UK Time & Opening Hours

Time Zone in Britain & Opening Times in Britain

Time Zones in Britain

Britain has a single time zone which includes England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and The Channel Islands.

Britain uses Western European Time. This is equivalent to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) or Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Greenwich Mean Time is observed at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, in south east London.

Britain employs Daylight Saving Time (DST). Clocks go forward one hour from the last Sunday in March until the last Sunday in October. This is the period of British Summer Time.

Time in Britain. — Time in Britain - the 24 hour clock at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich

Present Time in London

Time Differences With Other Countries

Britain observes the same time as Ireland and Portugal. Spain is one hour ahead of Britain, as is Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, and much of western Europe. Japan and Korea are 8 hours ahead in summer, 9 hours in winter.

See a list of the time differences of various countries with the UK.

Time in Britain compared with Tokyo, Paris and New York. — Time in London compared with Tokyo, Paris and New York during British Summer Time

Bulgaria (+2 hours)
Croatia (+1 hour)
Czech Republic (+1 hour)
Denmark (+1 hour)
France (+1 hour)
Germany (+1 hour)
Greece (+1 hour)
Holland (+1 hour)
Italy (+1 hour)
Latvia (+2 hours)
Portugal (0)
Russia (+3 hours)
Spain (+1 hour)
Sweden (+1 hour)
Switzerland (+1 hour)
Ukraine (+2 hours)
Accra (0)
Angola (+1 hour)
Argentina (-3 hours)
Athens (+2 hours)
Auckland (+13 hours)
Bali (+8 hours)
Bangkok (+7 hours)
Beijing (+8)
Cairo (+2 hours)
Cape Town (+2 hours)
Costa Rica (-6 hours)
Dallas (-6 hours)
Doha (+3 hours)
Dubai (+4 hours)
Dublin (0)
Djibouti (+3 hours)
Esfahan (+3.30 hours)
Ghana (0)
Hanoi (+7 hours)
Hong Kong (+8 hours)
Iran (+3.30 hours)
Ireland (0)
Istanbul (+3 hours)
Jakarta (+7 hours)
Japan (+9 hours)
Johannesburg (+2 hours)
Korea (+9 hours)
Kyiv (+3 hours)
Kyoto (+9 hours)
Lahore (+5 hours)
Las Vegas (-8 hours)
Lisbon (0)
Lome (0)
London (0)
Los Angeles (-8 hours)
Luanda (+1 hour)
Madrid (+1 hour)
Malaysia (+8 hours)
Mexico (-6 hours)
Montreal (-5 hours)
Moscow (+3 hours)
New Delhi (+5:30 hours)
New York (-5 hours)
Oklahoma City (-6 hours)
Orlando (-5 hours)
Ottawa (-5 hours)
Paraguay (-3 hours)
Perth (+8 hours)
Philadelphia (-5 hours)
Port of Spain (-4 hours)
Reykjavik (0)
Rio de Janeiro (-3 hours)
Saudi Arabia (+3 hours)
Seoul (+9 hours)
Shanghai (+8 hours)
Singapore (+8 hours)
Sydney (+11 hours)
Tbilisi (+4 hours)
Tehran (+3.30 hours)
Tel Aviv (+2 hours)
Thailand (+7 hours)
Tokyo (+9 hours)
Toronto (-5 hours)
Tunisia (+1 hours)
UK (0)
Vancouver (-8 hours)
Vladivostok (+10 hours)
Wellington (+13 hours)
Winnipeg (-6 hours)
Yamoussoukro (0)

Banking Hours in Britain

Normal banking hours in Britain are Monday to Friday 9 am to 4 or 5 pm. However, some banks also open on Saturday mornings from 9.30 am to 1 pm and may have later opening hours on some days.

London Tube Stations — The London Tube now operates around the clock on Friday and Saturday

London Underground Times

Under normal circumstances lines on the London underground operate from 5.30 am until around 12.30 am (6.45 am to 11.30 pm on Sunday). There are round the clock services on selected lines on Fridays and Saturdays (the Jubilee Line and Victoria Line plus large parts of the Central Line, Northern Line, and Piccadilly Line).

Britain Post Offices Opening Hours

Post Offices in Britain are usually open Monday to Friday 9 am - 5 pm. In large cities they may stay open longer from 9 am to 6 pm. They are open from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm on Saturdays and in large towns and cities the larger branches are open from 9.30 am to 5 pm on Saturdays.

Both banks and post offices are closed on Bank Holidays (public holidays). Some public holidays observed for Britain (*holidays may vary between England and Scotland) are January 1, Easter (Good Friday to Easter Monday), May 1, last Monday in May (Spring Bank Holiday), last Monday in August (Summer Bank Holiday in England, first Monday in August in Scotland), 30th November, St Andrew's Day (Scotland only), 25 December (Christmas Day), 26 December (Boxing Day).

*If Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on a weekend substitute days are observed as holidays, the 27 and 28 December as in 2021.

Museum Opening Hours in Britain

The opening hours of museums in Britain vary but are generally 9 or 10 am to 5 pm daily. Smaller museums may be closed on Mondays and even Tuesday as well.

General Opening Times in Britain

Gone are the days when most shops closed on Sundays. Big cities and London in particular are becoming more and more 24/7 especially some supermarkets and convenience stores.

General business hours for offices though remain 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday.

Most restaurants in Britain will have one closing day per week. Lunch is generally noon until 3 pm with dinner from 6 pm until 9 or 10 pm or even later.

Opening hours for pubs vary but they are generally open 11 am to 11 pm Monday to Thursday, 11 am to 1 am Friday and Saturday and 11.30 am to 11 pm on Sundays.