Europe · Western Europe · Sovereign state
Current time in France
A single time zone at UTC+02:00. Currently observing daylight saving time.
Sunday, May 31, 2026
About France's time
A single time zone.
France actually spans multiple time zones thanks to its overseas territories—12 in total—but mainland France operates on a single zone: Europe/Paris, which switches between CET in winter and CEST in summer.
Next clock change
2026 Sunday · clocks fall back
Clocks fall back by one hour · in 5 months.
Daylight saving schedule
Major cities
Cities of France.
Territories & dependencies
The Republic, around the world.
History
How France keeps time.
France adopted standardized time on 11 March 1891 on a railway standard based on the Paris Observatory, which was close to GMT+0:09:21. In 1911, France officially aligned all clocks to GMT+0:09:21 (the mean solar time of the Paris meridian), though for practical purposes this was often rounded to GMT+0:00.
During World War II, in 1940, Germany occupied northern France and imposed German summer time (GMT+2). Vichy France followed suit. After liberation in 1944–45, France initially reverted to GMT+0 but then permanently adopted GMT+1 in November 1945, maintaining the wartime time permanently rather than switching back to GMT+0 as originally intended.
France began observing daylight saving time in 1976 during the oil crisis, aligning with European synchronized DST. Despite being at a longitude more naturally suited to GMT+0 (similar to the UK), France has remained on Central European Time (GMT+1 / GMT+2 in summer) ever since.
As of 2024, EU harmonization of DST is under review, but France continues to observe seasonal clock changes with summer and winter time.
Did you know?
Things about France's time.
GEOGRAPHIC ANOMALY: From a geographical standpoint, France should be on the same time as the UK (UTC+0), since most of the country lies west of the prime meridian's 7.5°E meridian that defines CET. Yet since 1945, France has stayed on Central European Time (UTC+1 standard, UTC+2 summer), making it one of the most misaligned countries by solar time. Solar noon in Paris regularly occurs well after 1 PM local time.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about France's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- Does France observe daylight saving time?
- Yes. Metropolitan France switches between CET (UTC+1) in winter and CEST (UTC+2) in summer, following the EU daylight saving schedule.
- Why is France on Central European Time when it's geographically in Western Europe?
- During the German occupation in WWII, clocks were set forward to Berlin time (CET/CEST) and never switched back after liberation. This became permanent in 1945.
- Are all French territories on the same time?
- No. France’s overseas territories span multiple time zones—including UTC-3 (French Guiana), UTC+4 (Réunion), UTC-4 (Martinique), and UTC-3 (Saint Pierre and Miquelon), among others.
- Do clocks change on the same date across all French territories?
- Metropolitan France follows European DST rules, but overseas territories do not observe daylight saving and stay on their standard time year-round.
- What is the time difference between Paris and London during summer?
- In summer, Paris is UTC+2 (CEST) while London is UTC+1 (BST), so Paris is typically one hour ahead of London, despite being geographically only 340 km to the southeast.
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