What Time Is It in London?
Get the current time in London with timezone information, daylight saving time details, and scheduling guides for international meetings and calls.
Current Time in London
London operates in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) during winter and British Summer Time (BST) during summer. As the home of the Prime Meridian at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London holds a unique place in global timekeeping — it is literally where time zones begin.
The current time in London is displayed on our live city clock. London observes GMT (UTC+0) from late October through late March, and BST (UTC+1) from late March through late October.
London Timezone Information
GMT and BST Details
The United Kingdom uses Greenwich Mean Time as its standard time zone. GMT is the mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, and has served as the reference point for world time since 1884.
| Period | Abbreviation | UTC Offset | Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Time | GMT | UTC+0 | Oct – Mar |
| Summer Time | BST | UTC+1 | Mar – Oct |
Use our time zone converter to compare London time with other cities worldwide.
Scheduling Meetings in London
Business Hours and Overlap Windows
London business hours typically run from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM GMT/BST. The City of London's financial district often starts earlier, around 7:00 AM, to overlap with Asian markets. Key overlap windows include:
- New York: 1:00 PM – 5:30 PM GMT (overlap: 4.5 hours)
- Tokyo: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM GMT (overlap: 1 hour before Tokyo closes)
- Dubai: 9:00 AM – 1:30 PM GMT (overlap: 4.5 hours)
- Sydney: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM GMT (minimal overlap)
Our city comparison tool helps you find optimal meeting times across multiple time zones.
Daylight Saving Time in London
The UK switches to British Summer Time (BST) on the last Sunday of March, when clocks move forward one hour at 1:00 AM GMT. Clocks return to GMT on the last Sunday of October at 2:00 AM BST. This is typically one to two weeks different from the U.S. DST transition, which can temporarily affect scheduling.
During the transition weeks, the time difference between London and New York changes from 5 hours to 4 hours (or vice versa), which can cause confusion for regularly scheduled international calls.