Time in Cologne, Germany 🇩🇪
The current local time in Cologne, Germany is shown below — the city is in the Europe/Berlin time zone (UTC +02:00 · CEST).
Cologne local time
Thursday, 22 October 2026 CEST
Cologne at a glance
- Time zone
Europe/Berlin· Central European Time- UTC offset now
- +02:00 CEST
- Daylight saving
- Yes · UTC +01:00 / +02:00
- Coordinates
- 50.94° N, 6.96° E
- Population
- 1,084,831
- Country
- Germany · ISO DE
- Dialing code
- +49
- Currency
- Euro (EUR)
- Work week
- Monday to Friday
- Drives on the
- Right
Cologne right now
Time difference
Cologne 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
- Christmas Day Fri, Dec 25, 2026
- Boxing Day Sat, Dec 26, 2026
- New Year's Day Fri, Jan 1, 2027
- Good Friday Fri, Mar 26, 2027
Sun today
Sunrise 08:07 · Sunset 18:27
Day length 10h 20m · twilight and monthly table →
Cologne time vs. UTC
A 09:00–17:00 working day in Cologne overlaps with 09:00–17:00 UTC from 11:00 to 17:00 Cologne time. Open this page in your browser and the second row switches to your own time zone.
| Cologne | 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 | 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 | 21:00 |
- Office hours 09–17
- Awake, off work
- Night 22–07
Cologne vs. major cities
How far Cologne is from the world's main business centres right now, what time it is there when the working day starts in Cologne, 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 Cologne | Shared office hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York · United States | −6 h | 03:00 | 15:00–17:00 |
| Los Angeles · United States | −9 h | 00:00 | None |
| São Paulo · Brazil | −5 h | 04:00 | 14:00–17:00 |
| London · United Kingdom | −1 h | 08:00 | 10:00–17:00 |
| Paris · France | Same time | 09:00 | 09:00–17:00 |
| Johannesburg · South Africa | Same time | 09:00 | 09:00–17:00 |
| Dubai · United Arab Emirates | +2 h | 11:00 | 09:00–15:00 |
| Delhi · India | +3:30 h | 12:30 | 09:00–13:30 |
| Singapore · Singapore | +6 h | 15:00 | 09:00–11:00 |
| Beijing · China | +6 h | 15:00 | 09:00–11:00 |
Shared office hours are shown in Cologne 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 Cologne
The closest places to Cologne among the cities we track, measured in a straight line from the city centre. All of them keep the same clock as Cologne.
| City | Distance | Time difference |
|---|---|---|
| Frankfurt | 150 km (95 mi) southeast | Same time |
| Brussels · Belgium | 180 km (110 mi) west | Same time |
| Rotterdam · Netherlands | 200 km (130 mi) northwest | Same time |
| Amsterdam · Netherlands | 210 km (130 mi) northwest | Same time |
| Hamburg | 360 km (220 mi) northeast | Same time |
| Paris · France | 400 km (250 mi) southwest | Same time |
| Zürich · Switzerland | 410 km (260 mi) south | Same time |
| Bern · Switzerland | 450 km (280 mi) south | Same time |
Distances are great-circle distances. A plus sign means the other city is ahead of Cologne.
Clock time vs. sun time in Cologne
Cologne's standard offset, UTC +01:00, is based on the 15° E meridian; the city itself lies at 6.96° E, 8.0° west of it. In standard time its clocks run about 32 min ahead of the sun, and 1 h 32 min ahead during daylight saving time. Solar noon — when the sun is highest — falls between 12:17 (around 29 October) and 13:39 (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 Cologne
- Short date
- 22.10.2026 · DD.MM.YYYY
- Long date
- 22. Oktober 2026
- Time
- 15:30 · 24-hour clock
- Week starts on
- Monday
Examples show 22 October 2026 at 15:30 using the Unicode CLDR conventions for de-DE, Germany's most common locale. Businesses and English-language sources may use other formats.
Clock changes in Cologne
Since 1970, Cologne has gone through 2 distinct time-keeping periods, observing daylight saving time in 47 of 57 years. The current pattern, in place since 1980, is UTC +01:00 with UTC +02:00 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 | 02:00 → 03:00 | UTC +02:00 |
| Sunday, 25 October 2026 | Back 1 hour | 03:00 → 02:00 | UTC +01:00 |
| Sunday, 28 March 2027 | Forward 1 hour | 02:00 → 03:00 | UTC +02:00 |
| Sunday, 31 October 2027 | Back 1 hour | 03:00 → 02:00 | UTC +01:00 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 1970–1979 | UTC +01:00 all year | No daylight saving time |
| 1980–2026 | UTC +01:00, DST UTC +02:00 | 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 Cologne through the year
The longest day in Cologne is 21 June with 16h 32m of daylight; the shortest is 22 December with 7h 55m. Day length swings by 8 h 37 min over the year. The earliest sunrise is at 05:18 on 15 June and the latest sunset at 21:51 on 21 June — not on the solstice itself, because solar noon drifts through the year.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Cologne in?
Cologne uses the Europe/Berlin time zone (CET / CEST): UTC +01:00 in standard time and UTC +02:00 during daylight saving time.
Does Cologne observe daylight saving time?
Yes. In 2026 clocks in Cologne go forward on Sunday, 29 March 2026 at 02:00 and back on Sunday, 25 October 2026 at 03:00.
When is the longest day of the year in Cologne?
Around 21 June, with 16h 32m of daylight. The shortest day is around 22 December, with 7h 55m.
What is the dialing code for Cologne?
To call Cologne from abroad, dial your international access code, then Germany's country code +49, then the local number without its leading trunk prefix.
What are normal working days in Cologne?
The standard work week in Germany 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 Cologne?
Cologne lies at 6.96° E, 8.0° west of the 15° E meridian its UTC +01:00 offset is based on, so its clocks run about 32 min ahead of the sun in standard time and 1 h 32 min ahead in daylight saving time. Solar noon falls between 12:17 and 13:39 through the year instead of around 12:00, and the latest sunset is at 21:51 on 21 June.
What is the nearest city to Cologne on a different time?
Of the 189 cities we track, the closest one keeping a different clock is London, United Kingdom, about 500 km (310 mi) to the west. It is 1 h behind Cologne.
How are dates and times written in Cologne?
Following the de-DE conventions in the Unicode CLDR, a short date is written DD.MM.YYYY (22.10.2026) and times usually use the 24-hour clock (15:30). Calendars start the week on Monday.
Explore more for Cologne
Everything else we track for Cologne: daylight, weather, the country overview, and the exact time-zone references.