In the graph below you see the time zone difference between Central European Summer Time and Central 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. Central Standard Time is the time zone of the central US and Canada, as well as most of Central America, with places like Winnipeg, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Mexico City, San Jose and Panama City.
Usually it is preferable to schedule meetings in the late afternoon for the person in CEST and before lunch for the person in CST.
More CEST conversions
CEST to PDT, CEST to EDT, CEST to CDT, CEST to GMT, CEST to EST
More CST conversions
CST to CDT, CST to MDT, CST to IST, CST to EST, CST to GMT
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.
Central Standard Time is the time zone of the central US and Canada, as well as Mexico and most of Central America. It is six hours behind UTC and is observed during the winter months. In the summer CST becomes CDT – Central Daylight Time. It is important to remember that not all locations in a given state or province necessarily use the time zone – make sure to check the situation for your exact location!
CST is observed in the US, Canada, Mexico and all of Central America (including Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama and Honduras). In the US it is only the states in the central parts that observes CST, from Wisconsin in the West to Tennessee in the East, and from Michigan in the North to Florida in the South. Similarly, only Canadian provinces in the middle of the country observe CST. With the exception of the North West corner, all of Mexico observes CST.
Mexico: México (including Mexico City), Oaxaca, Yucatán, San Luis Potosi, Chiapas and more.
Canada: Saskatchewan (only Creighton and Denare Beach), Manitoba and most ports of Ontario
US: Nebraska, Wisconsin, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Illinois to mention a few.
Most locations in Central Standard Time observe summer time between March and November, then calling it CDT – Central Daylight Time. It is always advisable to check the exact location (e.g. using our time zone converter) instead of relying on time zone abbreviations as there are sometimes exceptions, e.g. some states in the US are split between two time zones.