Austria's Daylight Saving Time: What You Need To Know

Austria does observe Daylight Saving Time (DST), also known as Central European Summer Time (CEST). The clocks go forward by one hour on the last Sunday in March and go back by one hour on the last Sunday in October. Austria first observed DST in 1916 and has observed it for 58 years between 1916 and 2024.

When does Austria change the clocks?

In Austria, the standard time is Central European Time (CET), which is UTC+01:00. Austria observes Daylight Saving Time (DST) from the last Sunday in March (02:00 CET) to the last Sunday in October (03:00 CEST).

In 2024, the clocks will be turned forward by one hour at 02:00 CET on Sunday 31 March, and will be turned back by one hour at 03:00 CEST on Sunday 27 October.

In 2025, the clocks will be turned forward by one hour at 02:00 CET on Sunday 30 March 2025, and will be turned back by one hour at 03:00 CEST on Sunday 26 October 2025.

Austria first observed DST in 1916 and has observed it for 58 years between 1916 and 2024.

How long has Austria observed DST?

Austria has observed Daylight Saving Time (DST) for 58 years between 1916 and 2024. The practice of DST, also known as Summer Time, involves advancing clocks by one hour during spring and summer so that daylight ends later in the day.

Austria first observed DST in 1916, from 1916 to 1918, and has since tried to introduce it four more times: from 1940 to 1942, 1943 to 1944, 1944 to 1948, and 1981 until the present. The last time Austria did not observe DST was in 1979.

In Austria, the standard time is Central European Time (CET), which is UTC+01:00. DST is observed from the last Sunday in March (02:00 CET) to the last Sunday in October (03:00 CEST). For example, in 2024, DST started on March 31 at 02:00, when clocks were turned forward by one hour to 03:00, and ended on October 27 at 03:00, when clocks were turned back by one hour to 02:00.

What is Central European Time?

Central European Time (CET) is the standard time observed in Central and Western Europe, and some countries in North Africa. It is one hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), with a time offset from UTC written as UTC+01:00.

CET is the standard time observed in the following European Union member states: Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain (excluding the Canary Islands), and more. Some non-member states also observe CET, including Albania, Norway, and Switzerland.

In Africa, UTC+01:00 is called West Africa Time (WAT), and is used by several countries year-round. Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia refer to UTC+01:00 as Central European Time.

During the summer, states within the CET area switch to Central European Summer Time (CEST, UTC+02:00).

CET is also known by colloquial names such as Amsterdam Time, Berlin Time, Brussels Time, Madrid Time, Paris Time, Rome Time, and Warsaw Time.

What is UTC?

In Austria, the standard time is Central European Time (CET; UTC+01:00). Daylight Saving Time is observed from the last Sunday in March (02:00 CET) to the last Sunday in October (03:00 CEST).

Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary global time standard used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. It is a standard used to establish time zones worldwide. For example, New York City is in the UTC-5 time zone, which means the time in NYC is five hours behind UTC (except during U.S. daylight savings, when it is four hours behind).

UTC is based on International Atomic Time (TAI), which is a weighted average of hundreds of atomic clocks worldwide. It is within about one second of mean solar time at 0° longitude, the currently used prime meridian, and is not adjusted for daylight saving time.

The coordination of time and frequency transmissions around the world began on 1 January 1960. UTC was first officially adopted as a standard in 1963 and "UTC" became the official abbreviation of Coordinated Universal Time in 1967. The current version of UTC is defined by the International Telecommunication Union.

UTC is used in aviation, weather forecasts, maps, and by the International Space Station. It is also used by amateur radio operators who schedule their radio contacts in UTC, as transmissions on some frequencies can be picked up in many time zones.

UTC divides time into days, hours, minutes, and seconds. Each day contains 24 hours and each hour contains 60 minutes. The number of seconds in a minute is usually 60, but with an occasional leap second, it may be 61 or 59 instead.

Nearly all UTC days contain exactly 86,400 SI seconds with exactly 60 seconds in each minute. However, the last minute of a UTC day is sometimes adjusted to have 61 seconds to account for the extra length of all the mean solar days since the previous leap second. This extra second is called a leap second.

UTC is within about one second of mean solar time (such as UT1) at 0° longitude, (at the IERS Reference Meridian). The mean solar day is slightly longer than 86,400 SI seconds so occasionally the last minute of a UTC day is adjusted to have 61 seconds. The last minute of a UTC day is permitted to contain 59 seconds to cover the remote possibility of the Earth rotating faster, but that has not yet been necessary.

UTC is only known with the highest precision retrospectively. Users who require an approximation in real-time must obtain it from a time laboratory, which disseminates an approximation using techniques such as GPS or radio time signals.

How does Austria compare to other countries?

Austria observes Daylight Saving Time (DST), also known as Summer Time, from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. During DST, Austria is Central European Summer Time (CEST), UTC+02:00.

Austria's DST schedule is similar to that of many other countries in Europe, which also observe DST from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. However, there are some variations within Europe. For example, in 2024, the United Kingdom will observe DST from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October, while France will observe DST from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October.

Outside of Europe, the DST schedules of other countries differ. For instance, in 2024, the United States will observe DST from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, while Mexico will observe DST from the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October.

In summary, Austria's DST schedule aligns closely with many other countries in Europe, but there are some variations both within Europe and in other parts of the world.

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