Questions about time in Zürich

What timezone is Zürich in?

Zürich is in Central European Time (CET), using the IANA timezone Europe/Zurich. The standard UTC offset is UTC+1 in winter. During daylight saving time (summer), it becomes Central European Summer Time (CEST) at UTC+2.

Does Zürich observe daylight saving time?

Yes. Zürich observes daylight saving time. In 2026, clocks spring forward one hour on Sunday, March 29 and fall back one hour on Sunday, October 25. During DST, the UTC offset shifts from UTC+1 to UTC+2.

What is the current UTC offset for Zürich?

Zürich is currently at UTC+1. It is not currently observing daylight saving time.

What is the time difference between Zürich and New York?

Zürich is currently 5 hours ahead of New York.

What is the time difference between Zürich and London?

Zürich is currently 1 hour ahead of London. Both cities observe daylight saving time on the same schedule (last Sunday of March and October), so the gap stays consistent year-round.

What is the time difference between Zürich and Los Angeles?

Zürich is currently 8 hours ahead of Los Angeles.

What is the time difference between Zürich and Tokyo?

Zürich is currently 8 hours behind Tokyo. Tokyo does not observe daylight saving time, so this gap changes by 1 hour when Zürich transitions to/from DST.

What is the IANA timezone name for Zürich?

The IANA timezone database identifier for Zürich is Europe/Zurich. Use this string in programming languages and APIs: JavaScript (`new Intl.DateTimeFormat('en-US', { timeZone: 'Europe/Zurich' })`), Python (`pytz.timezone('Europe/Zurich')`), or any IANA-compatible library.

Is CET the same as CEST?

No. CET (Central European Time, UTC+1) is the standard winter time used by Zürich and most of Central Europe. CEST (Central European Summer Time, UTC+2) is the same zone during daylight saving time. The abbreviation changes, but it is the same IANA timezone — the offset shifts by one hour.