Southern Spain, the Strait of Gibraltar and northern Morocco seen from the International Space Station (Image: NASA)

Solar Eclipse 2 August 2027 in Ronda: Exact Times, Totality and Where to Watch

Yes: Ronda is inside the path of the total solar eclipse on Monday 2 August 2027, but right on its northern edge. At the Puente Nuevo and Plaza de España, totality lasts about 1 minute 19 seconds, from 10:47:34 to 10:48:53 Central European Summer Time (CEST, UTC+2), with maximum at 10:48:14. The Sun will be about 39° above the horizon, almost due east (azimuth 96°). The partial eclipse starts at 09:41:37 and ends at 12:01:24. The northern limit of totality passes only about 4.4 km north of the bridge, so Arriate, the next town up the road, gets a partial eclipse only, while a 10 to 30 km drive south gives you two to three minutes of darkness.

Ronda had 33,671 residents on 1 January 2025 (INE). It sits on a rock plateau at about 720 to 740 m, split by the Tajo gorge, but on eclipse day what matters is the edge of the Moon's shadow: every kilometre north or south of the bridge changes totality by about 7 to 14 seconds. Here: our times for 20 points in and around Ronda, where the edge runs and how to gain more darkness. For the coast, see our guides to Marbella and Málaga.

What time is the total eclipse in Ronda on 2 August 2027?

All times are local CEST (UTC+2), from our own calculation, at the height of each place. The partial phase lasts about 2 hours 20 minutes, with totality near the middle.

Place (height) Partial eclipse begins Totality begins Maximum Totality ends Partial eclipse ends Totality lasts Sun altitude
Barrio de San Francisco, south edge of town (702 m) 09:41:36 10:47:31 10:48:14 10:48:56 12:01:24 1 min 26 s 39°
La Ciudad, old town, Santa María la Mayor (730 m) 09:41:36 10:47:33 10:48:14 10:48:54 12:01:24 1 min 22 s 39°
Mirador de Aldehuela (725 m) 09:41:37 10:47:34 10:48:14 10:48:53 12:01:24 1 min 20 s 39°
Plaza de España and Puente Nuevo (720 m) 09:41:37 10:47:34 10:48:14 10:48:53 12:01:24 1 min 19 s 39°
Plaza de toros and Paseo de Blas Infante (719 m) 09:41:37 10:47:35 10:48:14 10:48:52 12:01:24 1 min 17 s 39°
Alameda del Tajo (732 m) 09:41:37 10:47:36 10:48:14 10:48:51 12:01:24 1 min 15 s 39°
Railway station, north of El Mercadillo (741 m) 09:41:37 10:47:39 10:48:14 10:48:49 12:01:25 1 min 11 s 39°
San Pedro Alcántara, on the coast (48 m) 09:41:35 10:46:40 10:48:21 10:50:03 12:01:44 3 min 23 s 39°
Gaucín (600 m) 09:41:22 10:46:23 10:47:59 10:49:34 12:01:11 3 min 10 s 38°
20 km due south of Ronda (calculated at 700 m) 09:41:30 10:46:41 10:48:10 10:49:39 12:01:26 2 min 57 s 39°
Cartajima (826 m) 09:41:33 10:47:01 10:48:13 10:49:23 12:01:26 2 min 22 s 39°
Parauta (799 m) 09:41:35 10:47:05 10:48:15 10:49:25 12:01:30 2 min 20 s 39°
10 km due south of Ronda (calculated at 700 m) 09:41:33 10:47:02 10:48:12 10:49:21 12:01:25 2 min 19 s 39°
Cueva de la Pileta (723 m) 09:41:31 10:47:08 10:48:06 10:49:03 12:01:14 1 min 55 s 38°
Benaoján (524 m) 09:41:32 10:47:19 10:48:07 10:48:55 12:01:16 1 min 36 s 38°
Montejaque (690 m) 09:41:33 10:47:26 10:48:08 10:48:49 12:01:16 1 min 23 s 38°
Grazalema (812 m) 09:41:29 10:47:35 10:48:00 10:48:25 12:01:04 50 s 38°
Arriate (603 m) 09:41:40 none 10:48:17 none 12:01:26 partial only (99.99%) 39°
Acinipo, Ronda la Vieja (952 m) 09:41:37 none 10:48:11 none 12:01:16 partial only (99.97%) 38°
Setenil de las Bodegas (640 m) 09:41:41 none 10:48:15 none 12:01:22 partial only (99.93%) 39°

