Exploring Austria's Time Zones: A Complex Story

Austria is a country with only a single time zone, Central European Time (CET), which is UTC+1. Austria observes Daylight Saving Time, which is known in Europe as Summer Time. During this period, the clocks are one hour ahead, and the time zone is referred to as Central European Summer Time (CEST).

Austria's time zone

Austria has only one time zone, which is Central European Time (CET), UTC+01:00. The next clock change in Austria will be on March 30th, 2025, at 02:00 to daylight saving time. Clocks will be set one hour forward.

Austria observes Daylight Saving Time, often referred to as "Summer Time" in Europe. In 2024, Daylight Saving Time began on March 31st at 02:00 and ended on October 27th at 03:00.

Central European Time

Austria has only a single time zone, Central European Time (CET), which is one hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). This means that Austria is six hours ahead of New York, for example.

Daylight saving time is observed in Austria from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. During this time, the country switches to Central European Summer Time (CEST), which is UTC+02:00. The next clock change in Austria will be on March 30th, 2025, at 02:00, when the clocks will be set one hour forward.

Daylight Saving Time

Austria has a single time zone, Central European Time (CET), which is UTC+1. This means that Austria is six hours ahead of New York, for example, which is currently at UTC-5.

Austria observes Daylight Saving Time, also known as Central European Summer Time (CEST). The clocks go forward by one hour in the summer, and back by one hour in the winter. This means there is more daylight in the evenings during the summer months, and more daylight in the mornings during the winter.

The next clock change in Austria will be on March 30th, 2025, at 02:00, when clocks will be set forward by one hour to daylight saving time.

In 2024, Daylight Saving Time in Austria began on Sunday, March 31st, at 02:00, when clocks were turned forward by one hour. This meant sunrise and sunset occurred about one hour later than the day before. In 2024, Daylight Saving Time will end on Sunday, October 27th, at 03:00, when clocks will be turned back by one hour to standard time. This will mean sunrise and sunset will occur about one hour earlier than the day before.

Austria has observed Daylight Saving Time for 58 years between 1916 and 2024. The country first adopted DST in 1916, and it has been implemented at various times since then.

Time zone history

Austria currently operates on a single time zone, Central European Time (CET), which is UTC+1. The country observes daylight saving time, known as Central European Summer Time (CEST), from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October.

Austria has a long history of time zone usage and has experimented with daylight saving time on multiple occasions.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire, of which Austria was a part, first adopted Central European Time on 1 October 1891. Initially, this time zone was used by railways and post offices in cities like Prague and Budapest, but not Vienna, which eventually transitioned to CET on 1 April 1893.

Since 1916, Austria has tried to introduce daylight saving time on five separate occasions: from 1916 to 1918, 1940 to 1920, 1943 to 1944, 1944 to 1948, and 1981 to the present.

Austria's time zone is based on its geographical location in Western Europe, with an east-west extension of 7.5 degrees of longitude. This relatively small extension results in only a slight difference in the course of the sun across the country, with a time difference of about 30 minutes between the west and east.

Austria's nationwide clock change dates also differ from those in North America. Instead of adjusting clocks on the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November, Austria makes the transition to and from daylight saving time on different dates, usually in late March and late October.

Time in Austrian cities

Austria has only a single time zone, Central European Time (CET), which is UTC+1. This means that the time difference between Austria and New York, for example, is six hours.

Austria observes Daylight Saving Time, which is often referred to as "Summer Time" in Europe. During this period, the time is Central European Summer Time (CEST).

The clocks go forward by one hour at 02:00 on the last Sunday in March and switch back to standard time at 03:00 on the last Sunday in October.

The next clock change in Austria will be on March 30, 2025, when the clocks will be set one hour forward to daylight saving time.

• Vienna
• Graz
• Linz
• Salzburg
• Innsbruck
• Klagenfurt
• Villach
• Wels
• Sankt Polten
• Dornbirn
• Steyr
• Wiener Neustadt
• Bregenz
• Baden
• Leoben

Frequently asked questions