Paris Time Difference: CET/CEST vs World Cities
Paris uses Central European Time (CET, UTC+1) in winter and Central European Summer Time (CEST, UTC+2) from late March to late October.
๐ Paris Time Zone Basics
Summer (CEST): UTC+2
DST starts: Last Sunday of March
Same timezone as: Berlin, Rome, Madrid, Amsterdam, Brussels
Paris vs Major World Cities
| City | Winter Diff | Summer Diff | When Paris 12 PM |
|---|---|---|---|
| ๐บ๐ธ New York | -6 hours | -6 hours | 6:00 AM |
| ๐บ๐ธ Los Angeles | -9 hours | -9 hours | 3:00 AM |
| ๐บ๐ธ Chicago | -7 hours | -7 hours | 5:00 AM |
| ๐ฌ๐ง London | -1 hour | -1 hour | 11:00 AM |
| ๐ฉ๐ช Berlin | Same | Same | 12:00 PM |
| ๐ช๐ธ Madrid | Same | Same | 12:00 PM |
| ๐ฎ๐น Rome | Same | Same | 12:00 PM |
| ๐ฆ๐ช Dubai | +3 hours | +2 hours | 3:00 PM |
| ๐ฎ๐ณ Mumbai | +4:30 | +3:30 | 4:30 PM |
| ๐ธ๐ฌ Singapore | +7 hours | +6 hours | 7:00 PM |
| ๐ญ๐ฐ Hong Kong | +7 hours | +6 hours | 7:00 PM |
| ๐ฏ๐ต Tokyo | +8 hours | +7 hours | 8:00 PM |
| ๐ฆ๐บ Sydney | +10 hours | +8 hours* | 10:00 PM |
*Sydney and Paris have opposite DST seasons, affecting the difference.
Cities in the Same Timezone as Paris
These cities share Central European Time with Paris:
- ๐ฉ๐ช Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich (Germany)
- ๐ช๐ธ Madrid, Barcelona (Spain)
- ๐ฎ๐น Rome, Milan (Italy)
- ๐ณ๐ฑ Amsterdam (Netherlands)
- ๐ง๐ช Brussels (Belgium)
- ๐ฆ๐น Vienna (Austria)
- ๐จ๐ญ Zรผrich, Geneva (Switzerland)
- ๐ต๐ฑ Warsaw (Poland)
- ๐จ๐ฟ Prague (Czech Republic)
- ๐ญ๐บ Budapest (Hungary)
- ๐ธ๐ช Stockholm (Sweden)
- ๐ณ๐ด Oslo (Norway)
- ๐ฉ๐ฐ Copenhagen (Denmark)
Daylight Saving Time Impact
Paris switches to summer time (CEST) on the last Sunday of March at 2:00 AM (clocks forward to 3:00 AM), and back to winter time (CET) on the last Sunday of October at 3:00 AM (clocks back to 2:00 AM).
- โข Spring forward: Sunday, March 30, 2025 (2 AM โ 3 AM)
- โข Fall back: Sunday, October 26, 2025 (3 AM โ 2 AM)
DST Complications
During DST transitions, the time difference with some cities changes:
- US cities: Different DST dates (March 9 / Nov 2 in 2025) create 3-week periods where the difference is off by 1 hour
- Australia/NZ: Southern hemisphere DST is opposite, creating complex variations
- Asia (no DST): Difference changes by 1 hour when Paris switches
Common Time Comparisons
When it's 9:00 AM in Paris (Winter CET):
When it's 6:00 PM in Paris (Winter CET):
*Next day
Business Overlap Windows
Paris โ New York
With a 6-hour difference, the main overlap is 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM Paris =9:00 AM - 12:00 PM New York. This is the prime window for transatlantic calls.
Paris โ Asia
Morning in Paris overlaps with end-of-day Asia. 9:00 AM Paris =4:00 PM Singapore / 5:00 PM Tokyo. This gives about 1-2 hours of overlap.
Paris โ London
Just 1 hour difference makes collaboration easy. Full business day overlap from 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (either city's time).
Fun Time Facts
- Paris was actually on GMT until 1940 when Germany imposed CET during occupation
- France is geographically aligned with UK/Portugal but uses CET
- Spain also uses CET despite being further west than UK
- The EU has debated abolishing DST, but no decision yet
- France's overseas territories span 12 different time zones
๐ฑ Quick Reference
Paris timezone: CET (UTC+1) winter / CEST (UTC+2) summer
NYC difference: Always 6 hours behind Paris
London difference: Always 1 hour behind Paris
Tokyo difference: 8 hours ahead (winter) / 7 hours ahead (summer)