The verdict
Ceuta offers long totality, strong sea horizons and a compact base. It is a good choice when the coastal forecast is favorable and when your plan does not depend on crossing the border on eclipse morning.
The eastern horizon
At maximum the Sun is about 38.4 degrees high at an azimuth of 95.3 degrees. North- and east-facing coastal areas can provide clean sightlines, but forts, hills and dense streets make the view highly local. Scout legal public space with enough capacity. A photogenic west-facing overlook may be far less useful than an ordinary open area oriented east.
Weather and alternatives
Ceuta can escape some cloud patterns that affect the higher Rif coast, but it remains exposed to marine air around the Strait. No coastal site is immune to morning low cloud. Compare both sides of the strait and inland Morocco during the final forecast window, while remembering that a border crossing may remove practical flexibility.
Getting there
Ceuta is reached through Spain's transport system or the Moroccan land border. August demand and eclipse crowds can magnify queues. Keep accommodation, vehicle and viewing site on the same side of the border from the previous night. Check local access rules for headlands and military or protected areas rather than assuming an open map point is usable.
Build a fallback
Your safest fallback is another pre-scouted site within Ceuta if cloud is patchy. A move toward Fnideq, M'diq or Tetouan should be made well before eclipse morning, not as a last-minute border gamble. Put both GMT and CEST on the itinerary: totality begins at 08:45:02 UTC, which is 10:45:02 CEST in Ceuta.
35.8894° N, -5.3213° E. Research contact times are approximate, with around 10 seconds uncertainty reported in the original calculation. This location uses CEST, two hours ahead of GMT.
Source and uncertainty notes