Current local time in Essen, Germany
The live clock above shows the time in Essen. Essen is in the Europe/Berlin time zone, UTC+2 right now (CEST).
| Country | Germany |
|---|---|
| Region | Nordrhein-Westfalen |
| Population | about 1.2 million |
| Coordinates | 51.45° N, 7.02° E |
| Time zone | Europe/Berlin |
| Abbreviation | CET / CEST |
| UTC offset | UTC+1 (winter) / UTC+2 (summer) |
| Daylight saving time | Yes |
Daylight saving time
Essen uses daylight saving time: clocks switch between UTC+1 (CET) and UTC+2 (CEST). The next change is on Sunday, October 25, 2026, when clocks go back one hour.
Sunrise, sunset and daylight
Today: sunrise …, sunset …, .
| 2026 | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 6:35 AM | 6:43 PM | 12 h 8 min |
| June solstice | 5:14 AM | 9:52 PM | 16 h 37 min |
| September equinox | 7:17 AM | 7:32 PM | 12 h 14 min |
| December solstice | 8:34 AM | 4:24 PM | 7 h 50 min |
Clock time vs. sun time
The sun is highest over Essen at about 12:40 PM in mid-January, and about 1:37 PM in mid-July. On standard time, local clocks run about 32 minutes ahead of the sun, because Essen sits at 7.0° E, while its time zone is centred on 15.0° E.
Essen time compared with other cities
| City | Time now | Compared with Essen |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 6 hours behind | |
| Los Angeles | 9 hours behind | |
| London | 1 hour behind | |
| Paris | same time | |
| Dubai | 3 hours ahead in Jan, 2 hours ahead in Jul | |
| Mumbai | 4.5 hours ahead in Jan, 3.5 hours ahead in Jul | |
| Shanghai | 7 hours ahead in Jan, 6 hours ahead in Jul | |
| Tokyo | 8 hours ahead in Jan, 7 hours ahead in Jul | |
| Sydney | 10 hours ahead in Jan, 8 hours ahead in Jul |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Time now vs Essen |
|---|---|---|
| Duisburg | 19 km (12 mi) | same time |
| Wuppertal | 25 km (15 mi) | same time |
| Düsseldorf | 30 km (19 mi) | same time |
| Dortmund | 31 km (19 mi) | same time |
| Cologne | 58 km (36 mi) | same time |
| Münster | 71 km (44 mi) | same time |
| Bonn | 81 km (50 mi) | same time |
| Arnhem, Netherlands | 96 km (60 mi) | same time |
Other cities in Germany
- Berlin
- Frankfurt
- Stuttgart
- Hamburg
- Mannheim
- Munich
- Cologne
- Düsseldorf
- Duisburg
- Bremen
- Hannover
- Nürnberg
- Dortmund
- Wuppertal
- Dresden
- Leipzig
- Bonn
- Saarbrucken
Questions people ask
What time zone is Essen in?
Essen is in the Europe/Berlin time zone, UTC+1, or UTC+2 during daylight saving time.
Does Essen have daylight saving time?
Essen uses daylight saving time: clocks switch between UTC+1 (CET) and UTC+2 (CEST). The next change is on Sunday, October 25, 2026, when clocks go back one hour.
Why isn't noon in Essen when the sun is highest?
Because time zones are wide. Essen's clocks follow a zone centred on 15.0° E, so on standard time they run about 32 minutes ahead of the sun. Daylight saving time adds another hour.
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Time zone data: IANA tz database 2026e. Population: Natural Earth (approximate).