CET to EST
New York is six hours behind Paris, Berlin and Rome for most of the year: 3:00 PM in Frankfurt is 9:00 AM in New York. For about three weeks in March and one week around the end of October the gap is five hours, because Europe and the US change their clocks on different Sundays.
Convert the other way: EST → CET
Europe's afternoon, Wall Street's morning
The two financial centers overlap for only a few hours. Xetra in Frankfurt and Euronext Paris trade until 5:30 PM Central European time, which is 11:30 AM in New York, so the most active transatlantic window runs from the US open at 3:30 PM CET to the European close. European firms with American clients usually book calls between 3:00 and 6:00 PM, which is 9:00 AM–noon on the East Coast.
A nonstop from Frankfurt or Paris to New York takes eight to nine hours. Leave at 10:00 AM in Europe and you land around 12:30 or 1:00 PM in New York, in time for an afternoon meeting on the same day.
The five-hour weeks
The United States moves to daylight time on the second Sunday of March, while the EU waits until the last Sunday of March. For those three weeks, a 3:00 PM call in Berlin falls at 10:00 AM in New York instead of 9:00 AM. In autumn, Europe returns to standard time on the last Sunday of October and the US a week later; in 2026 that week runs from October 25 to November 1.
People keep writing "CET" all year, although in summer Central Europe is actually on CEST (UTC+2) and New York on EDT (UTC−4). The six-hour gap is the same either way. For the New York side of the pair, see EST to CET.
Cities on these zones
CET → EST quick reference
Every hour of the day, using today's offsets (daylight saving is applied automatically).
| CET | EST |
|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | 6:00 PM−1 |
| 1:00 AM | 7:00 PM−1 |
| 2:00 AM | 8:00 PM−1 |
| 3:00 AM | 9:00 PM−1 |
| 4:00 AM | 10:00 PM−1 |
| 5:00 AM | 11:00 PM−1 |
| 6:00 AM | 12:00 AM |
| 7:00 AM | 1:00 AM |
| 8:00 AM | 2:00 AM |
| 9:00 AM | 3:00 AM |
| 10:00 AM | 4:00 AM |
| 11:00 AM | 5:00 AM |
| CET | EST |
|---|---|
| 12:00 PM | 6:00 AM |
| 1:00 PM | 7:00 AM |
| 2:00 PM | 8:00 AM |
| 3:00 PM | 9:00 AM |
| 4:00 PM | 10:00 AM |
| 5:00 PM | 11:00 AM |
| 6:00 PM | 12:00 PM |
| 7:00 PM | 1:00 PM |
| 8:00 PM | 2:00 PM |
| 9:00 PM | 3:00 PM |
| 10:00 PM | 4:00 PM |
| 11:00 PM | 5:00 PM |
- Difference right now
- EST 6 hours behind CET
- Shared office hours
- 12 AM–2 AM CET
- Daylight saving
- Both zones shift their clocks
Clock changes this year
- Mar 29, 2026CET: clocks go forward, UTC+1 → UTC+2
- Oct 25, 2026CET: clocks go back, UTC+2 → UTC+1
- Mar 8, 2026EST: clocks go forward, UTC−5 → UTC−4
- Nov 1, 2026EST: clocks go back, UTC−4 → UTC−5
Other conversions with these zones
Frequently asked questions
- What time is 3 PM in Frankfurt in New York?
- 9:00 AM in New York for most of the year, and 10:00 AM during the weeks when the US is on daylight time and Europe is not.
- When does Wall Street open in Central European time?
- At 3:30 PM CET on most days, or 2:30 PM during the short periods when only the US has changed its clocks.
- How long does a flight from Paris to New York take?
- About eight to eight and a half hours westbound, a little less eastbound.
- What is the latest time in Europe to call a New York office?
- New York closes around 5:00–6:00 PM Eastern, which is 11:00 PM to midnight in Central Europe. Most European teams stop by 6:00 or 7:00 PM their time.
- When is Europe only five hours ahead of New York?
- Between the second and the last Sunday of March, and between the last Sunday of October and the first Sunday of November.