On August 12, 2026, a breathtaking celestial event will unfold as a total solar eclipse sweeps across parts of the Arctic Ocean, Greenland, Iceland, the Atlantic Ocean, Portugal, and northern Spain.
For those seeking to be within the path of totality—the narrow strip where the moon completely covers the sun—a cruise might be the best bet, especially considering so much of the path of totality is over open water, and cruise ships can move their position to find cloudless areas if need be. Passengers who obtain that perfect view will be treated to a rare and fleeting scene that in 2026 will last for 2 minutes and 18 seconds.
Several major cruise lines are planning special sailings to ensure their passengers have the ideal vantage point for this extraordinary natural spectacle. Although solar eclipse travel is something advisors say you should plan for years in advance (so time is ticking), there are still some cruises with availability. Read on for some of the 2026 solar eclipse cruises that you can book.
Atlas Ocean Voyage’s 7-day Barcelona to Monte Carlo cruise
Book now: Atlas Ocean Voyages’ Journey of the Solar Eclipse starts at $7,499 per person, and takes place August 9–16, 2026
One of the new voyages not in the Arctic (although Atlas Ocean Voyage will also host a nine-night eclipse trip between Iceland and Greenland), this journey starts in Barcelona. From there, it’s onward to Valencia, Ibiza, and Palma de Mallorca, Spain, where guests will visit historic city centers, take in cathedrals, and explore seaside promenades. On the 12th, the captain will find a cloudless spot at sea for optimum viewing. Afterward, the ship will stop in Banyulus-sur-Mer, Montpellier, and Cannes, France, for vineyard and museum hopping before ending in Monte Carlo, Monaco. The sailing will take place on the 196-guest World Traveller.
Let HX, an expedition company with more than a century of experience in the region, take you to the Arctic region, beginning in Svalbard.
Courtesy of HX
HX’s 17-day sailing in Svalbard, Greenland, and Iceland
Book now: This Solar Eclipse Expedition 2026—Greenland, Iceland, and Svalbard starts at $19,717 per person, and sails August 3–19, 2026
Not only will this HX sailing bring passengers into the path of totality in August 2026, but it will also do so among spectacular landscapes. For the total solar eclipse, passengers will be in the remote wilds of eastern Greenland. This expedition will set sail from the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard in the Arctic Ocean. From there, it will cross the Greenland Sea and the eclipse will be viewed from the fjord- and glacier-filled Scoresby Sound. If you want to ensure you are with a truly experienced outfit for this journey, 2026 will mark the 130th anniversary of the company’s first expedition in the summer of 1896. Norwegian-based HX (formerly Hurtigruten Expeditions) knows the region and polar adventures well. This itinerary will take place on the 220-passenger MS Spitsbergen with staterooms that range from 226-square-foot cabins to more comfortable 355-square-foot suites.
After eclipse viewing in Greenland, this Lindblad cruise will head for Newfoundland.
Courtesy of Erik McLean/Unsplash
Lindblad Expedition’s 15-day Iceland, Greenland, and Canada’s Newfoundland cruise
Book now: Starting from $28,405 per person, the Arctic Odyssey: Iceland, Greenland, and Canada expedition will take place August 9–24, 2026
Lindblad Expeditions offers some pretty cool Arctic itineraries that allow guests to sail in the wake of legendary sailors like Erik the Red, and this trip is no exception. Starting in Reykavík aboard the 148-guest National Geographic Explorer, the trip will spend time in Iceland’s remote Westfjords before charting a course for southern Greenland, where days will be spent hunting for hanging glaciers, strolling through the colorfully painted town of Qaqortoq, and visiting the ruins of Bratthlid, Erik the Red’s farm. While in Greenland, guests will have the chance to catch the eclipse—something that’s particularly rare in polar regions, considering the sun only illuminates each pole for part of the year. Then it’s onward to Canada’s Labrador Coast to look for polar bears and kayak along the wild coast before disembarking in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
Book the Captain’s Suite aboard Aurora Expeditions’ Sylvia Earle for the ultimate in celestial viewing comfort.
Photo by Masano Kawana
New Scientist’s 13-day Iceland to Greenland polar cruise
Book now: This Total Solar Eclipse 2026: Iceland and Greenland Polar Cruise is priced from $18,315 per person and runs August 7–19, 2026
New Scientist, a weekly science and technology publication, offers myriad expeditions throughout the year, often with professional scientists aboard. For this particular trip, guests will be accompanied by Jamie Carter, an astronomer and eclipse expert, who will host talks on solar photography, astronomy, and a briefing before the eclipse.
The sailing will start in Reykjavík with a tour of Iceland’s Golden Circle before boarding the Sylvia Earle, a polar expedition vessel with room for 132 guests that eco-conscious line Aurora Expeditions operates. From there, the ship will head to Greenland, where guests will get to explore some of the largest fjord systems on the planet, witness glaciers calving, and scan for Arctic animals, like musk oxen, Arctic foxes, Atlantic puffins, and walruses, before returning to Iceland.