Our calculation with Skyfield and the JPL DE421 ephemeris, with a smooth lunar edge. Durations are worked out before rounding, so they can differ by a second from the times shown. Places in Ronda run from south to north; points inside the town are approximate to about 100 m, worth about one second. Published figures for Ronda: snowy.es 1 min 18 s (10:47:34 to 10:48:53), solar-eclipse.info 1 min 17 s (10:47:26 to 10:48:44), the IGN, as quoted by Eclipseando, 1 min 18 s (10:47:24 to 10:48:42), eclipse-solaire.fr 1 min 15 s and TresEclipses 1 min 29 s, the longest figure. That is a spread of 14 seconds. The Wikipedia timetable has no row for Ronda. For the villages, snowy.es and the IGN sit within about 4 seconds of ours (Benaoján 1 min 36 s and 1 min 32 s, Cartajima 2 min 23 s and 2 min 20 s, Gaucín 3 min 09 s from the IGN), while TresEclipses runs 5 to 10 seconds longer. For Grazalema snowy.es gives 49 s and TresEclipses 1 min 05 s. TresEclipses lists Arriate and Setenil as partial only.

For the rest of the country, see our guide to the total eclipse in Spain and the eclipse times in 125 cities.

How close is Ronda to the edge of the path of totality?

Very close. By our calculation, the northern limit of totality crosses Ronda's longitude at about 36.780° N, roughly 4.4 km north of the Puente Nuevo. North of it the eclipse is partial. The line runs almost west to east: it passes about 1.7 km north of Grazalema, between Ronda and Arriate (Arriate is about 2 km outside), and well south of Setenil de las Bodegas and the Roman ruins of Acinipo. You can see the whole edge on our path of totality map.

Map: Ronda and the northern limit of totality, 2 August 2027 Map of the Serranía de Ronda from Grazalema to San Pedro Alcántara with the shaded path of totality and its northern limit, which passes about 4.4 km north of Ronda's Puente Nuevo. Arriate and Setenil de las Bodegas are just outside the path. Totality durations: Ronda 1 min 19 s, Grazalema 50 s, Cueva de la Pileta 1 min 55 s, Cartajima 2 min 22 s, Gaucín 3 min 10 s, San Pedro Alcántara 3 min 23 s.RondaArriateSetenilGrazalemaCueva de la PiletaCartajimaGaucínSan Pedro Alcántara1 min 19 spartial onlypartial only50 s1 min 55 s2 min 22 s3 min 10 s3 min 23 sTotal eclipse (path of totality)Northern limit of totalityTember calculation (Skyfield, DE421). Coastline: Natural EarthMediterranean SeaNorthern limit (outside: partial only)
Ronda sits about 4.4 km inside the northern limit of the path. Arriate and Setenil, just to the north, get only a partial eclipse; totality grows quickly as you go south towards Gaucín and the coast. Durations are our calculation for each place; the coastline is simplified.

Measured along the meridian of the bridge, totality is about 1 min 41 s three kilometres south, 1 min 27 s one kilometre south, 1 min 19 s at the bridge, 1 min 09 s one kilometre north, 58 s two kilometres north and 45 s three kilometres north. That is about 7 to 8 seconds per kilometre on the south side and 9 to 14 seconds per kilometre to the north, and it falls away faster still in the last kilometre before the limit. Moving east or west across town changes almost nothing: about 3 seconds over 9 km.

Height makes almost no difference: at the bridge, Ronda's altitude changes totality by about one second compared with sea level. Latitude is what counts. Ronda is even closer to the edge than Jerez de la Frontera, where the limit runs about 7 km north of the centre and the old town gets about 1 min 41 s.

One caution: like most published maps, our calculation uses a smooth edge for the Moon. Near the limit, real lunar mountains and valleys shift the contact times by a few seconds, which is why published figures for Ronda disagree. Within a kilometre or two of the limit you may get a long "diamond ring" and little proper totality.

Where near Ronda do you get more totality?

South. The centre line of the path is far out at sea, so totality grows steadily towards the coast. Straight-line distances from the Puente Nuevo:

  • Cartajima and Parauta, about 11 km south and south-east: about 2 min 22 s and 2 min 20 s, almost a full minute more than Ronda.
  • 10 km due south of Ronda: about 2 min 19 s. At 20 km south it is about 2 min 57 s.
  • Benaoján and the Cueva de la Pileta, about 8 and 11 km south-west: about 1 min 36 s in the village and 1 min 55 s at the cave.
  • Gaucín, about 28 km south-west on the A-369: about 3 min 10 s. TresEclipses ranks its Balcón de la Serranía viewpoint among the best in Málaga province, at 3 min 17 s.
  • San Pedro Alcántara, at the bottom of the A-397, about 32 km away: about 3 min 23 s. A little further west, Estepona gets about 3 min 38 s.

