’s port: since 2010 those routes have sailed to Tanger Med, which is 45 km from Tangier and 20 km from Ceuta. If you cross from Algeciras, allow for those 45 km to the city. Trains from Madrid reach Algeciras on the Bobadilla-Algeciras line. For the rest of the journey through southern Spain there is getting there, and for the Moroccan side, our Morocco travel guide.
Before you buy anything, check your papers. The travel advice for Morocco from Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC) (in Spanish), written for Spanish citizens, asks people to travel with caution and says:
- You need a passport valid for more than six months, and it must be valid for your whole stay.
- A Spanish national ID card (DNI) is not enough to enter Morocco.
- No visa is needed for tourism.
- Spain has consulates general in Tangier and Tetouan.
- Avoid military areas, which it is forbidden to photograph. Bear that in mind if you are carrying a tripod and a telephoto lens.
If you travel on a British passport, the UK Foreign Office (FCDO) says it must have an expiry date at least 3 months after the date you arrive, and that you can visit Morocco for up to 90 days for tourism without a visa. With any other passport, check your own government’s advice.
Where to watch in Tangier: the morning cloud
The risk in August is marine stratus, a layer of low cloud that forms over the sea and is thickest in the morning. Jay Anderson, the meteorologist behind Eclipsophile, has studied it for this eclipse:
- On the Atlantic coast, at Asilah or Larache, that cloud can still be there after totality. If you go to the southern edge of the path, he recommends heading at least 70 km inland, towards Ouezzane.
- In Tangier the stratus tends to stay west of the peninsula, held back by the 300-metre rise of Cape Spartel. That is not complete protection, but the centre and east of the city are the best bets, and Anderson points to the beaches of Tangier Bay as a good place to watch.
- In Tetouan, the east side of the city is better. The coast south of Tetouan, towards El Jebha, is the stretch he says to avoid: there the cloud gets trapped against the Rif mountains.
- Chefchaouen has the least cloud in Morocco in his sample, but it lies far from the axis of the shadow and its totality is shorter.
It won’t be very hot: in August, Tangier has an average maximum of 28.6 °C and an average minimum of 19.1 °C (NOAA normals at the airport). We follow the weather in northern Morocco on our Morocco weather page.
Your eyes, same as in Spain
A filter is essential throughout the partial phase, including the seconds before totality. You only look without a filter when the Sun is completely covered, from the last flash to the first. To check a pair of glasses, see our guide to certified eclipse glasses.
Sources: duration and times for Tangier, Tetouan and the Moroccan coast: eclipseando engine (skyfield + DE440s); durations for Tarifa and Ceuta: IGN — eclipses.ign.es (in Spanish); legal time in Morocco and Spain: IANA time zone database (tzdata); Puerto de Tarifa — Wikipedia (in Spanish: main departure point for Tangier); Tánger Med — Wikipedia (in Spanish: 45 km from Tangier and 20 km from Ceuta, Algeciras routes since 2010); Recomendaciones de viaje para Marruecos — MAEC (in Spanish: documents, consulates, military areas); Entry requirements - Morocco travel advice — GOV.UK (passport validity and visa-free visits for British citizens); Total Solar Eclipse 2027 — Eclipsophile (morning cloud in northern Morocco); Tangier — Wikipedia (NOAA August normals); Bobadilla-Algeciras line: Wikipedia (in Spanish).
If you would like something to keep from the eclipse, the shop prints T-shirts, mugs and posters with the name of your town, the time of its maximum and its seconds of totality. See the merchandise →
Remember: never look at the Sun without proper eye protection (filters made to EN ISO 12312-2). The official reference for safe viewing in Spain is the IGN (in Spanish): eclipses.ign.es.