Germany — Time & Holidays
Germany uses Central European Time (UTC+1) in winter and Central European Summer Time (UTC+2) in summer, changing the clocks twice a year with the rest of the EU.
National & Public Holidays
| Date | Holiday | What it marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day Fixed | The start of the year. |
| Movable | Good Friday & Easter Monday Movable | The Easter weekend. |
| 1 May | Labour Day Fixed | International workers' day. |
| Movable | Ascension & Whit Monday Movable | Christian holidays after Easter. |
| 3 October | German Unity Day Fixed | Reunification of Germany in 1990. |
| 25 December | Christmas Day Fixed | The principal winter holiday. |
| 26 December | Second Christmas Day Fixed | Boxing Day equivalent. |
Time and holidays in Germany
Germany sits in the heart of Europe and keeps Central European Time, one hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time at UTC+1 in winter. Along with the rest of the European Union it switches to Central European Summer Time, UTC+2, on the last Sunday of March, returning to standard time on the last Sunday of October. This shared changeover means Germany keeps the same offset relative to its EU neighbours all year, while its gap with countries that do not use daylight saving moves by an hour each spring and autumn.
National and Christian holidays
German Unity Day on the third of October is the one truly national public holiday, marking the reunification of East and West Germany in 1990, and it is observed across every state. Much of the rest of the calendar reflects the country's Christian heritage and is fixed by the church year: Good Friday, Easter Monday, Ascension and Whit Monday all move with Easter, while New Year's Day, Labour Day on the first of May, and the two Christmas days in December are fixed. Germany is a federal country, so several additional holidays such as Epiphany, Corpus Christi, All Saints' Day and Reformation Day are observed only in particular states, which means the exact list of days off depends on the region. The live clock above shows the current time in Germany with the correct summer or winter offset applied.