Spain deployed a massive police contingent and set up special viewing spots across rural areas that offered the best views of the spectacle on Wednesday.
Viewers in Buitrago de Lozoya, a rural district north of Madrid, clapped and cheered as the sky dimmed and Baily's beads - bright points of sunlight that shine around the edge of the moon during a total eclipse - glistened on the horizon just after 8.30pm (4.30am on Thursday AEST), lasting barely a minute.
Spain's turn with the eclipse followed shortly after a less-remarkable spectacle over much of overcast Iceland, although a break in the clouds in the far west of the Nordic country allowed holidaymakers and locals a glimpse of the celestial phenomenon.
The eclipse was hidden behind clouds in central Reykjavik, although the darkness of the totality was still evident.
Millions of people gathered in Iceland and northern Spain to witness western Europe's first total solar eclipse in 27 years.
In Spain, authorities were expecting up to six million visitors in mostly rural areas under the eclipse's path across the north of Spain and the Balearic Islands.
The Iberian Peninsula last witnessed a total solar eclipse in 1912, but another is due on August 2, 2027, and an annular eclipse will follow in January 2028, completing the so-called "Iberian Eclipse Trio".
The uncanny sensation when day briefly turns to twilight and some animals fall quiet, while the moon passes directly between Earth and the sun, has often been seen through history as an omen of cosmic struggle or a sign of divine power.
For Spain, the event has been a chance to showcase its less-travelled regions and draw tourists from its overcrowded beach resorts.
It also rolled out a large-scale police operation and public safety campaign to make sure the crowds did not set off wildfires.
The authorities dispatched 25,000 police officers to guarantee security around the eclipse observation sites and deployed nearly 100 planes and helicopters.
In Iceland's capital, clouds did not prevent hundreds of people gathering in bright raincoats in front of the landmark Hallgrimskirkja church as the skies darkened.
Glasses that allow spectators to view the phenomenon without damaging their eyes had been sold out for days, as the country of roughly 400,000 people welcomed up to 80,000 visitors.
Totality reached Iceland's westernmost coast about 5.44pm, casting the far west of the island nation into total darkness for up to two minutes and 13 seconds.
with AP
