Berlin uses Central European Time (CET, UTC+1) in winter and Central European Summer Time (CEST, UTC+2) in summer. The switch happens at 02:00 local time on the last Sunday of March and at 03:00 on the last Sunday of October.
Time zone facts
- IANA time zone: Europe/Berlin
- Country: Germany (DE)
- Coordinates: 52.5200°, 13.4050°
One time zone for most of Europe
Germany shares CET with Paris, Madrid, Rome, Amsterdam, Vienna, Warsaw and many other cities, so a call within this group needs no conversion at all. The UK, Ireland and Portugal are one hour behind; Finland, Greece and Romania one hour ahead.
All EU countries change their clocks at the same instant (01:00 UTC), so the differences between European cities stay constant all year.
Business hours
Offices usually work from around 08:00 or 09:00 to 17:00 or 18:00, Monday to Friday. Most shops are closed on Sundays by law.
Summer time in Germany
Germany has used summer time continuously since 1980. In spring the hour from 02:00 to 03:00 is skipped; in autumn the hour from 02:00 to 03:00 is repeated, which is why a time such as 02:30 on that night is ambiguous.