Germany Will Turn Clocks Back on Night of 24–25 October 2026

Overview

• The clocks will be set back one hour from 3:00 to 2:00 in the night of 24–25 October 2026, marking the end of summer time and the start of winter (standard) time.
• The European Parliament backed ending the twice-yearly change in 2019 but EU member states have not agreed on a common permanent time, so the current system remains in force.
• Germany’s Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt in Braunschweig provides legally binding time via atomic clocks and most radio‑linked devices will update automatically.
• Deutsche Bahn treats the switch as routine but passengers can see schedule effects, for example night trains may pause to stay on time and spring changes can cause delays.
• The twice-yearly change traces to energy policies after the 1970s oil crises and can cause sleep and concentration problems for many people, with experts advising gradual sleep shifts and daylight exposure to ease adjustment.