Austria's Time Change: What You Need To Know

Austria has one time zone: Central European Time (CET), which is UTC+1. Austria observes daylight saving time, also known as Central European Summer Time (CEST), from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. During this period, clocks are turned forward by one hour. The next clock change in Austria will be on 30 March 2025 at 2:00 am, when clocks will be turned forward to 3:00 am.

Austria's time zone

Austria has only one time zone, Central European Time (CET), which is UTC+01:00. The nation observes daylight saving time, also known as Central European Summer Time (CEST), between the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October.

During daylight saving time, clocks are turned forward by one hour, and the time zone becomes UTC+02:00. In 2024, the clocks were turned forward at 2:00 am on Sunday, March 31, and will be turned back at 3:00 am on Sunday, October 27.

The next clock change in Austria will be on Sunday, March 30, 2025, at 2:00 am, when clocks will be set one hour forward.

Austria first adopted CET on October 1, 1891, though only for its railways, post offices, and cities like Prague and Budapest. Vienna, the nation's capital, did not adopt CET until April 1, 1893. The nation first observed daylight saving time in 1916 and has observed it for 58 years between 1916 and 2024.

Clock change dates

Austria has one time zone: Central European Time (CET), which is UTC+1. Austria observes Daylight Saving Time (also known as Central European Summer Time, or CEST) from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. During this period, clocks go forward by one hour.

In 2024, the clocks in Austria went forward by one hour at 2:00 am on Sunday, March 31, marking the start of Daylight Saving Time. They will go back by one hour at 3:00 am on Sunday, October 27, marking the end of Daylight Saving Time and the return to standard time.

In 2025, the clocks will go forward by one hour at 2:00 am on Sunday, March 30, and will go back by one hour at 3:00 am on Sunday, October 26.

Austria first observed Daylight Saving Time in 1916 and has observed it for 58 years between 1916 and 2024.

History of clock changes

Austria has a rich history of clockmaking and timekeeping practices. The country has adopted various time standards and observed daylight saving time (DST) at different periods throughout its history.

The first Austrian watchmaker is believed to have lived in Olmutz, Bohemia, in 1392. During this early period, clockmaking was tightly controlled, and individuals who built clocks without belonging to the Clockmakers Corporation could face imprisonment. Cities and counties each had their own clockmaking organisations, with Vienna bestowing titles such as Common Master or Vienna Clockmaker Master upon its clockmakers.

In the first half of the 15th century, the watchman clock appeared. Watchmen, usually lodged in high towers, were responsible for watching for enemies or fires and telling the time to town inhabitants. These early timekeepers used iron-made weight-driven skeleton movements with a single hand and struck a tower bell or blew a horn to indicate the hour or a particular event.

Fast forward to the 19th century, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire officially adopted Central European Time (CET) on October 1, 1891. However, Vienna, the capital, did not immediately adopt CET, only doing so later on April 1, 1893.

When it comes to daylight saving time, Austria first observed it in 1916. Since then, the country has observed DST for a total of 58 years between 1916 and 2024, with some years in between where DST was not observed, such as 1979.

Over the years, Austria has tried to introduce daylight saving time multiple times, with periods of observance from 1916 to 1918, 1940 to 1942, 1943 to 1944, 1944 to 1948, and 1981 until the present. The dates for the time change in Austria differ from those in North America, usually occurring on the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October.

Sunrise and sunset times

In 2024, the clocks in Austria were turned forward by one hour at 2:00 am on Sunday, March 31, marking the start of DST. This change results in later sunrise and sunset times, with an extra hour of evening daylight and less light in the mornings. On Sunday, October 27, at 3:00 am, the clocks will be turned back by one hour, returning to standard time and resulting in earlier sunrise and sunset times, with more morning daylight.

The specific dates and times for the clock changes can vary slightly from year to year, but they typically occur on the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October. For example, in 2023, DST began on March 26 and ended on October 29. In 2025, DST will start on March 30.

Austria's relatively small east-west extension of 7.5 degrees of longitude results in only a slight difference in the course of the sun across the country. The sun rises and sets approximately 30 minutes later in the western regions compared to the eastern parts of the country. Despite this time difference, the entire country observes a single time zone, Europe/Vienna, and adjusts clocks simultaneously during DST transitions.

Time in Vienna

The time in Vienna, Austria, is currently given as Central European Time (CET), which is one hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Vienna, like the rest of Austria, observes Daylight Saving Time.

Austria's time is calculated by its difference from UTC, or Universal Time Coordinated. The time difference between Vienna and New York, for example, is six hours.

Daylight Saving Time in Austria starts on the last Sunday in March, when clocks are turned forward one hour from 2 am to 3 am local time. It ends on the last Sunday in October, when clocks are turned back one hour from 3 am to 2 am local time. This system has been in place since 1916, with some interruptions.

In 2024, the clocks in Austria were turned forward on March 31, and they will be turned back on October 27. In 2025, the clocks will be turned forward on March 30.

Frequently asked questions