That familiar question returns with the darker mornings: which way do we turn the dial, and when? Phones handle themselves, ovens don’t, and your body has its own timetable. Here’s what changes, who it touches, and how to glide through the switch without missed alarms, muddled meetings or groggy Mondays.
What exactly happens in France this October
In metropolitan France, winter time starts on Sunday 26 October 2025. At 3am summer time, the legal clock moves back to 2am. You gain 60 minutes overnight, and the country returns from CEST (UTC+2) to CET (UTC+1). The rule is set across the European Union: the last Sunday of October marks the move to winter time, the last Sunday of March marks the return to summer time.
At 03:00 on Sunday 26 October, France goes back to 02:00. One extra hour in bed, one lighter evening.
Many devices will switch automatically. Most wall clocks, car dashboards and cooker timers will not. A short check on Saturday night saves a frantic Sunday and a confused Monday.
Devices you probably still need to set by hand
- Analogue wall clocks and bedside alarm clocks
- Cooker and microwave timers
- Car infotainment and dashboard clocks
- Boiler and heating schedules set on a fixed clock
- Standalone watches that do not sync with your phone
- Security systems and outdoor lights with manual timers
- Fitness trackers without automatic time-zone updates
Why the European Union still changes the clock
Since 2002, EU countries have kept a common calendar for summer and winter time to avoid cross-border confusion. Brussels revisited a 2019 plan in 2025 that would let each country stick to a permanent time. Capitals have yet to align on a single approach, because a patchwork of permanent settings would disrupt transport, markets and daily life near borders.
No final EU decision has been signed off, so the clock change stays: last Sunday in October, last Sunday in March.
Energy savings: smaller than they used to be
Decades ago, shifting daylight into evenings squeezed a little more use out of the sun. Today, efficient lighting, screens and new habits dilute that effect. Some providers say the gain on bills now sits in the margins, varying by region, weather and how people live.
Sleep and health: your body notices
The clock moves fast. Your internal clock lags. Many people report short-term sleep disruption, dips in attention and a sluggish start to the working week. For most, these effects fade within a few days, and for a minority they can linger up to two weeks. Children and shift workers often feel the shift more keenly.
Will you actually feel better with an extra hour?
Gaining an hour tempts late nights. That choice often backfires. You can bank the bonus and still keep a clear head on Monday by nudging your routine now.
Nine checks you need before Saturday night
- Move bedtime 15 minutes earlier each evening from Thursday to smooth the change.
- Confirm alarms for Sunday and Monday on your phone, and delete duplicates on older devices.
- Set manual clocks before bed so the house shows one time when you wake.
- Open your calendar app and ensure events show a time zone label (CET from Sunday).
- Check any medication with strict dosing windows; ask a pharmacist how to shift times safely.
- Review heating and hot water schedules; push morning warmth to match the darker dawns.
- If you work nights, check rota and pay rules for the “extra” hour between 2am and 3am.
- Scan travel bookings; flights and trains run on local time and may adjust departure slots.
- Reset kitchen timers and car clocks to avoid Monday morning guesswork.
Who does not change the clock
The October switch applies to metropolitan France. Most French overseas territories keep the same time year-round. One exception stands out.
| Region | Clock change on 26 October 2025 | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan France | Yes | From CEST (UTC+2) to CET (UTC+1) at 3am → 2am |
| Saint-Pierre and Miquelon | Yes | Local rules align with North American practice around late October/early November |
| Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyane, La Réunion, Mayotte, Polynésie française, Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna | No | Stable local time all year; check offsets when calling from mainland |
Travel, meetings and money: avoid costly mix-ups
Transport sticks to local time. Airlines and railways publish schedules with the change built in, so early services around 2am may pause or run on adjusted slots. If you cross time zones, your gap with France may stay the same because most European neighbours switch on the same night. Long-haul trips can be trickier: confirm departure and arrival times in local time and in UTC if you can.
From Sunday, Paris operates on CET. A 9:00 meeting in Paris will read as 08:00 in London, which also shifts to GMT that night, keeping the one-hour difference. Always add a time-zone tag to invites to prevent calendar software from “helping” in the wrong direction.
Night workers on the changeover shift often work the “extra” hour. Employers and unions usually spell out pay and rest rules for that night. Check your contract and the rota for clarity.
Your body clock: a simple plan for a smooth week
Light anchors your rhythm. Open curtains soon after waking on Sunday and Monday to signal the new start time. Keep caffeine modest after lunch. Avoid blue-rich screens in the last hour before bed. If children wake early with the lighter mornings, shift bedtime and mealtimes in small steps across the week rather than in one jump.
Runners and cyclists can use the brighter mornings to move sessions earlier. Commuters may prefer to keep evening outdoor time to catch the remaining daylight. Either way, a regular pattern helps mood and alertness.
One-minute memory aid
Think “October, back; March, forward.” In October, clocks go back one hour. In March, clocks go forward one hour.
What a permanent time would change for you
Debate over permanent time asks which trade-offs people prefer. Permanent summer time would bring lighter evenings in winter and darker mornings, which could weigh on road safety and school runs before dawn. Permanent winter time would keep brighter mornings and earlier sunsets, shifting leisure and retail habits. Any national choice would still need neighbours to coordinate to avoid daily friction at borders, in aviation networks and on markets.
A quick example to test your setup
Set a dummy calendar event at 01:30 on Sunday labelled “01:30 CEST”. Create a second for 02:30 labelled “02:30 CET”. Watch how your phone shows both as the clock moves. If the labels look wrong, adjust your device time-zone settings before you rely on them for travel, work or childcare.
The small gains you can bank next week
Use the lighter mornings to reset habits that slid over summer: a real breakfast, a brisk walk before work, or a set reading slot with the kids. Treat the extra hour as a buffer for rest, not a cue for another episode at midnight. By Tuesday, most people feel settled, and by the next weekend the new rhythm often feels normal again.
