Solar eclipse rush sends hotel prices soaring in parts of Europe

Hotel prices in some cities across Iceland and Spain have more than doubled as tourists flock to the region to witness the first total solar eclipse visible from continental Europe this century, the Financial Times (FT) reports.

As of August 12, the average hotel room price in Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, had exceeded $1,000, more than 140% higher than during the same period in 2025. Prices in the northern Spanish city of A Coruña had also more than doubled, while rates in Bilbao and Santiago de Compostela increased by 59% and 31%, respectively. On Mallorca, where the eclipse will be visible low on the horizon at sunset, accommodation prices have risen by 20%.

Ryan Connolly, co-founder of luxury tour operator Hidden Iceland, said he received his first booking specifically for the eclipse in September 2024. By March, he had already been forced to turn away new customers as things became “frantic and full across the whole country.”

Icelandair has increased the number of flights to meet surging demand, particularly from US tourists. The price surge has also affected the short-term rental sector.

The solar eclipse will begin on August 12 at 7:35 p.m. Baku time.

As previously reported, Spanish airline Iberia will operate a special flight carrying scientists to observe the first total solar eclipse visible in the region since 1912.

Flight IB1473, named after the birth year of astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, will depart from Madrid’s Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport and return there after following a route designed to provide optimal viewing conditions over the province of Palencia. In addition, a team of researchers will measure the Sun’s morphological characteristics, taking advantage of observation conditions from cruising altitude.

By Jeyhun Aghazada