CEST time now |
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13:54:47 Thu, 26 Jun 2025
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| UTC Offset: UTC +2 |
Central European Summer Time (CEST) operates at UTC+2 and is the daylight saving time observed across much of Central, Western, and parts of Southern Europe. It is also known as Central European Daylight Time or simply European Summer Time. CEST is the summer counterpart to CET (Central European Time, UTC+1) and typically begins in late March and ends in late October, with clocks set forward by one hour to extend evening daylight.
Importance and Global Use of CEST
CEST helps optimize the use of daylight during the summer months by shifting active hours to coincide with extended daylight. This adjustment contributes to energy savings, supports tourism, outdoor activities, and evening economic operations, and can enhance public safety by reducing traffic accidents during well-lit hours.
CEST is widely adopted throughout the European Union and neighboring regions, ensuring synchronized timekeeping across national borders. Its consistent application is essential for cross-border communication, transport and logistics, financial markets, digital services, and media broadcasting. As a harmonized time zone, CEST plays a critical role in unifying the operational schedule of institutions and businesses throughout much of the European continent during the summer period.
Where and When CEST is used worldwide
Europe
European countries and territories using CEST during summer and CET during winter
- Albania
- Andorra
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark (Mainland)
- France
- Germany
- Gibraltar
- Hungary
- Italy
- Kosovo
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Netherlands
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Poland
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain (Mainland and Ceuta)
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Vatican City State
Antarctica
Locations in Antarctica using CEST during winter and GMT during summer
- Troll Station
Other Time Zones in UTC +2
Other time zones share the same offset as Central European Summer Time (CEST), but are known by different names. While their clocks align, they may represent different regions or countries based on local time zone definitions.
- Central Africa Time – CAT
- Eastern European Time – EET
- Israel Standard Time – IST
- South Africa Standard Time – SAST