Where to see the stars in Spain

The places, with their coordinates. And the part almost nobody tells you: what you're allowed to do there once night falls.

Searching for “where to see the stars” and searching for “can I camp here” is the same question asked twice. Anyone who wants a dark sky is thinking of going out at night, far away, and probably of staying. Here are both answers together.

A lone person on a hilltop, seen from behind, watching the Milky Way rise over the mountains
This is how the Milky Way looks from a place with no streetlights nearby. The whole list below is about finding one.

Overnighting and camping are not the same

It's the distinction that decides whether you get a fine, and it's constantly muddled.

Pernoctar is sleeping inside the vehicle without putting anything outside: no awning, no table, no chairs, no stabilising legs. If the car is parked where parking is allowed and takes up no more space than any other car, it counts as parking, not camping.

Acampar is putting anything up outside. A tent, an awning, a chair. That's forbidden outside authorised campsites, and it's forbidden siempre inside a protected natural area — which is exactly where almost all the good places on this list are.

The actual rule is set by each autonomous community and each town council, and inside a nature park the park decides. This is the general rule, not a permit: before sleeping out, check the bylaws of the place you're going to.

What “dark sky” means

It's measured on the Bortle scale, from 1 to 9. In a big city you're at 8 or 9: you can see the Moon, the planets and a handful of stars. The Milky Way starts to appear at 4 and really shows at 3 or below.

The orange glow of a city seen from a dark hilltop, the sky above it almost without stars
A city's glow seen from a hill kilometres away. That light is what erases the Milky Way: you don't have to be inside the city to lose it.

Of the 81 sites on this list, 30 have the measurement published. The rest don't carry it on purpose: nobody has measured there, and an invented number is worse than a gap.

The places, with their coordinates

Each one links to its exact point on the map. None is placed by eye: they come from public documents linked at the end.

Córdoba (30)

Segovia (5)

Castellón (4)

Almería (3)

Granada (3)

Ourense (3)

Pontevedra (3)

Santa Cruz de Tenerife (3)

Sevilla (3)

Ávila (2)

Cuenca (2)

Huelva (2)

Jaén (2)

Teruel (2)

Valencia (2)

Badajoz (1)

Cáceres (1)

Gerona (1)

Guadalajara (1)

La Coruña (1)

Las Palmas (1)

Lérida (1)

Lugo (1)

Navarra (1)

Región de Murcia (1)

Salamanca (1)

Tarragona (1)

Spain's 22 Starlight Reserves

A Starlight Reserve isn't a spot: it's a whole district whose sky quality is certified by the Starlight Foundation, endorsed by UNESCO and the International Astronomical Union. Spain has more than any other country.

Choosing the night matters as much as choosing the place

A Bortle 3 sky under a full moon looks worse than a Bortle 5 under a new moon. The Moon is by far the biggest source of light in the night sky, and its phase changes every day.

What to look at isn't the phase, but how many hours of full darkness there are without the Moon: from when the Sun drops 18 degrees below the horizon until it starts to get light, minus the time the Moon is up. That number changes every night and at every place, and the app works it out for wherever you choose.

Where these data come from

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Preguntas

Can you camp freely in Spain?
En general no. Acampar —desplegar una tienda o cualquier elemento fuera del vehículo— está prohibido fuera de los campings autorizados, y siempre dentro de espacios naturales protegidos. Dormir dentro del coche sin sacar nada fuera, bien aparcado, es otra cosa: es pernoctar, y no se trata igual. Aun así cada comunidad y cada ayuntamiento tienen su norma.
What is a Starlight Reserve?
A certification from the Starlight Foundation, endorsed by UNESCO and the International Astronomical Union, attesting to the quality of a territory's night sky and its commitment to protecting it from light pollution. Spain has 22, more than any other country.
What is the Bortle scale?
A scale from 1 to 9 measuring how much artificial light dirties the sky. 1 is a perfect sky and 9 the middle of a city. The Milky Way starts to show at 4 and is seen in detail at 3 or below. In a Spanish capital you'll be at 8 or 9.
Which is the best night to see the Milky Way?
One without the Moon. The phase matters more than the place: an excellent sky under a full moon performs worse than a middling one under a new moon. What to check is how many hours of full darkness remain with the Moon below the horizon, which changes every day.
Do you need a telescope?
Not for the best of it. The Milky Way, meteor showers, zodiacal light and the constellations are all visible to the naked eye, and in fact look better that way: the eye takes in a huge field that no telescope covers. What you need is darkness and half an hour for your sight to adapt.

Updated on 2026-09-20.

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