Metropolitan France has been on Central European Summer Time (CEST, UTC+02:00) since 2019, when the European Union proposed harmonizing DST practices across member states. Historically, during WWII, German occupation forced France to align with Berlin time (UTC+01:00), which it kept post-war instead of reverting to GMT+00:00, maintaining alignment with Central Europe. France also observes EU daylight switching rules, changing clocks forward in spring and back in autumn.

Did you know?

Things about France's time.

Fact · 01

France's use of CEST means its prime-time evening activities don’t start until late, with dinner often beginning around 8–9 PM, which aligns well with cultural norms. While geographically France would more naturally fit in the UTC+00:00 zone, political and economic ties with Central Europe have kept it on CET/CEST. Additionally, France's overseas territories span from UTC−10:00 to UTC+12:00, giving it the most time zones of any country, though only the mainland follows Europe/Paris.

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, like most EU countries, Metropolitan France switches to Central European Summer Time (UTC+02:00) in summer and returns to Central European Time (UTC+01:00) in winter, following EU-wide daylight saving rules.
Why is France in the Central European Time Zone?: Though geographically aligned with the UK and Portugal, France adopted Central European Time during WWII under German occupation and never reversed it post-war, maintaining alignment with neighboring countries to the east.
What time does daylight saving time begin and end in France?: Clocks go forward by one hour on the last Sunday in March and go back on the last Sunday in October, in line with EU regulations.
Are all French territories in the same time zone?: No—this page covers Metropolitan France (Europe/Paris). Overseas territories like Réunion (UTC+04:00), Martinique (UTC−04:00), and French Guiana (UTC−03:00) have their own distinct time zones.
When is Paris in UTC+01:00 vs UTC+02:00?: Paris is on UTC+01:00 (CET) from late October to late March, and switches to UTC+02:00 (CEST) during summer months.

Free · Developer API

Time, as JSON.

Every IANA time zone with live offsets, DST status, and the countries and cities that use them — clean, dependable JSON. Sign up free and get an API key in seconds.

GET /v1/timezones Live

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// France's time zones, right now

GET /v1/timezones?country=fr

{

"data": [

{

"iana": "Europe/Paris",

"display_name": "Paris",

"current": {

"utc_offset": "+02:00",

"abbreviation": "CEST",

"is_dst": true

}

]

}