The last Sunday of March 2026 is the 29th. At 02:00 that morning, Central European Time (CET, UTC+1) jumps to Central European Summer Time (CEST, UTC+2). The zone falls back on Sunday 25 October 2026 at 03:00, regaining the hour it lost in spring. Those two dates lock in the EU’s clock-change rule, unchanged since 2001.
Here are the transitions for the next five years, how they work, and what they shift in daily life.
When do clocks go forward in Central Europe?
The EU begins daylight saving on the last Sunday of March at 01:00 UTC. In the CET zone that means 02:00 CET becomes 03:00 CEST.
| Year | Date | Local time change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday 29 March | 02:00 CET → 03:00 CEST |
| 2027 | Sunday 28 March | 02:00 CET → 03:00 CEST |
| 2028 | Sunday 26 March | 02:00 CET → 03:00 CEST |
| 2029 | Sunday 25 March | 02:00 CET → 03:00 CEST |
| 2030 | Sunday 31 March | 02:00 CET → 03:00 CEST |
When do clocks go back in Central Europe?
Summer time ends on the last Sunday of October at 01:00 UTC. In the CEST zone that is 03:00 CEST, falling back to 02:00 CET.
| Year | Date | Local time change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday 25 October | 03:00 CEST → 02:00 CET |
| 2027 | Sunday 31 October | 03:00 CEST → 02:00 CET |
| 2028 | Sunday 29 October | 03:00 CEST → 02:00 CET |
| 2029 | Sunday 28 October | 03:00 CEST → 02:00 CET |
| 2030 | Sunday 27 October | 03:00 CEST → 02:00 CET |
What happens to the clocks in March and October?
In March the day shrinks to 23 hours. In October it stretches to 25.
The switch fires at the same absolute moment across the EU: 01:00 UTC. Local times differ by zone. Central Europe changes at 02:00 and 03:00 local. London moves at 01:00 and 02:00 GMT. Helsinki at 03:00 and 04:00 EET. Paris, Berlin, Rome and Warsaw all flip at once.
CET to CEST: the March transition
From late March to late October the zone runs on CEST (UTC+2). The jump happens overnight Saturday to Sunday, designed to spare markets, schools and offices. The cost is real. Studies in Germany, Sweden and Finland report a measurable rise in traffic accidents the Monday after the spring switch, pinned to the lost hour of sleep.
Night trains handle the gap by design. In spring they skip an hour: depart on time in the old offset, arrive an hour later in local time. In autumn they hold for one hour at the transition point. Cross-border timetables (Eurostar, Thalys, TGV, ICE) are built around this.
CEST to CET: the October transition
The extra hour makes Sunday morning 25 hours long. European train schedules and broadcasters treat the 02:00 to 03:00 window as repeatable.
For most people the autumn change is easier. You gain an hour of sleep. The trade-off: darkness arrives an hour earlier in the evening, and the Monday commute happens in less daylight than the week before.
How do clock changes affect daily routines in the CET zone?
The CET zone covers Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium and the Czech Republic. DST moves the clock one hour relative to solar time for all of them.
- Work hours: Offices run 09:00 to 17:00 or 09:00 to 18:00. Germany, Austria and Switzerland start earlier (08:00 common) and end 16:30 to 17:00.
- Banks: Open 08:30 to 09:00, close 16:00 to 17:00, Monday to Friday. Smaller branches in Spain and Italy may close for lunch.
- Shops: Typically 09:00 to 18:00 weekdays, with late-night shopping Thursday or Friday in many cities. Poland and the Czech Republic open shopping centres 09:00 to 21:00 daily; Poland has Sunday trading bans with exceptions.
- Schools: Often end 12:00 to 14:00 (half-day) or 15:00 to 16:00 (full day). Germany’s half-day tradition means many children are home by 13:00.
- Public transport: Urban networks run 05:00 to 01:00, with reduced night service. Timetables change twice a year.
- TV primetime: 20:00 to 22:30 CET/CEST. Champions League football kicks off at 21:00. Eurovision broadcasts live at 21:00 CEST.
Long summer evenings are the main gain. In Berlin on the June solstice, the sun sets at 21:32 CEST. In Madrid, solar noon in summer sits around 14:15 because Spain runs on CET despite lying west of Greenwich. That misalignment pushes dinner past 21:00.
Algeria and Tunisia: CET without DST
Algeria and Tunisia use CET (UTC+1) as their standard time and do not observe daylight saving. They stay on UTC+1 year-round.
From late October to late March they match Paris, Berlin and Rome. From late March to late October they are one hour behind the EU’s CET zone, because Europe is on CEST (UTC+2). When it is 15:00 in Berlin in July, it is 14:00 in Algiers and Tunis. The divergence trips up travellers and scheduling software every summer.
The rules come from EU Directive 2000/84/EC for member states. Non-EU countries in the zone set their own policies. Libya, once on CET, now uses Eastern European Time (UTC+2) and stays there year-round.
US and EU: different clock-change dates
The US starts DST on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. The EU starts on the last Sunday in March and ends on the last Sunday in October.
Gap periods:
- Mid-March to late March: The US is already on daylight time, Europe is not. New York (EDT, UTC−4) is 5 hours behind London and 6 hours behind Berlin, one hour less than the usual difference.
- Late October to early November: Europe has fallen back to standard time, the US has not. The difference widens by one hour.
Check the exact dates each year. They do not move in sync.
Is the EU abolishing DST?
Not yet. The European Commission proposed ending seasonal clock changes in 2018 after a public consultation drew 4.6 million responses, with 84% in favour of abolition. The European Parliament voted in 2019 to end DST by 2021. The Council of the EU has not agreed a position. The proposal is stalled.
If it passes, each member state would choose permanent standard time or permanent summer time. No decision has been made, and no implementation date exists. The last Sunday of March and the last Sunday of October remain fixed in European law.