Time Zone History

Madrid time zone history

On standard time, clocks at Madrid run 1 hour 15 minutes ahead of local mean solar time, the third-largest gap of the 31 zones in Europe whose clocks run ahead of the sun. Local mean time, UTC−0:14:44, ended in 1900.

UTC+1

Standard time is UTC+1 (CEST/CET); clocks go forward to UTC+2 on the last Sunday in March and back on the last Sunday in October.

Covers: Mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands · tz database name Europe/Madrid

Convert a time from Madrid

Summer time in 53 of 57 years since 1970

UTC−0:14:44, UTC+0: behind today’s standard timeUTC+1: today’s standard timeUTC+2: 1 hour ahead of today’s standard timeUTC−0:14:44, UTC+0: behind today’sstandard timeUTC+1: today’s standard timeUTC+2: 1 hour ahead of today’sstandard time

How to read this chart

Before 1970

18901910193019501970189019301970
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec1970198019902000201020202028JFMAMJJASOND1970198019902000201020202028

Standard time changes

DateChangeNew standard timeClock label
Before 1970
December 31, 1900Local mean time (UTC−0:14:44) replacedUTC+0WET
March 16, 1940Standard time forward 1 hourUTC+1CET

Daylight saving periods

YearsClocks go forwardClocks go backShift and labels
Before 1970
1918April 15October 71 hour, WET to WEST
1919April 6October 71 hour, WET to WEST
1924April 16October 51 hour, WET to WEST
1926April 17October 31 hour, WET to WEST
1927April 9October 21 hour, WET to WEST
1928April 15October 71 hour, WET to WEST
1929April 20October 61 hour, WET to WEST
1937June 16October 31 hour, WET to WEST
1938April 2, April 30October 31 hour, WET to WEST
1939not that yearOctober 81 hour, WET to WEST
1942May 2September 11 hour, CET to CEST
1943–1944third Saturday in April, 23:00first Sunday in October, 01:001 hour, CET to CEST
1945–1946second Saturday in April, 23:00last Sunday in September, 01:001 hour, CET to CEST
1949April 30October 21 hour, CET to CEST
Since 1970
1974–1975second Saturday in April, 23:00first Sunday in October, 01:001 hour, CET to CEST
1976March 27September 261 hour, CET to CEST
1977April 2September 251 hour, CET to CEST
1978April 2October 11 hour, CET to CEST
1979–1980first Sunday in April, 02:00last Sunday in September, 03:001 hour, CET to CEST
1981–1995last Sunday in March, 02:00last Sunday in September, 03:001 hour, CET to CEST
1996–2037last Sunday in March, 02:00last Sunday in October, 03:001 hour, CET to CEST

Clock changes in 2026, 2027 and 2028

The clocks go forward 1 hour (CET to CEST) on March 29, 2026, March 28, 2027 and March 26, 2028 at 02:00 and back 1 hour (CEST to CET) on October 25, 2026, October 31, 2027 and October 29, 2028 at 03:00, local time.

Also on UTC+1

Andorra, Gibraltar, Ceuta (Spain), Algeria, France, Switzerland, Tunisia, Belgium, Italy and Ireland (nearest first; 10 more on the list of offsets).

Clocks next door since 1970

  • Andorra (492 km): same time except 1,981 days in 1974–1984.
  • Gibraltar (496 km): same time except 1,428 days in 1974–1981.
  • Lisbon (Portugal) (503 km): usually 1 hour behind; different on 3,216 days in 1970–1977, 1981–1985 and 1992–1996.
  • Ceuta (522 km): same time except 5,556 days in 1970–1985.
  • Algeria (710 km): usually 1 hour behind; different on 8,722 days in 1971 and 1974–2026; same time today.

How it compares

Standard time has stayed at UTC+1 since 1940.