Experience spring at ESO's Paranal Observatory: slots now open for free public tours from October through December

Today, September 2, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is opening reservations for daytime public tours for the southern-hemisphere 2026 spring season (October through December) at its Paranal Observatory in Chile. 

ESO will also offer free round-trip transportation to Paranal from the cities of Antofagasta, in a sporadic manner, and Taltal, once a month, thanks to a collaboration with local public institutions. This initiative aims to provide more options and make it easier for anyone interested in astronomy to participate. In addition, the last night tour of the year at Paranal will take place on October 10. We will announce all the details for registration via our Chile Instagram account @eso.chile over the coming weeks. 

This new opening for registrations marks a change in the way ESO operates its public visits programme. Going forward, reservations for each quarter of the year will open during the first week of the month preceding its start. Thus, spots for January, February, and March will open in December; those for April, May, and June in March; those for July, August, and September in June; and those for October, November, and December in September. 

ESO has been offering a regular public visit programme to its sites since 1996, attracting more than 7,000 people a year. These changes are being implemented to continue expanding and improving the visitor experience at ESO’s observatories. 

During the visit, participants have the opportunity to explore the Paranal Observatory, one of the world’s most important observatories, located in the heart of the Chilean Atacama Desert. As part of the tour, visitors can walk across the Very Large Telescope (VLT) platform and get an inside look at some of its individual telescopes. They also have the opportunity to visit other scientific and support facilities at Paranal, and the Residence, a place of rest for staff working at the observatory. 

Key information: 

• Guided tours are free, but advance registration is required, as space is limited. Large groups are asked to register as far in advance as possible. 

• You may cancel your reservation on the website until 10:00 a.m. on the Friday before your visit. If you are unable to attend, please cancel your reservation as far in advance as possible so that others may visit the observatory. 

• All visitors to Paranal (or any ESO facility) must read and sign the Consent Form. 

• Visits take place during the day. Accommodations at the Visitors’ Residence are not included. 

• You are not permitted to drive your own vehicle inside the observatory. You must park in the designated area and use the tour bus provided by ESO for the tour. 

• For safety reasons, visitors with pacemakers are not permitted inside the telescopes. This is because the electromagnetic fields generated by the telescope instrumentation can interfere with the device. 

• For safety reasons, children under 4 years of age are not permitted to visit the observatory. 

• Pets are not allowed at the observatory. 

• Minors must be accompanied by an adult, who may be responsible for a maximum of 10 minors. 

• Please note that the tour may be cancelled in the event of adverse weather conditions. If this occurs, you will be notified by phone or email as far in advance as possible. 

Registration for weekend public tours in October, November, and December is available at the following link.