Current time in Geneva, Switzerland
The current local time in Geneva is shown below. Geneva observes CET in winter and CEST during daylight saving time.
Daylight saving time
Sunrise & sunset today
Timezone facts
Geneva in context
Geneva sits at the southwestern tip of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) where the Rhône River flows out, in French-speaking western Switzerland directly against the French border. The city proper holds around 205,000 residents, with the wider cross-border metropolitan area of around 1 million extending into the adjacent French departments of Ain and Haute-Savoie. The Alps to the south and the Jura to the northwest define the surrounding landscape.
Timezone history of Geneva
Geneva shares Central European Time and the federal DST schedule with the rest of Switzerland, but the city's particular position on the French border produces an unusual cross-border commuter population: tens of thousands of French residents work in Geneva daily, all on the same Swiss-French CET. The United Nations European headquarters in Geneva runs to UN standardised times that align with the city's local clock.
Working hours in Geneva
Geneva's working economy is shaped by international organisations (the UN, WHO, ILO, WTO, and several Red Cross institutions), private banking, and high-end manufacturing including watchmaking. Office hours run 08:00 to 17:30, with international organisation working schedules often extending later to accommodate global representation. The watchmaking exhibition Watches & Wonders in April and the Geneva Motor Show (when it runs) produce significant business activity. French is the working language of most non-international roles.