Do not go north. Arriate, about 7 km away, gets 99.99% of the Sun covered and no totality. Setenil de las Bodegas (99.93%) and Acinipo, also called Ronda la Vieja (about 99.97%), are further outside. Even a sliver of Sun is too bright to look at, and the sky never goes properly dark. Grazalema, across the border in Cádiz province, is an edge village too: about 50 s by our calculation. For what a deep partial eclipse looks like, see our page on partial eclipse cities in Spain.

If you are staying in Ronda, the simple plan is a short drive south on the morning: Cartajima or Parauta nearly double your totality, and Gaucín gives well over twice as much. Leave early: the mountain roads are winding and 2 August 2027 is a working Monday in high season. Our guide on how to choose where to watch covers the trade-offs.

Where is the best place to watch the eclipse in Ronda?

At 10:48 CEST the Sun stands about 39° up, a little south of due east. Ronda's famous viewpoints mostly look the other way: the cliff-top walks look west over the valley, and the miradors by the Puente Nuevo look into the gorge. At 39° that hardly matters: turn round, and most open squares work. The rule of thumb: a building 12 m tall blocks a Sun at 39° only if you stand closer than about 15 m to it on its west side.

  • Plaza de España and the Puente Nuevo: the heart of town, about 1 min 19 s, on the edge of a gorge more than 100 m deep. Expect it to be busy and arrive early.
  • La Ciudad and the Barrio de San Francisco: south of the gorge, and a few seconds better: about 1 min 22 s in the old town around Santa María la Mayor and about 1 min 26 s in San Francisco, Ronda's southern edge. Narrow streets hide the Sun, so look for an open space with a clear view east.
  • Mirador de Aldehuela: on Calle Armiñán next to the Puente Nuevo, about 1 min 20 s. It looks over the gorge and the arches of the bridge; for the eclipse you face east, away from the view.
  • The Plaza de toros, the Paseo de Blas Infante and the Alameda del Tajo: the bullring, finished in 1785, and the cliff-top walk beside it, which looks west across the valley towards the Sierra de Grazalema. About 1 min 17 s at the bullring and 1 min 15 s on the Alameda. The Alameda is a garden of old pines, acacias and cedars, so find a gap in the trees towards the east.
  • The station and the north of El Mercadillo: about 1 min 11 s, and less as you go further north. Avoid it if you can.

The Junta de Andalucía plans a "mirror day" on 10 May 2027, when the Sun stands in practically the same place in the sky as during the eclipse. Use it, or any morning in late July, to stand at your spot at about 10:48 CEST and check the view. If you head for the Sierra de las Nieves or Grazalema natural parks, 2 August falls in Andalucía's high wildfire-risk season (1 June to 15 October), when driving motor vehicles on forest land is restricted; TresEclipses leaves forest viewpoints out of its rankings and warns that access may be closed. Whatever spot you choose, keep your glasses on for the whole partial phase: our guide on how to use eclipse glasses safely explains each step.

What is the weather like in Ronda in early August?

Usually sunny, dry and hot. Jay Anderson's Eclipsophile, the standard reference on eclipse weather, says that according to the satellites "inland Spanish sites are excellent eclipse havens", with average cloud below 15 percent. Ronda, more than 30 km from the sea behind the mountains, is one of them. The bigger risk inland is haze: "The main threat in Spain and Tangier is a dusty pall over the whole of the sky", from Saharan dust. eclipse-solaire.fr reports a usable sky in Ronda at the time of maximum on 2 August in each of the last ten years (2016 to 2025); that is a record of the past, not a forecast.

AEMET publishes no climate normals for Ronda itself. The two nearest stations with normals (1981 to 2010), both about 60 km away and much lower, frame it: Málaga airport, on the coast at 7 m, averages a high of 30.8 °C in August with 316 hours of sunshine, 17.1 clear days and 6 mm of rain; Morón de la Frontera, inland at 87 m, averages 34.7 °C with 337 hours of sunshine, 20.6 clear days and 4 mm of rain. You will be outdoors for over two hours: bring water, a hat and some shade.

Tember solar eclipse glasses in four frame colours (Image: Tember)
Certified eclipse glasses for the partial phases before and after totality (Image: Tember)

How do you get to Ronda for the eclipse?

