August 12, 2026
Recently I went on a major trip to Morocco and Europe, visiting six new countries across two continents. However, the whole trip started with the idea of seeing a solar eclipse crossing Spain – something I’d had in mind for years.
It ended up being one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had. I rented a car and drove to the small town of Medinaceli over an hour away from Madrid, exploring the countryside as I headed up. Here’s how I made it happen, what the eclipse was like, and everything I saw along the way.
Despite it being such a big day, it started off rather slowly. I was staying in Azuqueca de Henares, northeast of Madrid, having arrived from Portugal only the day before. As such, I had to wash my clothes at a local laundromat in the morning. While I waited in the quiet neighborhood, I relaxed and got a small cup of hot chocolate from a vending machine out front. It was already a lovely day out, and I was excited for what was to come.
A little after 10:30 am, I left my hotel to go get my rental car, though getting there proved to be quite the trek. It was about a 30-minute walk to the train station, then an hour-long train ride back to Madrid, and a separate metro line to Leganés – a town southwest of Madrid. I finally got to the Centauro car rental place around 12:45, which was a super easy process. I even got an upgrade to a bigger car, which ended up being super helpful!
Before starting the drive to Medinaceli, I first had to head back to Azuqueca de Henares. I had forgotten my eclipse glasses, plus I decided it would be good to charge my phone to 100% anyway since I’d be out all day. Side note: these glasses are super important! You absolutely need them during the partial phase of a solar eclipse, as otherwise you can damage your retinas.
Anyway, the drive took about an hour due to traffic, giving me some time to get used to the car. It was a stick shift, which I am familiar with, but this one had 6 gears – something I had never seen before in the US.
While charging my phone, I figured out a place to eat, eventually just deciding on Burger King. I didn’t really feel like wasting time on a sit-down meal, and they had an interesting collab with Pringles I had seen back in the town of Tarifa my first night in Spain. Plus, it was right off the road. It ended up being quite interesting – imagine a strong sour cream and onion Pringles flavor on both the fries and burger.
From here, I began the drive to Medinaceli. It was a little over an hour, but the eclipse wouldn’t actually be starting until 7:30 pm, so I figured I didn’t need to rush. I decided that if anything looked interesting along the way, I’d stop and explore.
The first of these was about 30 minutes into the drive. Right along the highway, I saw a castle. Not just a few ruins, but a huge structure right in the small town of Torija. I decided to get off the highway and parked a few hundred meters away from the city center. Evidently, this town of less than 2000 residents had a castle which was built in the 1400s! I noticed this seemed to be a common theme throughout Spain – castles were seriously everywhere, many of them being over 500 years old.
Unfortunately, while the castle itself was free, you need a reservation to visit. Of course, with the eclipse happening later that day, it was full, so I moved on. I did explore the town a bit more and saw a cathedral that also dated back to the 15th century. I didn’t spend long there, but it was a really cool little town.
After continuing to drive a little longer, I saw another castle on a hill off to the side of the highway. I went through the small town of La Torresaviñán, though I couldn’t find a way to actually get there without hiking from the town, plus there wasn’t really any parking. So, I kept going.
My next destination was one I had actually seen while exploring Google Maps, a small archaeological site with some mammoth bones and a statue, as well as great views of the surrounding area. I also saw what looked like a large family there, who were presumably planning to watch the solar eclipse from that spot.
I also saw two other places on the way there which piqued my interest. The first was a small old cemetery on a hill near the archaeological site, though I couldn’t find much information about it.
The second was another hilltop castle – though this one took quite a bit of effort to get to. I drove through a rural, bumpy, overgrown gravel road, and halfway through I wasn’t sure if it would be worth it. Regardless, I was certainly glad to have had the upgraded car! I then parked the car on the side of the widest section of “road” and hiked up the hill. While the castle itself was fenced off, it was pretty fascinating to me. It was fairly small, and I was not able to find any information on it at all, not even from Google Maps. It made me wonder just how many sites like this there are throughout Spain!
By now, it was just past 6 pm, so I decided it was time to go to Medinaceli. It was about a 25 minute drive from where I was, and when I saw it, I knew I had chosen the right place for the eclipse.
Medinaceli is a town with ancient history that spans all the way back through the Roman period. There are remains of Moorish walls, a castle over 1000 years old, and even a rare triple-gate Roman triumphal arch from the 2nd or 3rd century. It also sits on a plateau overlooking a valley on all sides. With its history, elevation, and location along the sun’s line of totality, it would be an excellent spot for eclipse gazing.
As I arrived, I was struck with the sheer number of people everywhere. I suppose I should have guessed it, but I hadn’t realized eclipse tourism was so insane! The parking lot I was looking at on Google Maps was totally full of cars, buses, and RVs, and there was someone directing traffic down one of the small roads through town. I ended up parking on a small sloped section of grass to the side of the road, and had to go over a small stone wall to go up! Luckily the car managed it just fine, and I didn’t damage it or anything.
Since I still had an hour until the eclipse started, I figured that was enough time to do some exploring around the town. I had actually seen the Roman arch, one of the major reasons I had picked Medinaceli, as I was driving in, but I went back to read the sign and snap some pictures. I also saw some sections of Roman wall which had been excavated, as well as a few areas which were still buried. The castle was pretty cool as well, and offered some relief from the sun. I was glad that there were few clouds, as it meant we’d have a great view of the eclipse. However, it was still Spain in mid-August, so it was quite toasty!
After wandering for a little while, I decided I should probably stake a claim for watching the eclipse. I started off in a shady section, but as more people arrived I went out to a sunny section overlooking the valley.
Finally, the eclipse started around 7:35. The tension slowly began to mount, with someone making announcements in Spanish about its progress. It moved fairly quickly, and was very exciting as it slowly got thinner and thinner. As it got past 85% and then 90%, it started getting dimmer outside.
Eventually, at 8:30…the sun seemed to have one last bright flash, and then all of a sudden everything got dark – it was crazy! The early evening was basically turned into late dusk, with only a dark sphere surrounded by thin rays of light hanging in the sky. It only lasted a little over a minute and a half, but it was one of the most incredible things I have ever seen in my entire life. It absolutely reinforced my decision to plan trips around eclipses in the future.
When it ended, everything lit back up again, though it was still fairly dim compared to the sun’s full strength. It was also golden hour, which was awesome with the eclipse. However, I decided to leave after a few more minutes rather than staying for sunset, as I knew traffic would be crazy enough as it was.
It did take me a little while to get out of my parking spot, as I had to literally squeeze between a rock and a hard place (another car), but after my 19-point turn or so I made it out – it wasn’t even too bad going down the hill. In fact, my maneuvering allowed me to see the sunset as I headed down. It was still eclipsed (maybe 40%), which you could visibly see while the sun was setting! Just utterly amazing.
The drive back was rough. There was a ton of traffic and it cost me probably 25-30 extra minutes on a 1 hour drive. After making it back to Azuqueca de Henares, I headed straight to dinner at the same restaurant from the night prior, a local place with cheap prices and hardly any English, though it took forever to get served. I got fries and sausage with mayo and ketchup for tapas (appetizers), and nachos for the main course. Pretty decent overall!
With my car rental trek, driving through and exploring the Spanish countryside, spending a couple hours in Medinaceli, and returning at night through heavy traffic, I was absolutely exhausted. But I had just seen my first ever total eclipse, in a small historic town completely surrounded by travelers from across Spain and maybe further. It was an utterly unreal experience, and one I wish to experience again in plenty of other places around the world.