In the graph below you see the time zone difference between Central European Summer Time and Eastern Standard Time. Drag the bubble to adjust the time and to see the corresponding time in the other time zone.
Central European Summer Time is the time zone of most central European countries, and the Nordics when observing daylight saving time in the summer, including cities like Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Madrid, Rome, Zurich and Warsaw. Eastern Standard Time is the time zone of the Canadian and US East Coast, with places like Montreal, Ottawa, New York, Washington D.C. And Miami.
Usually it is preferable to schedule meetings in the late afternoon for the person in CEST and before lunch for the person in EST.
More CEST conversions
CEST to IST, CEST to PST, CEST to CST, CEST to PDT, CEST to EDT
More EST conversions
EST to CDT, EST to KST, EST to MDT, EST to EST, EST to PST
CEST is, as the name implies, the time zone observed by Central Europe during the summer months. CEST is +2 hours ahead of UTC. Note that Portugal and the UK are not on CEST but instead observe GMT (or, in the summer BST – British Summer Time) and that Eastern Europe (every country from Finland and South) observe Eastern European Summer Time.
All countries in Western Europe, except Portugal and the UK, observe Central European Summer Time. This includes Germany, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Montenegro and Gibraltar to name a few.
The list is long but includes Berlin, Oslo, Madrid, Rome, Tirana, Amsterdam, Paris, Warsaw, Bern, Geneva and Copenhagen.
CEST is the summer time of CET – Central European Time and is observed between the last Sunday of March and the last Sunday of October each year. The rest of the year these countries are on CET.
This is the standard time of the Eastern US, Canada and parts of the Caribbean. It is in most places observed only in the winter months, from November to March. The origin of EST is the same as for most time zones – it was introduced when the railroad was built across the United States. It is important to note that there is also Eastern Standard Time in Australia, but this is usually called AEST and thus not to be confused with EST.
Most of the Eastern seaboard of the US observe EST, as well as most locations in Eastern Canada although there are a few exceptions. Locations such as New York, Washington, Quebec and Ontario are all on Eastern Standard Time. Also some Caribbean locations such as Jamaica, Haiti and Panama are in this time zone.
It is important to note that with the exception of Panama, Jamaica and a couple of locations in Canada and the US most in this time zone do observe DST and thus switch to EDT in the summer. As always, it is better to look up the actual location than the timezone itself.