Europe Turns Clocks Back, Creating a Seven-Day Travel Confusion Gap with the US
On October 25 the EU and UK ended daylight saving time simultaneously, moving clocks back one hour and opening a seven-day window in which the London-New York time difference is four hours instead of five, catching out travellers on overnight journeys and early-morning connections.
At 01:00 UTC on Sunday, October 25, 2026, most of Europe — including EU member states, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Switzerland — turned clocks back one hour, ending daylight saving time and returning to standard winter time. The change affected major travel hubs in London, Paris, Madrid, Rome, Berlin, and Amsterdam simultaneously. In London, clocks moved from 02:00 BST to 01:00 GMT; Central European cities moved from 03:00 CEST to 02:00 CET; Eastern European countries moved from 04:00 EEST to 03:00 EET. Iceland, Russia, and Belarus did not observe the change. The adjustment creates a technical 25-hour Sunday and generates complications for travellers on overnight rail sleeper services, early-morning flight connections, and separately booked airport transfers. The United States does not make its own clock change until November 1, creating a seven-day window in which the London-New York time difference is four hours instead of the usual five. The European Commission proposed ending the twice-yearly changes, and the European Parliament backed the reform in 2019, but the required legislative process has not been completed, so the seasonal switch remains in force. Travellers are advised to recheck itineraries, confirm rail departures, and ensure smartphones have automatic time updates enabled.
