Time Zones in United Kingdom
United Kingdom spans one time zone (UTC) among the 3 cities tracked on Live Time Map. All of them observe daylight saving time. See the live local time for each city below, or use the interactive map to compare any of them against your own location.
United Kingdom facts
- Currency
- Pound sterling (GBP)
- Languages
- English
- Calling code
- +44
- Time zones on this site
- 1
Clock time and solar time in United Kingdom
A country's clocks are a political choice, not an astronomical one, so they rarely line up with its own sun. Measured against local solar time, the clock in Edinburgh runs 13 minutes ahead of the sun, while in London it runs 1 minute ahead of the sun.
That is a spread of 12 minutes between the two ends of United Kingdom's tracked cities, all of it the result of longitude rather than of the clock. The wider that gap, the more one shared office schedule means genuinely different amounts of morning light depending on where you are.
How much daylight changes through the year
Daylight is governed by latitude, not by the clock. Edinburgh, at 56.0° north, gets 17 hours 37 minutes of daylight on the longest day of the year and 6 hours 57 minutes on the shortest.
London, at 51.5° north, gets 16 hours 38 minutes of daylight on the longest day of the year and 7 hours 49 minutes on the shortest. So the annual swing between longest and shortest day is 10 hours 39 minutes in Edinburgh against 8 hours 49 minutes in London, within the same country.
Cities in United Kingdom
Want to compare a city here against your own location? Open the interactive world time zone map to pin it live.
Frequently asked questions
How many time zones does United Kingdom have?
United Kingdom uses a single time zone among the cities tracked here: UTC.
Does United Kingdom observe daylight saving time?
Yes, the cities tracked here all observe daylight saving time.
Do clocks in United Kingdom match the sun?
Clocks and the sun are not the same thing. In Edinburgh the clock runs 13 minutes ahead of local solar time, so midday on the clock is not the moment the sun is highest.
How much does daylight change through the year in United Kingdom?
In Edinburgh, the longest day of the year has 17 hours 37 minutes of daylight and the shortest has 6 hours 57 minutes.