Central European Time (CET)

What is Central European Time?

Central European Time (CET) is a standard time zone used in many European countries during the winter months. It is UTC+1, meaning it is one hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

During the summer, most CET regions switch to Central European Summer Time (CEST), which is UTC+2, as part of Daylight Saving Time (DST).

Current CET Time

Countries Using CET

Many European countries observe CET in the winter and CEST in the summer. Notable examples include:

• Germany
• France
• Italy
• Spain (mainland)
• Poland
• Austria
• Belgium
• Netherlands
• Switzerland
• Sweden
• Norway
• Denmark

Daylight Saving Time (DST)

DST in Europe typically begins on the last Sunday in March (clocks move forward 1 hour to CEST) and ends on the last Sunday in October (clocks fall back 1 hour to CET).

This system helps make better use of daylight during longer days in summer.

CET vs Other Time Zones

Compared to other major time zones:

• UTC: CET is UTC+1 (UTC+2 during CEST)
• Eastern Standard Time (EST): CET is 6 hours ahead (5 during CEST)
• Pacific Standard Time (PST): CET is 9 hours ahead (8 during CEST)
• Japan Standard Time (JST): CET is 8 hours behind (7 during CEST)