  • By train: Ronda station, on Avenida de Andalucía, is on the Bobadilla to Algeciras line, but trains on the line are suspended. Renfe runs replacement buses between Algeciras and Antequera that stop at Ronda, and Adif expects the line to stay closed for works until autumn 2027, so check Renfe before planning on rail (Renfe and Adif information as of 10 November 2026).
  • By bus from Málaga: Damas, Autocares Sierra de las Nieves and Avanza run Málaga to Ronda; direct buses take about 1 hour 45 minutes and the fastest about 1 hour 30 minutes, according to Omio (checked 9 November 2026).
  • By bus from Marbella: Avanza runs the route, with 4 buses a day listed and a fastest journey of about 1 hour 20 minutes (Omio, checked 9 November 2026).
  • By car from the coast: the A-397 climbs from San Pedro Alcántara to Ronda. It is steep and very winding, with heavy traffic as Ronda's main link to the Costa del Sol. The A-374 goes north-west towards Seville and the A-369 south-west to Gaucín.
  • By air: Málaga airport is the nearest big airport; Ronda is about 100 km from the city of Málaga.

If you are staying on the coast, there is no reason to drive up for the eclipse: San Pedro Alcántara gets more than twice Ronda's totality. 2 August 2027 is not a public holiday in Andalucía; the regional August holiday is Monday 16 August (Decree 84/2026).

Is Ronda planning anything for the eclipse?

Nothing announced yet. As of 9 November 2026 there is no 2027 eclipse event, viewing area or traffic plan from Ronda town council or the Diputación de Málaga. The Junta de Andalucía names Ronda among the 58 municipalities in Málaga province (115 in Andalucía) where the eclipse is total, together with Benaoján, Montejaque, Cartajima, Parauta and Gaucín. Arriate is not on the list. Besides the mirror day, it ran a logistics test day on Sunday 2 August 2026, looking at access, parking, shade, water and health services. We will add Ronda's plans when they are published. Want a guided trip instead? See our roundup of Spain total eclipse tours.

When can you take your eclipse glasses off in Ronda?

Only during totality, and in Ronda that is short. At the Puente Nuevo it runs from about 10:47:34 to 10:48:53 by our calculation, but the published end times vary: the IGN figure, quoted by Eclipseando, ends at 10:48:42. A safe rule for the town centre: glasses off only after the last bright point of the Sun has disappeared (not before about 10:47:34), and back on by 10:48:42 at the latest, or the moment you see the first bright point return, whichever comes first. That gives you a bit over a minute; north of the gorge, less. In Arriate, keep them on throughout.

Before totality, from 09:41 CEST, and after it, until 12:01 CEST, you are looking at a partial eclipse and need eclipse glasses certified to ISO 12312-2 (in Europe, EN ISO 12312-2 with a CE mark). Sunglasses are never enough. If you are not sure the eclipse is total where you stand, keep them on.

Already have a pair? Read ISO 12312-2 explained: how to check a certificate, whether 2026 glasses can be reused in 2027, how to spot fake eclipse glasses and what doctors know about eclipse eye damage. More answers are in our eclipse glasses FAQ.

Tember eclipse glasses are certified to EN ISO 12312-2:2015 and carry the CE mark; the certificate and test reports are on our compliance documents page. They come in packs of 4 to 100 pairs, for families, groups and hotels. See the glasses.

Frequently asked questions

Is Ronda in the path of totality in 2027?

Yes, but close to the northern edge, which passes about 4.4 km north of the Puente Nuevo. The centre gets about 1 minute 19 seconds of totality, the south of town a few seconds more and the north a few seconds less.

What time is the total eclipse in Ronda?

At the Puente Nuevo totality runs from about 10:47:34 to 10:48:53 CEST (UTC+2), with maximum at 10:48:14. The partial eclipse starts at 09:41:37 and ends at 12:01:24.

Why do websites give different durations for Ronda?

Because Ronda is near the edge, where totality changes by about 7 to 14 seconds per kilometre and the exact shape of the Moon's edge matters. Published figures range from 1 minute 15 seconds (eclipse-solaire.fr) to 1 minute 29 seconds (TresEclipses); snowy.es and the IGN give 1 minute 18 seconds, and we calculate 1 minute 19 seconds at the bridge.

Is the eclipse total in Arriate or Setenil?

No. Arriate is about 2 km north of the limit and gets a 99.99% partial eclipse; Setenil de las Bodegas gets about 99.93%. Keep eclipse glasses on the whole time there.

Where near Ronda is totality longest?

To the south. Cartajima and Parauta get about 2 minutes 20 seconds, Gaucín about 3 minutes 10 seconds and San Pedro Alcántara on the coast about 3 minutes 23 seconds. Ten kilometres due south of Ronda already gives about 2 minutes 19 seconds.

Can I look at the eclipse in Ronda without glasses?

Only during totality, which lasts a little over a minute in the centre. To be safe, take them off only once the Sun is completely covered and put them back on by 10:48:42 CEST or as soon as sunlight returns. For the partial phases, from 09:41 to 12:01 CEST, use eclipse glasses certified to ISO 12312-2.

Sources

Last updated: 10 November 2026 (transport re-checked)

Back to blog