In the graph below you see the time zone difference between Central European Summer Time and Eastern Daylight 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 Daylight Time is the time zone of the Canadian and US East Coast when observing daylight saving time in the summer, with places like Montreal, Ottawa, New York, Washington D.C. And Miami.
Usually it is preferable to schedule meetings in the afternoon for the person in CEST and before lunch for the person in EDT.
More CEST conversions
CEST to CDT, CEST to GMT, CEST to EST, CEST to IST, CEST to PST
More EDT conversions
EDT to MDT, EDT to GMT, EDT to EST, EDT to PST, EDT to CST
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 summer time of the Eastern US, Canada and parts of the Caribbean. It is in effect between March and October for most locations and is four hours behind UTC. It is important to note that even within certain states, e.g. Florida, Michigan, and Tennessee there are locations that do NOT observe EST/EDT but instead belong to other time zones. The same goes for the Canadian provinces Ontario and Quebec.
Most of the Eastern seaboard of the US observe Eastern Daylight Time, 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.
With the exception of Panama, Jamaica and a couple of locations in Canada and the US daylight saving time is observed. Unless you are sure that the location you have in mind is truly in EST/EDT it is always better to use the exact location name rather than the time zone abbreviation.