Oceanwide Expedition’s 14-day Northeast Greenland cruise
Book now: Taking place August 2–15, 2026, this Northeast Greenland Solar Eclipse Explorer Voyage starts at $8,550 per person
Another Arctic voyage, though perhaps more active than others (Oceanwide Expeditions is known for offering guests the opportunity to go on full-day hikes, where the ship drops them off at one point and picks them up at another about nine miles away), this sailing starts in Longyearbyen, Svalbard, and ends in Akureyri, Iceland, although most of the sailing is spent in southeastern Greenland. On the eclipse day, the 170-guest Hondius plans to be near Øfjord, where guests can watch the eclipse from the ship or one of the nearby shores.
Oceanwide Expeditions is also running a similar cruise aboard the 108-guest Plancius, though it starts and ends a day later.
French cruise line Ponant is bringing passengers to Palma de Mallorca in Spain’s Balearic Islands for eclipse viewing.
Courtesy of Yves Alarie/Unplash
Ponant’s 9-day western Mediterranean cruise
Book now: A Solar Eclipse at Sea: Voyage Across the Western Mediterranean with Smithsonian Journeys, with prices starting from $10,270 per person and operating August 11–19, 2026
What is special about this cruise’s placement is that it will just catch the eclipse—in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, the totality will take place at 8:31 p.m., and just 18 minutes later, the sun will set for the evening. The sailing starts aboard the 184-guest Le Dumont D’Urville in Barcelona. From there, the ship will sail to Palma de Mallorca, one of the southernmost locales where the 2026 eclipse will be visible, for the event the following day. After the celestial show, guests will spend the rest of the trip exploring the other islands of the area—including Spain’s Menorca, France’s Corsica, and Italy’s Sardinia and Elba—before visiting the Italian mainland and finishing in Nice, France.
It’s worth noting that while Ponant is a French cruise company, its Smithsonian Journeys trips are tailored to English-speaking travelers. During the eclipse, Ponant will also be operating a 9-day Nice to Nice sailing and 14-day Svalbard to Iceland sailing (which will feature two astronauts, Claudie Haigneré and Jean-Pierre Haigneré, aboard). However, on those trips, French will be the primary language spoken.
Poseidon Expedition’s 14-day Svalbard, Greenland, and Iceland cruise
Book now: Starting at $10,095 per person, the Arctic Odyssey Under a Solar Eclipse sails August 2–5, 2026
The sun doesn’t set in the high Arctic during the summer months. Even in Reykavík, where this sailing ends, the city experiences nautical twilight in early August, meaning the sun has only just dipped below the horizon. So when the moon darkens the sun on August 12, it will be the darkest it has been in months.
During this two-week sailing aboard the 114-guest Sea Spirit, travelers will look for polar bears in Svalbard, explore the fjords of Greenland, and hike to the waterfalls of Iceland’s Westfjords. On the day of the eclipse, the ship will be in Greenland, and famed astrophysicist Paul Sutter will be on hand to offer insight into the skyward spectacle.
Quark Expeditions’ 13-day Iceland to Greenland cruise
Book now: This Iceland to Greenland Total Solar Eclipse cruise is priced from $16,095 per person, sailing August 6–18, 2026
Quark, a luxury cruise company specializing in polar sailings, became the first operator to lead a total eclipse voyage to Antarctica in 2003. For the 2026 eclipse, passengers will be aboard the 199-guest Ultramarine in the 70-mile-long King Oscar Fjord in Greenland. There will also be two eclipse experts on hand: David Baron, a science journalist and author of the award-winning book American Eclipse: A Nation’s Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World, and Michael Zeiler, a geographer and eclipse cartographer. During the rest of the trip, guests will visit more of northeast Greenland (where there’s the chance to go on a heli-flightseeing tour) and Iceland’s Westfjords.
Windstar’s week-long circumnavigation of Iceland
Book now: Prices are available upon request for this Around Iceland: A Total Solar Eclipse cruise August 10–17, 2026
Luxury small-ship line Windstar is focusing on the land of fire and ice for its 2026 eclipse sailing, which will begin and end in the capital of Reykjavík. After that it’s off to Grundarfjordur to visit the glaciers, lava fields, waterfalls, and basalt cliffs of Snæfellsjokull National Park. Passengers will also visit the small town of Isafjordur and the port city Akureyri, where there will be opportunities to ride Icelandic horses and soak in natural thermal baths. Before returning to Reykjavík, one last stop will bring guests to the islands of Surtsey Island, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and Heimaey, known for its volcanic activity. On the day of the solar eclipse, Windstar’s 312-passenger, all-suite Star Pride will navigate into a position with optimal viewing near Isafjordur.