An annular solar eclipse is set be visible next month across a large swath of the U.S., appearing as a ring of fire in the sky as the Earth, moon and sun come into direct alignment.
Occurring on October 14, the path of its totality will cross portions of North, Central and South America. In the U.S. specifically, areas of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, and Utah will be able to witness the spectacle.
While millions of people turn their attention skyward to watch the eclipse, plenty of avid amateur astronomers will travel to prime U.S. locations from which to view the celestial event.
Autumn 2023’s solar eclipse is especially exciting because this is the last annular solar eclipse that will be visible from the U.S. until June 2039 and, at that future date, Alaska will be the only state in its path.
A rundown of Priceline data obtained by Travel + Leisure has revealed the most inexpensive places to stay during the weekend of October 13-16, 2023, by compiling the average hotel, flight, and rental car costs for cities that are directly in the eclipse’s path.
The proprietary data Priceline referenced for its analysis was taken from the September 1 – 13 booking period, so the average pricing outlined below may not be exact by this time next month, but it does give a good idea of what travelers can expect.
These three cities are situated directly in the eclipse’s path and offer excellent value for travelers:
Eugene, Oregon
- Eclipse begins at 8:06 a.m., peaks at 9:18 a.m., and ends at 10:39 a.m. PDT.
- Flight: $375
- Hotel: $161 per night
- Rental car: $75 per day
Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Eclipse begins at 9:13 a.m., peaks at 10:35 a.m., and ends at 12:09 p.m. MDT.
- Flight: $381
- Hotel: $196 per night
- Rental car: $87 per day
San Antonio, Texas
- Eclipse begins at 10:23 a.m., peaks at 11:54 a.m., and ends at 1:33 p.m. CDT.
- Flight: $318
- Hotel: $146 per night
- Rental car: $68 per day
Other affordable U.S. destinations where the upcoming solar eclipse will be readily visible include:
Portland, Oregon
- Flight: $278
- Hotel: $157 per night
- Rental car: $66 per day
San Francisco, California
- Flight: $303
- Hotel: $207 per night
- Rental car: $69 per day
Las Vegas, Nevada
- Flight: $215
- Hotel: $188 per night
- Rental car: $69 per day
Salt Lake City, Utah
- Flight: $320
- Hotel: $147 per night
- Rental car: $71 per day
Denver, Colorado
- Flight: $258
- Hotel: $174 per night
- Rental car: $77 per day
Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Flight: $685
- Hotel: $246 per night
- Rental car: $57 per day
Austin, Texas
- Flight: $326
- Hotel: $211 per night
- Rental car: $69 per day
Houston, Texas
- Flight: $233
- Hotel: $126 per night
- Rental car: $67 per day
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