Time in Edinburgh, United Kingdom 🇬🇧
The current local time in Edinburgh, United Kingdom is shown below — the city is in the Europe/London time zone (UTC +01:00 · BST).
Edinburgh local time
Thursday, 22 October 2026 BST
Edinburgh at a glance
- Time zone
Europe/London· British Summer Time- UTC offset now
- +01:00 BST
- Daylight saving
- Yes · UTC +00:00 / +01:00
- Coordinates
- 55.95° N, 3.19° W
- Population
- 524,930
- Country
- United Kingdom · ISO GB
- Dialing code
- +44
- Currency
- British Pound (GBP)
- Work week
- Monday to Friday
- Drives on the
- Left
Edinburgh right now
Time difference
Edinburgh 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
- Boxing Day (substitute day) Mon, Dec 28, 2026
- New Year's Day Fri, Jan 1, 2027
Sun today
Sunrise 07:58 · Sunset 17:57
Day length 9h 59m · twilight and monthly table →
Edinburgh time vs. UTC
A 09:00–17:00 working day in Edinburgh overlaps with 09:00–17:00 UTC from 10:00 to 17:00 Edinburgh time. Open this page in your browser and the second row switches to your own time zone.
| Edinburgh | 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 | 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 | 22:00 |
- Office hours 09–17
- Awake, off work
- Night 22–07
Edinburgh vs. major cities
How far Edinburgh is from the world's main business centres right now, what time it is there when the working day starts in Edinburgh, 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 Edinburgh | Shared office hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York · United States | −5 h | 04:00 | 14:00–17:00 |
| Los Angeles · United States | −8 h | 01:00 | None |
| São Paulo · Brazil | −4 h | 05:00 | 13:00–17:00 |
| Paris · France | +1 h | 10:00 | 09:00–16:00 |
| Johannesburg · South Africa | +1 h | 10:00 | 09:00–16:00 |
| Dubai · United Arab Emirates | +3 h | 12:00 | 09:00–14:00 |
| Delhi · India | +4:30 h | 13:30 | 09:00–12:30 |
| Singapore · Singapore | +7 h | 16:00 | 09:00–10:00 |
| Beijing · China | +7 h | 16:00 | 09:00–10:00 |
| Tokyo · Japan | +8 h | 17:00 | None |
Shared office hours are shown in Edinburgh 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 Edinburgh
The closest places to Edinburgh 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Glasgow | 67 km (42 mi) west | Same time |
| Manchester | 280 km (170 mi) south | Same time |
| Dublin · Ireland | 350 km (220 mi) southwest | Same time |
| Birmingham | 390 km (250 mi) south | Same time |
| London | 530 km (330 mi) southeast | Same time |
| Amsterdam · Netherlands | 660 km (410 mi) southeast | +1 h |
| Rotterdam · Netherlands | 670 km (420 mi) southeast | +1 h |
| Brussels · Belgium | 760 km (470 mi) southeast | +1 h |
Distances are great-circle distances. A plus sign means the other city is ahead of Edinburgh.
Clock time vs. sun time in Edinburgh
Edinburgh's standard offset, UTC +00:00, is based on the Greenwich (0°) meridian; the city itself lies at 3.19° W, 3.2° west of it. In standard time its clocks run about 13 min ahead of the sun, and 1 h 13 min ahead during daylight saving time. Solar noon — when the sun is highest — falls between 11:57 (around 29 October) and 13:20 (around 23 July) on the clock.
How dates and times are written in Edinburgh
- Short date
- 22/10/2026 · DD/MM/YYYY
- Long date
- 22 October 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 en-GB, United Kingdom's most common locale. Businesses and English-language sources may use other formats.
Clock changes in Edinburgh
Since 1970, Edinburgh has gone through 3 distinct time-keeping periods, observing daylight saving time in 55 of 57 years. The current pattern, in place since 1972, is UTC +00:00 with UTC +01:00 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 | 01:00 → 02:00 | UTC +01:00 |
| Sunday, 25 October 2026 | Back 1 hour | 02:00 → 01:00 | UTC +00:00 |
| Sunday, 28 March 2027 | Forward 1 hour | 01:00 → 02:00 | UTC +01:00 |
| Sunday, 31 October 2027 | Back 1 hour | 02:00 → 01:00 | UTC +00:00 |
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 (3 periods)
| Years | Offset | Daylight saving |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | UTC +01:00 all year | No daylight saving time |
| 1971 | UTC +00:00 all year | No daylight saving time |
| 1972–2026 | UTC +00:00, DST UTC +01:00 | 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 Edinburgh through the year
The longest day in Edinburgh is 21 June with 17h 37m of daylight; the shortest is 22 December with 6h 57m. Day length swings by 10 h 39 min over the year. The earliest sunrise is at 04:27 on 14 June and the latest sunset at 22:04 on 21 June — not on the solstice itself, because solar noon drifts through the year.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Edinburgh in?
Edinburgh uses the Europe/London time zone (GMT / BST): UTC +00:00 in standard time and UTC +01:00 during daylight saving time.
Does Edinburgh observe daylight saving time?
Yes. In 2026 clocks in Edinburgh go forward on Sunday, 29 March 2026 at 01:00 and back on Sunday, 25 October 2026 at 02:00.
When is the longest day of the year in Edinburgh?
Around 21 June, with 17h 37m of daylight. The shortest day is around 22 December, with 6h 57m.
What is the dialing code for Edinburgh?
To call Edinburgh from abroad, dial your international access code, then United Kingdom's country code +44, then the local number without its leading trunk prefix.
What are normal working days in Edinburgh?
The standard work week in United Kingdom runs Monday to Friday, with the weekend on Saturday and Sunday. Keep this in mind when scheduling calls from countries with a different weekend.
What is the nearest city to Edinburgh on a different time?
Of the 189 cities we track, the closest one keeping a different clock is Amsterdam, Netherlands, about 660 km (410 mi) to the southeast. It is 1 h ahead of Edinburgh.
How are dates and times written in Edinburgh?
Following the en-GB 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 Edinburgh
Everything else we track for Edinburgh: daylight, weather, the country overview, and the exact time-zone references.