🇫🇷 Time Zones in France
France uses Central European Time (CET, UTC+1) despite being geographically closer to GMT. The switch to CET happened during World War II and was never reversed. France also has territories in 12 different time zones (more than any other country), but metropolitan France uses a single zone.
Time Zone Overview
| Time Zone(s) | UTC Offset | DST |
|---|---|---|
| CET (UTC+1) in winter, CEST (UTC+2) in summer | See details above | France observes DST on the EU schedule. |
Major Cities in France
Click any city to see the current local time:
Quick Facts
- Number of time zones: 1
- Daylight saving: France observes DST on the EU schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many time zones does France have?
France has 1 time zone(s): CET (UTC+1) in winter, CEST (UTC+2) in summer.
Does France observe daylight saving time?
France observes DST on the EU schedule.
Time in Daily Life
France runs on Central European Time with EU daylight saving, so Paris, Lyon, and Marseille all shift together on the last Sunday of March.
The Parisian workday commonly runs 09:00 to 18:00 with a proper lunch break, and the country's single zone keeps train and business timing simple across the hexagon.
Long summer evenings see dinners start late, often after 20:00, and the pavement cafes of French cities stay busy well past 22:00.
The August vacation exodus sees Paris partly empty as families head to the coast or countryside, and the May public holidays are famously bridged into long weekends that empty the offices.