Current Time in Paris
The clock below gives the time in Paris to the second and labels it CET or CEST, so you can see at once whether France is on winter or summer time.
Current time in Paris
- IANA zone
- Current time in Paris
What time zone is Paris in?
Paris uses Central European Time: CET, UTC+1, in winter and CEST, UTC+2, in summer. The switch follows the EU summer-time rule, so it happens on the same night as in Berlin, Madrid or Rome.
- Winter
- CET · UTC+1
- Summer
- CEST · UTC+2
- IANA zone
- Europe/Paris
The Paris time zone and its clock changes
- IANA zone
- Europe/Paris
- Standard time
- CET · UTC+1
- Daylight saving time
- CEST · UTC+2
- Clocks go forward
- Sun, March 29, 2026 at 2:00 AM local time
- Clocks go back
- Sun, October 25, 2026 at 3:00 AM local time
- Clocks go forward
- Sun, March 28, 2027 at 2:00 AM local time
- Clocks go back
- Sun, October 31, 2027 at 3:00 AM local time
Summer time in France runs from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. The change is fixed in UTC, at 1:00 AM UTC, which is why every country on Central European Time moves its clocks in the same instant: at 2:00 AM local time in spring and at 3:00 AM local time in autumn.
The rule comes from EU Directive 2000/84/EC. The European Parliament voted in 2019 to stop the seasonal change, but member states never agreed on a common plan, so France still switches twice a year.
How far Paris is from other cities
| City | In January | In July |
|---|---|---|
| Honolulu | −11 | −12 |
| Anchorage | −10 | −10 |
| Seattle | −9 | −9 |
| Denver | −8 | −8 |
| Vancouver | −8 | −9 |
| Houston | −7 | −7 |
| Lima | −6 | −7 |
| Toronto | −6 | −6 |
| Washington, D.C. | −6 | −6 |
| Buenos Aires | −4 | −5 |
| São Paulo | −4 | −5 |
| London | −1 | −1 |
| Amsterdam | 0 | 0 |
| Berlin | 0 | 0 |
| Madrid | 0 | 0 |
| Zurich | 0 | 0 |
| Athens | +1 | +1 |
| Cairo | +1 | +1 |
| Johannesburg | +1 | 0 |
| Doha | +2 | +1 |
| Nairobi | +2 | +1 |
| Riyadh | +2 | +1 |
| Dubai | +3 | +2 |
| Delhi | +4:30 | +3:30 |
| Dhaka | +5 | +4 |
| Ho Chi Minh City | +6 | +5 |
| Kuala Lumpur | +7 | +6 |
| Manila | +7 | +6 |
| Perth | +7 | +6 |
| Shanghai | +7 | +6 |
| Taipei | +7 | +6 |
| Seoul | +8 | +7 |
| Brisbane | +9 | +8 |
| Melbourne | +10 | +8 |
| Sydney | +10 | +8 |
Hours to add to the time in Paris; a minus sign means the other city is behind
Within the EU the gap to Paris never moves, since everyone changes together: Berlin and Madrid stay level with Paris, Athens stays one hour ahead and London one hour behind. Outside Europe the numbers shift. Delhi is four and a half hours ahead in winter but only three and a half in summer, because India keeps one offset all year.
For meetings with the United States, the CET to EST converter shows the hour-by-hour match, including the short weeks when the gap drops from six to five hours.
Why France keeps Central European Time
Geographically Paris lies only about two degrees east of Greenwich, so by the sun it would belong with London. France used Paris Mean Time until 1911 and then GMT, and moved to Central European Time during the Second World War. It has stayed there since, which is why summer sunsets in Paris come late, often after 9:30 PM in June.
Paris time questions
Is Paris on CET or CEST right now?
Look at the label on the clock. Paris keeps CET (UTC+1) from late October to late March and CEST (UTC+2) for the rest of the year.
When do the clocks change in France?
On the last Sunday in March clocks move from 2:00 to 3:00 AM, and on the last Sunday in October they move from 3:00 back to 2:00 AM. The whole European Union changes in the same hour.
How many hours ahead of New York is Paris?
Six hours for most of the year. For about three weeks in March and one week around the start of November the gap is five hours, because the US changes its clocks on different Sundays.
Do French overseas territories use Paris time?
No. Places such as Guadeloupe, Réunion and French Polynesia sit in their own time zones; only metropolitan France and Corsica follow the Paris clock.
Is Paris time the same as London time?
No. Paris is one hour ahead of London all year, because both switch to summer time at the same moment.