Revealed: These are officially UK's best star-gazing destinations for Autumn 2026

Two UK stargazing destinations have beaten famous European locations to rank among the continent’s best places for a holiday under the stars – proving holidaymakers don’t need to travel abroad for spectacular night skies.

New research has ranked Tomintoul & Glenlivet Dark Sky Discovery Site in Scotland and Elan Valley Dark Sky Park in Wales among Europe’s top 10 destinations for stargazing, while a further five UK locations also feature in the top 30.

Avanti Travel Insurance analysed 30 leading stargazing destinations across Europe, scoring them for light pollution, annual sunshine hours, altitude and visitor infrastructure.

While Spain’s Reserva Starlight La Palma claimed the overall top spot with a score of 9.14 out of 10, UK destinations put in a strong showing, with seven locations featuring in the ranking.

UK dark-sky parks beat celebrated European destinations

The UK winners:

Tomintoul and Glenlivet, Scotland: Scotland’s highest-ranked destination took fifth place overall, scoring 6.79 out of 10.
Elan Valley, Wales: Wales’ highest-ranked destination came sixth, scoring 6.77.
Galloway Forest, Scotland: Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park ranked 11th, with a score of 6.54.
Yorkshire Dales, England: Yorkshire Dales Dark Sky Reserve ranked 15th, scoring 6.33.
Northumberland, England: Northumberland International Dark Sky Park came 17th, with a score of 6.10.
Eryri, Wales: Eryri International Dark Sky Reserve ranked 23rd, scoring 5.84.
Bannau Brycheiniog, Wales: Bannau Brycheiniog Dark Sky Reserve completed the UK entries in 26th place, with a score of 5.26.

The results are great news for Brits looking for memorable travel experiences closer to home, showing that some of Europe’s most impressive night skies can be found without the need for flights, foreign hotels or long-haul travel.

Perfect timing for a UK stargazing staycation

For travellers looking to swap city lights for starlight, the UK’s dark-sky destinations offer the chance to combine stargazing with a classic countryside break.

A day might be spent hiking through mountain landscapes, exploring villages or enjoying local food, before nightfall shifts the focus upwards.

Unlike many of Europe’s celebrated sights, stargazing doesn’t come with queues, entrance tickets or closing times. The attraction simply appears once the sun has gone down.

Avanti’s travel expert Sarah Rodrigues says: “Astrotourism is becoming more appealing as travellers look for experiences that encourage them to slow down and connect with a destination in a different way. You don’t necessarily need to travel to a remote corner of the world to do that – some of the best night skies are much closer to home. For anyone planning a trip, it’s also worth checking the moon phase and weather forecast before travelling, as darker, clearer nights can make a huge difference to what you’re able to see.

“Whether you’re heading to the Canary Islands to stargaze from an observatory or travelling to a dark sky park in rural Wales, astrotourism can take you to some beautiful but remote locations.”

What makes the UK so special for stargazing?

The appearance of seven UK destinations among Europe’s top 30 shows that its rural landscapes can compete with some of the continent’s most celebrated night-sky locations.

From the Scottish Highlands and forests of Galloway to the Yorkshire Dales, and the mountains of Wales, travellers have plenty of opportunities to escape artificial light and experience the night sky. The dark skies provide an opportunity to see far more than is possible from brightly lit towns and cities, including constellations, bright planets, the Milky Way and shooting stars.

For visitors, the experience also offers a completely different way to explore some of UK’s best-known rural destinations.

Europe’s best places to look up

Topping the list is Reserva Starlight La Palma in Spain, which scored 9.14 out of 10.

Recognised as the world’s first Starlight Reserve, La Palma was also one of the first destinations to introduce a “Sky Law”, designed to protect the quality of the night sky for astrophysical observation. With exceptionally clear skies and the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory offering a renowned vantage point for stargazing, La Palma claimed the top spot.

Rounding out the top three are Réserve Internationale Pic du Midi and the Alpes Azur Mercantour Dark Sky Reserve, both in France.

Further down the ranking, destinations in Switzerland, Norway, the Netherlands, Croatia, Poland and Luxembourg all feature, meaning that wherever your European travel plans take you, there could be an opportunity to swap city lights for starlight.

Zoltan Trenovszki, an astronomy enthusiast and managing director at 365 Astronomy, comments:

“La Palma is a particularly special destination for stargazing because of its exceptionally dark skies, as well as the island’s high-altitude locations. For those who wish to stargaze, staying far away from artificial light is one of the most important things you can do, as light pollution can wash out fainter stars and planets that would otherwise be visible to the naked eye.

“A location can be beautiful, but if there is significant artificial light, you will see much less of the night sky. So, choosing a recognised dark-sky location can make a huge difference to what you’re able to observe.”

Zoltan’s top tips for stargazing:

Visit a place with little artificial light, like a park or a reserve.
Let your eyes adjust to the darkness. It can actually take 20-30 minutes for your night vision to become properly established. Try not to look at your phone screen or a torch during this time.
If you need to use a light, it’s better to try a dim red light, as this is much less disruptive to your dark adaptation.
Check the weather and the moon phase before heading out. Clear skies are essential, but a bright moon can make stars look a lot fainter.
You don’t need expensive equipment to get started. Your eyes can reveal an incredible amount under genuinely dark skies, including constellations, bright planets, the Milky Way, and shooting stars.
Binoculars are also a good first step, because they’re easy to use, and can allow you to see that extra fine detail.
Try using averted vision when looking for faint stars - instead of staring directly at them, look slightly to one side.
The more light-sensitive parts of your retina sit away from the centre of your vision, so this can make faint stars suddenly appear more clearly.”