Current time in Madrid
- Time zone
- Europe/Madrid
- UTC offset
- UTC+02:00
- Abbreviation
- CEST
- Daylight saving time
- Observed
- Next clock change
- October 25, 2026
- Country
- Spain
- Population
- 3,255,944
Madrid time difference
How far Madrid is ahead of or behind the world's main business hubs right now. Daylight saving time is already applied where it is in effect.
| Compared with | Time difference | UTC offset |
|---|---|---|
| London | 1h behind | UTC+01:00 |
| New York City | 6h behindChanges with DST | UTC-04:00 |
| Los Angeles | 9h behindChanges with DST | UTC-07:00 |
| Chicago | 7h behindChanges with DST | UTC-05:00 |
| Tokyo | 7h aheadChanges with DST | UTC+09:00 |
| Dubai | 2h aheadChanges with DST | UTC+04:00 |
Clock changes in Madrid
| Date | Local time | UTC offset |
|---|---|---|
| October 25, 2026 | 3:00 AM → 2:00 AM | UTC+02:00 → UTC+01:00 |
| March 28, 2027 | 2:00 AM → 3:00 AM | UTC+01:00 → UTC+02:00 |
Sunrise, sunset and solar time in Madrid
- Sunrise today
- 8:12 AM
- Sunset today
- 7:55 PM
- Day length today
- 11 hours 44 minutes
- Solar noon today
- 2:04 PM
- Longest day
- 15 hours 4 minutes (June 21)
- Shortest day
- 9 hours 17 minutes (December 21)
On standard time, clocks in Madrid run 1 hour 15 minutes ahead of the sun: solar noon comes at about 1:15 PM, not at 12:00 PM. Daylight saving time moves solar noon one more hour later on the clock.
Time zone history since 1970
Clocks change twice a year, as they have every year since 1974.
Source: IANA time zone database, version 2025b.
Worth knowing
Spain uses Central European Time even though Madrid lies west of the Greenwich meridian. The country moved its clocks forward to match Germany in 1940 and never moved them back, which is why solar noon in Madrid falls after 2 p.m. in summer.
The Canary Islands keep Western European Time, one hour behind the mainland.
Sources: IANA tz database: europe
Frequently asked questions
- What time zone is Madrid in?
- Madrid uses the Europe/Madrid (CEST) time zone and is currently on UTC+02:00.
- Does Madrid observe daylight saving time?
- Yes. The next clock change is on October 25, 2026; after it, UTC+01:00 applies.