A total solar eclipse is coming to Europe on Aug. 12, and if you want a place to sleep while you watch it, you had better be ready to pay.
Hotel rooms in Reykjavik, Iceland are averaging $1,012 per night during eclipse week, which is double what they cost during the same period in 2025. Short-term rentals in the city are even pricier at $1,172 a night, a 178% jump from last year.
Lighthouse Intelligence, a commercial travel and hospitality firm, supplied the data. Jonathan Gough, who leads content marketing at Lighthouse, told CNBC that testing what the market can bear is common practice for rare events.
"Testing what the market can bear when it comes to pricing is a common practice by hoteliers in the face of 'once in a lifetime' demand events, like FIFA World Cups or Taylor Swift concerts," Gough said.
Gough said Iceland's hoteliers initially set eclipse prices on a speculative basis. By Aug. 10, the cheapest rooms available for Aug. 12 in Reykjavik and the broader capital area had dropped 46% and 51%, respectively, from mid-May, landing at $805 and $793. The late discounting shows how much rates moved as the event got closer.
Get the free Always Be Buying eBook and learn the simple system for building wealth on any income
Gough noted that pricing strategies varied from one hotelier to the next. In Bilbao, short-term rentals are running $1,088 per night, up 206% from last year. Hotel rooms in the city are $315 a night, a 35% increase.
The eclipse can be seen from the U.K., Iceland, northern Spain, Greenland and Portugal on Aug. 12. At $193 per night for hotels, Santiago de Compostela was the least expensive destination, up 13% since last year; the city sits just outside the path of totality.
The data paints a mixed picture for anyone hoping to see the eclipse without overspending. In Iceland, travelers who waited saw prices fall sharply from their May peaks, while those who booked early may have paid much more. In Spain, the biggest jump is in short-term rentals rather than hotels. That means the cheapest option depends on the destination and the type of accommodation.
The contrast between Iceland and Spain also shows how difficult it is to price a rare event. High initial asking prices in Iceland gave way to significant cuts as the date neared. In Bilbao, short-term rental owners have held prices far above last year's levels. The result is a powerful but concentrated tourism boost, according to Gough.
"An event like the eclipse fills rooms for a night or two; the climate-driven shift in where Europeans now want to spend their summer months will be a trend that far outlasts it," Gough said.
For now, if you are planning to watch the eclipse from Iceland or northern Spain, expect to pay a premium. The rates in Iceland have already dropped sharply from mid-May, a sign of how much discounting has occurred. Travelers who are flexible about location may find relative bargains in places like Santiago de Compostela, which remains the cheapest hotel market in the data.
Download the free Always Be Buying eBook and start putting your money to work today