Time in Athens, Greece 🇬🇷
The current local time in Athens, Greece is shown below — the city is in the Europe/Athens time zone (UTC +03:00 · EEST).
Athens local time
Thursday, 22 October 2026 EEST
Athens at a glance
- Time zone
Europe/Athens· Eastern European Time- UTC offset now
- +03:00 EEST
- Daylight saving
- Yes · UTC +02:00 / +03:00
- Coordinates
- 37.98° N, 23.73° E
- Population
- 664,046
- Country
- Greece · ISO GR
- Dialing code
- +30
- Currency
- Euro (EUR)
- Work week
- Monday to Friday
- Drives on the
- Right
Athens right now
Time difference
Athens is shown here relative to your device's time zone.
Planning a call? Compare hours side by side in the time zone converter.
Upcoming public holidays
- National Holiday Wed, Oct 28, 2026
- Christmas Day Fri, Dec 25, 2026
- Boxing Day Sat, Dec 26, 2026
- New Year's Day Fri, Jan 1, 2027
Sun today
Sunrise 07:41 · Sunset 18:40
Day length 10h 59m · twilight and monthly table →
Athens time vs. UTC
A 09:00–17:00 working day in Athens overlaps with 09:00–17:00 UTC from 12:00 to 17:00 Athens time. Open this page in your browser and the second row switches to your own time zone.
| Athens | 00:00 | 01:00 | 02:00 | 03:00 | 04:00 | 05:00 | 06:00 | 07:00 | 08:00 | 09:00 | 10:00 | 11:00 | 12:00 | 13:00 | 14:00 | 15:00 | 16:00 | 17:00 | 18:00 | 19:00 | 20:00 | 21:00 | 22:00 | 23:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTC | 21:00 | 22:00 | 23:00 | 00:00 | 01:00 | 02:00 | 03:00 | 04:00 | 05:00 | 06:00 | 07:00 | 08:00 | 09:00 | 10:00 | 11:00 | 12:00 | 13:00 | 14:00 | 15:00 | 16:00 | 17:00 | 18:00 | 19:00 | 20:00 |
- Office hours 09–17
- Awake, off work
- Night 22–07
Athens vs. major cities
How far Athens is from the world's main business centres right now, what time it is there when the working day starts in Athens, and which hours of a 09:00–17:00 day the two places share. Daylight saving changes are applied automatically.
| City | Difference | At 09:00 in Athens | Shared office hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York · United States | −7 h | 02:00 | 16:00–17:00 |
| Los Angeles · United States | −10 h | 23:00 (prev. day) | None |
| São Paulo · Brazil | −6 h | 03:00 | 15:00–17:00 |
| London · United Kingdom | −2 h | 07:00 | 11:00–17:00 |
| Paris · France | −1 h | 08:00 | 10:00–17:00 |
| Johannesburg · South Africa | −1 h | 08:00 | 10:00–17:00 |
| Dubai · United Arab Emirates | +1 h | 10:00 | 09:00–16:00 |
| Delhi · India | +2:30 h | 11:30 | 09:00–14:30 |
| Singapore · Singapore | +5 h | 14:00 | 09:00–12:00 |
| Beijing · China | +5 h | 14:00 | 09:00–12:00 |
Shared office hours are shown in Athens time. Compare any set of cities hour by hour in the time zone converter, or pick a slot that suits everyone with the event planner.
Cities near Athens
The closest places to Athens among the cities we track, measured in a straight line from the city centre. Some of them keep a different clock, so check the time difference before crossing a border or booking a call.
| City | Distance | Time difference |
|---|---|---|
| Sofia · Bulgaria | 530 km (330 mi) north | Same time |
| Istanbul · Türkiye | 560 km (350 mi) northeast | +1 h / Same time |
| Bucharest · Romania | 740 km (460 mi) north | Same time |
| Belgrade · Serbia | 800 km (500 mi) north | −1 h |
| Ankara · Türkiye | 820 km (510 mi) east | +1 h / Same time |
| Naples · Italy | 870 km (540 mi) northwest | −1 h |
| Alexandria · Egypt | 940 km (590 mi) southeast | Same time |
| Rome · Italy | 1,050 km (650 mi) northwest | −1 h |
Distances are great-circle distances. A plus sign means the other city is ahead of Athens.
