Paris keeps French time on the Central European system: UTC+1 through the winter months and UTC+2 (CEST) between the last Sundays of March and October. Whatever the season, a Parisian clock reads an hour later than a London one.
Time zone facts
- IANA time zone: Europe/Paris
- Country: France (FR)
- Coordinates: 48.8566°, 2.3522°
Why France is on Central European Time
Paris lies almost exactly on the same meridian as London, and France used Paris Mean Time and then Greenwich time until 1940. During the German occupation the country moved to Central European Time and never moved back — which is why the sun sets so late on French summer evenings.
Business hours
Offices usually work from about 9:00 to 18:00. Euronext Paris runs a 9:00–17:30 session, and Wall Street joins in at 15:30 Paris time.