Why it gets dark early or stays light late in Spain

Key rules

• Time zone: The mainland and the Balearic Islands use central European time, which is one hour ahead of the sun in winter and two in summer.
• Canary Islands: The Canaries run one hour behind the mainland.
• Clock changes: Clocks go forward on the last Sunday of March and back on the last Sunday of October.
• Regional difference: The further west you live, the later the sunrise and sunset by the clock.

Why Spain's days feel shifted

Spain uses central European time, the same as Germany and France, even though most of the country sits much further west. The result: the sun rises and sets late by the clock. Summer evenings stay light until after 21:00, and winter mornings are dark well past 08:00.

Spain's natural time zone is the same as Portugal's and the UK's. In March 1940 the government moved the clocks forward one hour to line up with Germany. It was presented as temporary, but it was never reversed. So the clock is one hour ahead of the sun in winter and two hours ahead in summer.

The Canary Islands are the exception. They use the same time as Portugal and the UK, one hour behind the mainland and the Balearic Islands.

How it differs by region

The further west you are, the later the sun rises and sets by the clock. Times below are approximate and change a little from city to city.

Summer (around the longest day)

• Galicia (A Coruña, Santiago): sunrise about 07:00-07:15, sunset about 22:00-22:10.
• Madrid: sunrise about 07:00, sunset about 21:30.
• Valencia and Barcelona: sunrise about 06:30-07:00, sunset about 21:15-21:30.

Winter (around the shortest day)

• Galicia: sunrise about 08:40-08:50, sunset about 18:20.
• Madrid: sunrise about 08:35, sunset about 18:10.
• Mediterranean coast: sunrise about 08:15-08:20, sunset about 17:50-18:00.

In short, the east gets earlier light but earlier darkness. Galicia gets the longest evenings in summer and the latest dawns in winter.

What this means day to day

• Expect dark mornings in winter, especially in the west. School runs and early commutes often happen before sunrise.
• Expect long light evenings in summer. This is part of why dinner and social life run late.
• Blinds or shutters matter in summer, because bedrooms stay bright late and the sun comes up early on the east coast.

Clock changes

Spain still changes its clocks twice a year: forward an hour on the last Sunday of March and back on the last Sunday of October. The Canary Islands change on the same dates and stay an hour behind the mainland.

Spain's government has said it favours ending the change, but nothing has changed so far. Check the current position before planning around a fixed time.

The questions below cover how early it gets dark and whether the clock changes will stop.

Frequently asked questions

Will Spain stop changing its clocks soon?

No, Spain has not stopped changing its clocks, and no change is in force. The European Parliament voted in 2019 to end seasonal changes, but the EU Council has not adopted the proposal. Spain's government has said it favours ending the change, so keep changing your clocks until it announces otherwise.

How early does it get dark in winter in Madrid and on the Mediterranean coast?

At the winter solstice, the sun sets at about 18:10 in Madrid and at about 17:50-18:00 on the Mediterranean coast. Galicia is a little later, at about 18:20. Sunrise in Madrid is about 08:35, and Galicia sees it at about 08:40-08:50.

How late does the sun set in summer in Galicia compared with Valencia or Barcelona?

At the summer solstice, the sun sets at about 22:00-22:10 in A Coruña and Santiago. In Madrid it sets at about 21:30, and in Valencia and Barcelona at about 21:15-21:30. Sunrise in Galicia is about 07:00-07:15, against about 06:30-07:00 in Valencia and Barcelona.

Do the Canary Islands use the same time as the mainland?

No, the Canary Islands use Western European Time, which is one hour behind the mainland and the Balearics. They change clocks on the same dates as the mainland.