Clock time vs. sun time in Athens
Athens's standard offset, UTC +02:00, is based on the 30° E meridian; the city itself lies at 23.73° E, 6.3° west of it. In standard time its clocks run about 25 min ahead of the sun, and 1 h 25 min ahead during daylight saving time. Solar noon — when the sun is highest — falls between 12:09 (around 5 November) and 13:32 (around 16 July) on the clock. Mornings stay dark later and evenings stay light longer than the clock suggests.
How dates and times are written in Athens
- Short date
- 22/10/2026 · DD/MM/YYYY
- Long date
- 22 Οκτωβρίου 2026
- Time
- 3:30 μ.μ. · 12-hour clock
- Week starts on
- Monday
Examples show 22 October 2026 at 15:30 using the Unicode CLDR conventions for el-GR, Greece's most common locale. Businesses and English-language sources may use other formats.
Clock changes in Athens
Since 1970, Athens has gone through 2 distinct time-keeping periods, observing daylight saving time in 52 of 57 years. The current pattern, in place since 1975, is UTC +02:00 with UTC +03:00 in daylight saving time. Clocks currently go forward on the last Sunday in March and back on the last Sunday in October, a rule in place since 1996.
| Date | Change | Local clock | New offset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 29 March 2026 | Forward 1 hour | 03:00 → 04:00 | UTC +03:00 |
| Sunday, 25 October 2026 | Back 1 hour | 04:00 → 03:00 | UTC +02:00 |
| Sunday, 28 March 2027 | Forward 1 hour | 03:00 → 04:00 | UTC +03:00 |
| Sunday, 31 October 2027 | Back 1 hour | 04:00 → 03:00 | UTC +02:00 |
When clocks go forward, sunrise and sunset both happen an hour later by the clock — darker mornings, lighter evenings — and the night of the change is an hour shorter. When they go back, the reverse applies.
Time zone history since 1970 (2 periods)
| Years | Offset | Daylight saving |
|---|---|---|
| 1970–1974 | UTC +02:00 all year | No daylight saving time |
| 1975–2026 | UTC +02:00, DST UTC +03:00 | Forward on the last Sunday in March, back on the last Sunday in October (since 1996) |
Source: IANA tz database, as shipped with the Unicode ICU library.
Daylight in Athens through the year
The longest day in Athens is 21 June with 14h 48m of daylight; the shortest is 22 December with 9h 31m. Day length swings by 5 h 17 min over the year. The earliest sunrise is at 06:03 on 8 June and the latest sunset at 20:52 on 21 June — not on the solstice itself, because solar noon drifts through the year.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Athens in?
Athens uses the Europe/Athens time zone (EET / EEST): UTC +02:00 in standard time and UTC +03:00 during daylight saving time.
Does Athens observe daylight saving time?
Yes. In 2026 clocks in Athens go forward on Sunday, 29 March 2026 at 03:00 and back on Sunday, 25 October 2026 at 04:00.
When is the longest day of the year in Athens?
Around 21 June, with 14h 48m of daylight. The shortest day is around 22 December, with 9h 31m.
What is the dialing code for Athens?
To call Athens from abroad, dial your international access code, then Greece's country code +30, then the local number without its leading trunk prefix.
What are normal working days in Athens?
The standard work week in Greece runs Monday to Friday, with the weekend on Saturday and Sunday. Keep this in mind when scheduling calls from countries with a different weekend.
Why is sunset so late in Athens?
Athens lies at 23.73° E, 6.3° west of the 30° E meridian its UTC +02:00 offset is based on, so its clocks run about 25 min ahead of the sun in standard time and 1 h 25 min ahead in daylight saving time. Solar noon falls between 12:09 and 13:32 through the year instead of around 12:00, and the latest sunset is at 20:52 on 21 June.
What is the nearest city to Athens on a different time?
Of the 189 cities we track, the closest one keeping a different clock is Istanbul, Türkiye, about 560 km (350 mi) to the northeast. It is 1 h ahead of Athens in January and the same time as it in July.
How are dates and times written in Athens?
Following the el-GR conventions in the Unicode CLDR, a short date is written DD/MM/YYYY (22/10/2026) and times usually use the 12-hour clock (3:30 μ.μ.). Calendars start the week on Monday.
Explore more for Athens
Everything else we track for Athens: daylight, weather, the country overview, and the exact time-zone references.