Kraków, Poland · UTC+2
Convert time from Kraków
Kraków was Poland’s capital for five centuries before Warsaw took over in 1596, and it still feels like a city that takes its time seriously. The market square, one of the largest medieval plazas in Europe, has had a town hall clock since the 13th century. Today the city runs on Europe/Warsaw time: UTC+1 in winter (CET), UTC+2 in summer (CEST).
centuries of timekeeping, market square to cathedral
At 50 degrees north, Kraków has significant seasonal daylight swings. Summer evenings stretch past 9pm. December afternoons end before 3:30pm. The Old Town comes alive differently in each season: summer means outdoor cafes crowded past midnight, winter means the amber glow of restaurants and the smell of mulled wine at the Christmas market.
The Wawel Castle on its hill above the Vistula river has had its bells marking the hours for locals since the Middle Ages. The Hejnał mariacki, the trumpet call played every hour from the St. Mary’s Basilica tower, has been sounding since at least the 14th century. Time in Kraków has always had a ceremonial dimension.
Poland follows EU DST rules, advancing clocks in late March and reverting in late October. The debate about abolishing DST across Europe has not yet produced change.
9am in Kraków is 8am in London in winter, one hour ahead of GMT.
Sources
Read more about time in Poland →Same time as Kraków
Compare Kraków with
Questions about time in Kraków
- What timezone is Kraków in?
- Kraków is in Central European Time (CET), using the IANA timezone
Europe/Warsaw. The standard UTC offset is UTC+1 in winter. During daylight saving time (summer), it becomes Central European Summer Time (CEST) at UTC+2. - Does Kraków observe daylight saving time?
- Yes. Kraków observes daylight saving time. In 2026, clocks spring forward one hour on Sunday, March 29 and fall back one hour on Sunday, October 25. During DST, the UTC offset shifts from UTC+1 to UTC+2.
- What is the current UTC offset for Kraków?
- Kraków is currently at UTC+2. It is currently observing daylight saving time.
- What is the time difference between Kraków and New York?
- Kraków is currently 6 hours ahead of New York.
- What is the time difference between Kraków and London?
- Kraków is currently 1 hour ahead of London. Both cities observe daylight saving time on the same schedule (last Sunday of March and October), so the gap stays consistent year-round.
- What is the time difference between Kraków and Los Angeles?
- Kraków is currently 9 hours ahead of Los Angeles.
- What is the time difference between Kraków and Tokyo?
- Kraków is currently 7 hours behind Tokyo. Tokyo does not observe daylight saving time, so this gap changes by 1 hour when Kraków transitions to/from DST.
- What is the IANA timezone name for Kraków?
- The IANA timezone database identifier for Kraków is
Europe/Warsaw. Use this string in programming languages and APIs: JavaScript (`new Intl.DateTimeFormat('en-US', { timeZone: 'Europe/Warsaw' })`), Python (`pytz.timezone('Europe/Warsaw')`), or any IANA-compatible library. - Is CET the same as CEST?
- No. CET (Central European Time, UTC+1) is the standard winter time used by Kraków and most of Central Europe. CEST (Central European Summer Time, UTC+2) is the same zone during daylight saving time. The abbreviation changes, but it is the same IANA timezone — the offset shifts by one hour.