Time to Fall Back! We want to make sure you make your trains, planes and tours.
The date for turning the clocks back in Europe is different than in the US. Not sure about Canada, Australia or Asia, so hope they add to this thread.
This Sat. night (Sun. morning) at 02:00, turn them back.
US returns to standard time Sunday Nov 2 at 2:00 AM, so we will be out of sync for one week.
Yes - Canada changes when the US does...
The Uk is at the same time as Europe.
Not all of the US sets their clocks back
Thank you Jo - we didn't know that. We're currently in Salzburg and on our way to Vienna, so this will be good information.
@Nigel, the UK is part of Europe (to everybody but Nigel Farage) :-).
I think you mean the UK (and Ireland) change over at the same time as mainland Europe. They do not have the same time, there is 1 hour difference year round. That is why, according to the timetable, a Eurostar takes 3½ hours from London to Paris but only 1½ hours from Paris to London.
It was an EU decision that all countries should change on the same date. Before that it was very confusing as different countries changed on different dates, and some countries didn't have Summer Time. Train and airline timetables got very confusing.
Of course it was the UK (under a certain M Thatcher) which was the last country to accept the common changeover date.
The rule is:
Everybody knows Arizona is different from everybody else.
@Chris F
"Fog In Channel. Continent Cut Off"
For goodness sake, there isn't even a UK section of this Forum. Even Rick Steves doesn't even give the UK a place in Europe.
The earlier EU Directives permitted 2 different end dates for summertime towards the end of September and October. From 1996 the rest of Europe fell in line with the practice of UK and Ireland of the end of October.
EU and North American dates were also the same for a few years until the USA was the first to choose to change (and the EU didn't).
Surprised I am, that the members of the EU are now fascists.
I think most people would agree that the UK is part of Europe. It just isn't part of the continent right now, though it once was.
@Keith, all the islands that comprise the UK are geographically part of the continent of Europe, and have been for millions of years. As much as Zeeland, Corsica or Sicily are. If not, what other continent do you think they are part of?
The UK is also politically part of the European Union, that is equally indisputable.
Interesting to note the changeover times listed above by Chris F. In the USA (well, Colorado, anyway), Standard and Daylight Savings time changes are coordinated to allow maximum operating hours for the bars those nights, as they close at 2 AM. Time waits for no man, but sometimes does wait for the next round.
Knowing that some drinking establishments in Europe (and/or the UK!) keep different hours than do those in Colorado, I wonder if the times Chris lists had anything to do with convenience or profits for late-night businesses, or if they were agreed on based on affecting the least number of people at those hours?
Hello Cyn. I don't think the times have anything to do with opening hours. These are regulated locally. In many parts of Europe (including the UK) there is now no restriction on bar opening times. In my youth it was otherwise. In the town I lived in they closed the pubs by law at 11:00 pm, in the next town over at 10:30, which caused some people to travel to my town for 30 minutes more drinking time.
Summer time starts and ends at exactly the same time throughout the EU. Click here for the actual regulations:
Article 2
From 2002 onwards, the summer-time period shall begin, in every Member State, at 1.00 a.m., Greenwich Mean Time, on the last Sunday in March.
Article 3
From 2002 onwards, the summer-time period shall end, in every Member State, at 1.00 a.m., Greenwich Mean Time, on the last Sunday in October.
Thus Summer Time ends at UK at 02:00 BST, In most of Europe at 03:00 CEST and in Eastern Europe at 04:00 EEST. That way there is not an odd hour when the time difference is different.
Ms Jo, you are a rabble-rouser.
And, apparently, a fascist ;-)
(Between you and me, I've never been too sure about Canada, either...)
Good to know Ms. Jo. We got caught on our first trip to Europe - ended up at the train station an hour early! It might not have been too bad if it had been a decent sized station but we were in Antibes - it was a small one - not even open yet!
Christi, better an hour early than an hour late... ; )
