CEST
Central European Summer Time
Much of Europe (summer)
Now in Paris:
CEST — Central European Summer Time
Quick facts
- Abbreviation
- CEST
- Full name
- Central European Summer Time
- UTC offset
- UTC+2
- Type
- Daylight saving time
- Seasonal pair
- CET (UTC+1)
- Used in
- Much of Europe (summer)
- Example zone
- Europe/Paris
Cities that use CEST
About CEST
CEST is the abbreviation for Central European Summer Time, a time zone offset of UTC+2. It applies in Much of Europe (summer). It is the daylight-saving half of the year; in winter the same region switches to CET (UTC+1).
Time-zone abbreviations are convenient but not unique or official — several codes are shared by more than one zone. When precision matters, use the underlying IANA zone name (for example Europe/Paris) or the UTC offset UTC+2 instead.
Frequently asked questions
- What does CEST stand for?
- CEST stands for Central European Summer Time. It is UTC+2, used in Much of Europe (summer).
- What is the UTC offset of CEST?
- CEST (Central European Summer Time) is UTC+2, meaning it is 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time.
- What is the standard-time version of CEST?
- CEST is the summer (daylight saving) abbreviation. Its counterpart is CET (Central European Time, UTC+1), used in the other half of the year.
See also: all time zone abbreviations