Time in Paris
Paris uses Central European Time, UTC+1 in winter, and Central European Summer Time, UTC+2, from the last Sunday of March to the last Sunday of October. The clock shows the exact local time with today's sun times and a conversion table.
- Time zone
- —
- Abbreviation
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- UTC offset
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- Daylight saving
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- Compared with your clock
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- IANA time zone:
- Europe/Paris
- Country:
- France
- Coordinates:
- 48.86° N, 2.35° E
- Clock changes in 2026:
- forward on March 29, 2026 · back on October 25, 2026 (UTC+1 / UTC+2)
From Paris Mean Time to German time
France adopted Paris Mean Time as its legal time in 1891, measured at the Paris Observatory. In 1911 it switched to Greenwich time, worded in the law as Paris Mean Time slowed by 9 minutes 21 seconds so that the meridian of Paris did not have to be named second. The country moved to Central European Time only in June 1940, when the German occupation imposed Berlin's clock on the occupied zone. After liberation France never went back.
Daylight saving returned in 1976, after the oil crisis, and has followed the common European calendar since the 1990s. In 2026 the clocks changed on March 29 and October 25.
When to call Paris
Hours that fall inside 9:00–17:00 both in Paris and in the other city, using today's offsets.
Daylight in Paris
Monday, October 19, 2026, local time
- Sunrise
- 8:16 AM
- Sunset
- 6:53 PM
- Day length
- 10 h 36 min
- Solar noon
- 1:35 PM
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, Oct 19 | 8:16 AM | 6:53 PM | 10 h 36 min |
| Tue, Oct 20 | 8:18 AM | 6:51 PM | 10 h 33 min−3′ |
| Wed, Oct 21 | 8:19 AM | 6:49 PM | 10 h 30 min−3′ |
| Thu, Oct 22 | 8:21 AM | 6:47 PM | 10 h 26 min−4′ |
| Fri, Oct 23 | 8:23 AM | 6:45 PM | 10 h 23 min−3′ |
| Sat, Oct 24 | 8:24 AM | 6:44 PM | 10 h 19 min−4′ |
| Sun, Oct 25 | 7:26 AM | 5:42 PM | 10 h 16 min−3′ |
Approximate times (usually within two minutes), calculated from the city's coordinates with the NOAA solar equations. Hills, tall buildings and unusual air refraction can shift what you see.
Why Paris evenings are so long
Paris lies at 2.35° east, close to the Greenwich meridian, but keeps a clock set for 15° east and adds a further hour in summer. As a result solar noon falls around 1:50 PM in July, and at the June solstice the sun sets near 10:00 PM after rising at about 5:45 AM, a day of more than 16 hours. In late December the sun rises around 8:40 AM and sets near 4:55 PM, roughly 8 hours 15 minutes of daylight.
Working hours and calls abroad
Offices typically open from 9:00 to 18:00 with a proper lunch break, and Euronext Paris trades from 9:00 to 17:30. New York is six hours behind for most of the year, so a 3:00 PM meeting in Paris is 9:00 AM in Manhattan and 17:30 in Paris is 11:30 AM there. London is always one hour behind, since both change clocks at the same instant. The CET to EST table shows the hourly overlap, including the spring and autumn weeks when the gap is five hours.
Nearby cities and their time
| Nearby cities | Distance | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| London United Kingdom | 340 km | −1 h |
| Amsterdam Netherlands | 430 km | same time |
| Zurich Switzerland | 490 km | same time |
| Dublin Ireland | 780 km | −1 h |
| Berlin Germany | 880 km | same time |
| Madrid Spain | 1,050 km | same time |
Frequently asked questions
- Why is Paris one hour ahead of London?
- France switched from Greenwich time to Central European Time under the German occupation in 1940 and kept it. Geographically Paris is barely east of Greenwich.
- What time is 9 AM in New York in Paris?
- 3:00 PM in Paris for most of the year, and 2:00 PM during the short periods in March and late October when Europe and the US are out of step.
- When does Paris switch to summer time?
- At 2:00 AM on the last Sunday of March clocks jump to 3:00 AM, and they fall back at 3:00 AM on the last Sunday of October. In 2027 the dates are March 28 and October 31.
- Do overseas French territories follow Paris time?
- No. Martinique, Réunion, French Polynesia and the other overseas regions keep their own local zones, and most of them do not use daylight saving.